This booklet presents findings of a study that gathered information about charter schools. Representatives of more than 170 public charter schools were surveyed by mail, telephone or at national and regional meetings. Approximately 120 surveys were returned by representatives of 110 charter public schools in seven states--California, Colorado,…

A survey of 22 state legislators nationwide investigated what attitudes or characteristics distinguish successful from unsuccessful legislators in their attempts to pass free press legislation for high school journalists. Seven legislators successful in passing such legislation were asked 20 questions by phone. Surveys were also mailed to 28…

This paper is concerned with the recent developments in federal and state legislation regarding cable franchises and their effect on the establishment of a statewide distance learning network. It begins with an overview of recent legislation regarding cable regulations and presents issues regarding distance education. These include linking cable…

Washington State assumes full responsibility for funding a basic education program for K-12 public schools. Full funding of basic education includes special education programs, transitional bilingual programs, remediation-assistance programs, and certain pupil transportation costs. This paper describes conditions in Washington State school finance…

Private-school choice or voucher programs allow parents to put tax dollars toward a private education--for example, in the form of a subsidy to the chosen school. The dollar value of a voucher is usually equal to, but may be less than, the state average per-pupil expenditure, and may cover the partial or full cost of a private-school tuition. This…

This progress report reviews the first year of Texas' public-school accountability system. The report meets the state legislature's requirement to: (1) provide reliable measurement of student performance; (2) relate student academic outcomes to state standards; (3) recommend action in cases where results deviated from expected performance; and (4)…

This document contains excerpts from the Code of Virginia, "Standards of Quality for Public Schools in Virginia." It outlines state requirements in the following areas: basic skills, selected programs, and instructional personnel; support services; accreditation and evaluation; literacy passports and criteria for diplomas and…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the formation and development of a coalition of business leaders and its impact on state education policy. The coalition, called the Corporations for the Improvement of Educational Quality (CIEQ), was developed in a large midwestern state. The paper uses and assesses the efficacy of five…

As of January 1996, 20 states had enacted charter school laws. This brief summarizes the history of charter school laws and updates their current status across the country. The brief presents the findings of various charter school research projects conducted at the state and national levels. When substantive changes have been made to existing…

In May 1997, the Maine Legislature passed a comprehensive document that delineated expected educational outcomes for students, known as the Learning Results. This paper describes the components and philosophy of Maine's standards-development process. The Learning Results are based on Peter Senge's system model, which asserts that adoption of a new…

This new edition of the "Idaho Library Laws" contains changes through the 1996 legislative session and includes "Idaho Code" sections that legally affect city, school-community or district libraries, or the Idaho State Library. These sections include the basic library laws in "Idaho Code" Title 33, Chapters 25, 26,…

This paper examines the use of racial and ethnic preferences in college admissions, focusing on the extent of their use and their impact on the careers of the intended beneficiaries in light of the California Civil Rights Initiative, which is designed to end such preferences. A study by Kane (1995) found that at the most selective four-year…

This publication contains raw data, presented in table form, on the status of state education legislation across the United States. The legislation pertains predominantly to education at the prekindergarten through grade 12 level. Data were collected from legislators, legislative staff, state newsletters, "StateNet," school board/teacher…

Based on the view that strong state child care licensing policies can influence the quality of child care and thereby enhance children's health and development, this report examines the status of state efforts to improve the quality of child care programs. Almost all data were collected for a 1993 Parenting Magazine survey, and were verified by…

This introduction to Phase II, of a four-phase study, provides information on the background of the California Educational Technology Assessment Project (CETAP), the legislative history and rationale for the study, and the general evaluation plan. Phase II presents an in-depth formative and summative assessment of six major programs funded by AB…