If a state legislature sets a higher standard for individualized education programs, it must be met to receive federal special-education funding. However, an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in a case involving an autistic boy threatens to weaken IDEA's authorization of higher state standards. (MLH)

Discusses state and federal efforts to improve the skills and knowledge of special-needs students, including opportunities to move to postsecondary education. Describes accommodations, measuring and reporting yearly progress, transitions, and cost. (PKP)

Questions positive effects of small classes on student achievement. Describes study using 1998 NAEP reading data to determine whether students in small classes do better than students in large classes. Finds that after controlling for several factors such as gender, students in small classes did no better in reading than students in large classes.…

The recent flap over the Kansas State Board of Education's decision to drop knowledge of evolution theory from its science standards has rekindled the perennial science/religion debate in education. This article examines mutual relationships of three knowledge structures (science, mainstream religion, and fringe beliefs) and the middle-ground's…

The central federal question surrounding vouchers is whether participation of sectarian schools violates the First Amendment's Establishment clause. The U.S. Supreme Court, through its interpretation of the federal Constitution, may have the final word in determining voucher proposals' future. Litigation in Cleveland, Milwaukee, Vermont, and Maine…

Presents an overview of charter schools, tracing the history of the charter schools movement and outlining charter school laws in the states. Charter schools have been aimed at breaking the mold of the large urban schools and promoted as a way to restructure urban public education from within. Summarizes concerns of charter school critics. (SLD)

Key components of state high-stakes testing are analyzed in light of major federal statutes and court cases involving the rights of children with disabilities. Concludes with three state policy recommendations for testing students with disabilities: (1) avoid testing on a single criteria; (2) give adequate notice; and (3) do not test what has not…

Analyzes the effects of 1997 Vermont school-finance reform legislation (Act 60) to resolve taxpayer inequity and disparity in per-pupil spending. Identifies shortcomings in Act 60 and suggests that alternative school-finance reform proposals such as Education Revenue Sharing may help legislators remedy some of these shortcomings. (PKP)

Describes findings and recommendations of the first annual report of the Massachusetts Education Reform Review Commission, which focused on standards and assessments, accountability, district and teacher capacity, and funding. (PKP)

This article discusses the tricks of the trade that legislatures in formerly de jure segregated states might use to maintain racial funding disparities in existence before Brown and whether such ploys might be vulnerable to legal challenges. The first section provides an overview of modern school finance formulas and explains how legislatures in…

This article proposes a general conception of educational adequacy and draws on a lengthy history of economic theory and emerging empirical evidence to support that conception. The author reviews empirical methods for measuring educational adequacy and synthesizes findings from a number of recent studies of the cost of an adequate education. He…

The fight over school funding in most states involves a long battle in the courts that may span several years and never have a definitive endpoint because resistance to adequate funding of public schools appears to be endemic to government processes. The "DeRolph" case, first filed by the plaintiffs in December 1991, is one such legal…

This article summarizes the efforts of legislators in studying up on what they might do to affect how well kids learn after the summer break. Some of the legislators' work leaned toward improving students' health, while some targeted dropouts or civic education. Most of the capitol-dome work appears to have matched the typical garden: a few…

This article discusses the recent progress made by three states--Indiana, Kentucky, and New Jersey--toward statewide goals to improve transfer and articulation. Legislation and/or policies that prompted the initiative in each state are presented, along with any additional policies and organizational structures that were implemented to promote…

Faced with a conflict between state and federal laws, Texas officials have come down on the side of their own law and set up a possible showdown with the U.S. government over millions of dollars in education aid. In determining which schools and districts were meeting annual goals under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the state last February…