Many states are looking at education vouchers and asking whether a market solution can improve the quality of public education. The answer partially depends on how government and religion will interact and whether states' constitutions or the religion clauses in the United States Constitution will permit voucher plans to include religious schools.…

"The ERIC Review" is published three times a year and announces research results, publications, and new programs relevant to each issue's theme topic. This issue explores systemic education reform via an overview of systemic reform, a description of the Kentucky example, and an article, "Roadmap to Restructuring" (David T.…

One issue in school restructuring has been deciding exactly how to make schools more autonomous and accountable. Charter schools, a recent concept, offer a viable means of integrating various reform ideas in order to create highly autonomous and accountable learning environments. This publication defines charter schools; highlights the appeal of…

This report describes recent changes in the tuition and fee policies of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) and the compliance of 1994-95 tuition rates with CCHE policy and state legislation requirements. In May 1994, the Colorado General Assembly passed House Bill 94-1362, directing CCHE to adopt policies concerning mandatory…

This resource guide describes one state's statutes and cases so as to profile those rights, responsibilities, and protections for young people which are different from those applicable to adults. The purpose of this guidebook is to give legislators an overview of all laws affecting young people in order to have a reference aid on current state…

The English major at Missouri Western State College has five separate emphases. The English education and English literature emphases are traditional majors with required courses in literature, language and composition. The other emphases are technical communications, public relations, and writing. Since the state recently started requiring public…

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a potent and a present danger for teenagers, casting a dark shadow over their lives now and in the future. A small, but significant, number of teenagers will develop Human Immune Virus (HIV)-related illness before they turn 20; a far greater number will become infected with the virus during…

Through Senate Bill 1202 (Chapter 1038; Hart, Statutes of 1989), the California Legislature directed the California Postsecondary Education Commission to develop a state policy statement on the use of distance learning technology in education, "to be considered and, if appropriate, adopted by the Legislature." Other issues to be addressed by the…

This report provides formative-evaluation information about the processes followed by Florida's Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) to comply with national, state, and local governmental environmental regulations. Specifically, the report examines the effectiveness of the Environmental Compliance (EC) team, which monitors OCPS response to…

Findings of a study that explored focus group participants' views on public schools and Kentucky's recent education reform efforts are presented in this document. In May 1992, 7 focus groups, with a total of 70 participants, were conducted at 6 locations throughout Kentucky. Three groups consisted of citizens who were not public school employees,…

Findings of a review of school district administrative spending conducted by the Mississippi Legislature's Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) Committee are presented in this report. Findings indicate that Mississippi school districts paid $94 million in salaries to central office administrators and principals in fiscal year 1992.…

To date, eight states (Minnesota, California, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, and Wisconsin) have passed some type of charter school legislation. This report provides information on activities and legislation in these states regarding charter school formation, including the roles played by individual teachers and others as…

This handbook is designed to help Utah school districts compile and report pertinent information to their respective publics, in compliance with the provisions of House Bill 170, which requires districts to prepare annual district reports. Following the introduction, suggestions are presented for the content, information sources, and reporting…

The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for alcohol and controlled substances testing that comply with the Omnibus Transportation Employee Testing Act of 1991 and to set forth the procedures for implementing this policy in the state of Utah. The text details an awareness program and specifies the general prohibitions and sanctions…

In 1996, the Institute for Education and Social Policy at New York University began a 2-year policy study for the State Education Department (SED) of its Schools under Registration Review (SURR) process. The SED identifies and supports New York's low-performing schools for up to 3 years. Then schools that improve are removed from the SURR list,…