This report describes the development of the juvenile justice system in the United States. It uses current data to look at where it is heading, and the recent trend of transferring certain juvenile cases to adult criminal court. Section 1 explains that the juvenile justice system was founded on the concept of rehabilitation through individualized…

This qualitative study documented the variance of five different school districts and one consortium as they implemented Local Professional Development Committees (LPDCs). Two of the sites were pilot districts in the state of Ohio, which mandated that districts/consortiums create LPDCs effective in September 1998. The six different cases are…

This document presents the annual report and recommendations of Minnesota's Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC) Trust Fund, a program that provides funding for the clinical training of selected medical professions through compensating the costs of training provided in a clinical teaching environment. State general funds and health care…

This document combines in one place the provisions of Washington State law that provide the legal framework for "education reform." Due to the nature in which Washington State laws are "codified" in statute and to the comprehensiveness of education reform, the laws regarding education reform are scattered throughout the Revised…

For the 4th year, the Center for Education Reform has evaluated the strength of state legislation establishing charter schools throughout America. The Center offers the nation's only comprehensive evaluation of all charter-school laws using well-established criteria. These laws fall along a spectrum from "strong" (fostering the…

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education has the statutory responsibility for the overall statewide planning and coordination of higher education in Alabama, the administration of various student aid programs, and the performance of designated regulatory functions. This annual report provides information about all of these responsibilities and…

This issue memorandum describes Constitutional Amendment A, an initiative in South Dakota that, if approved, would prohibit taxation of real property for school purposes. The report provides background information on Constitutional Amendment A, which reads as follows: "The legislature shall make such provision by general taxation as with the…

The Wisconsin legislature has required the Department of Public Instruction to adopt or approve standardized tests for statewide use to measure student attainment of knowledge and concepts in grades 4, 8, and 10. Although school districts generally gave high ratings to the contents of TerraNova (McGraw Hill), the testing instrument most recently…

In the 1996 and 1997 Massachusetts legislative sessions, several of Boston's key business leaders became active child advocates in alliance with more traditional advocates and other civic leaders, convincing public policymakers to create and fund several initiatives benefiting children. This working paper presents reflections on successful…

This is the sixth report presenting projections of spending for the Minnesota State Grant Program as required by state law. The Legislature recognized that many economic uncertainties influence the estimation results and strengthened the projection process by mandating a monthly statement on spending and updated quarterly projections. Another…

This description of how the State of Virginia revised its minimum standards for licensed child caring institutions shows how involvement of personnel in all steps of the process of regulation can change resistance to acceptance. (DP)

Describes the issues in an Illinois court case brought by school districts who claim the State is holding back appropriated school funds from one fiscal year to the next. (Author/DN)

Faced with a December deadline imposed by the State's highest court, New Jersey's legislature will soon convene in an extraordinary special session to consider a controversial proposal for changing the State's system of financing public education. Discusses that proposal and the current system for school finance. (Author/JF)

The author discusses some guidelines to use for determining child custody in divorces, including the Michigan Child Custody Act of 1970. (RP)

In this article author discussed data on child abuse and neglect and analyzed several policy suggestions for alleviating the problem. (Author/RK)