This Handbook, "Identification of Children Who Are Gifted in the Visual Arts: Implementation Handbook for Educators" provides arts specialists and gifted coordinators with procedures for identifying students who are gifted in art. To be effective, the screening and identification process requires participation by personnel with expertise…

This report summarizes the status of states' budgets at the end of fiscal year 1997. The year's strong national economy boosted tax revenues and helped to decrease welfare rolls. Unemployment at the end of 1997 was below 5 percent nationally and real GDP growth was 3.5 percent for the first 3 quarters of the year. These indicators translate into…

This report analyzes state statutes authorizing a new approach to the organization of elementary and secondary education in the public sector, the "outcome-based,""contract," or, as it is now commonly called, "charter school." Charter school statutes create an alternative legal framework for the formation of public schools by permitting a state…

This reference manual contains information on transition services for students with disabilities in New Jersey. Section 1 provides an overview of transition services and the five-year systems change grant New Jersey has received from the U.S. Department of Education. Also included is information on New Jersey education law, the four regional…

This paper was developed in response to South Carolina House Bill 3767, which would eliminate the granting of tenure to faculty at all public, senior institutions in the state. It explores the origins and history of tenure, the attainment and retention of tenure, and the reasons why the state should continue to grant tenure at state institutions…

This guide details the development of a 10-year Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan (CEFP), along with its components and governing regulations. Chapters examine the CEFP process and requirements in the following areas: educational facilities planning; site design; common facilities necessary for school operation; facilities for primary…

A hearing was planned by the California Senate Select Committee on Higher Education Admissions and Outreach to consider the role of the Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) in the admission of students to California's public universities. The hearing was intended to provide a serious discussion of the merits and…

This report contains testimony and materials presented at the California Senate Select Committee on Higher Education Admissions and Outreach hearing, February 1998, held to examine the role of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) in undergraduate admissions to the public universities of California. In her…

This annual report complies with the requirements of Tennessee's Public Education Governance Reform Act of 1984, which directs the State Board of Education and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission to prepare a report on: (1) the extent of duplication in elementary-secondary and postsecondary education in Tennessee; (2) the extent to which…

"The Graduation Rule - 3501" was created in three stages and governs the Basic Standards in Reading and Mathematics (1996), the Basic Standards in Written Composition (1997), and the Profile of Learning (1998). This document contains the first of these three parts comprising Chapter 3501. "Basic Standards" are the basic…

The number of students with disabilities entering higher education continues to increase, and there is a concomitant rise in the number of disability accommodation grievances filed in institutions, with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights, and through the legal court system. It is important that faculty members know about disability law. Faculty…

Student disciplinary proceedings often present a challenge for school-board members and school administrators alike. One of the biggest obstacles to fairness in any school-related hearing is the potential for confusing the roles among administrators and the board. It may be impossible to avoid all these role conflicts in some situations, but this…

This report describes initiatives and services of the Massachusetts Department of Education for academically advanced students. The first section summarizes the department's state initiatives implemented as a result of the state's Education Reform Act of 1993, such as grants to enhance district gifted and talented programs and Advanced Placement…

This progress report on diversity in higher education in Washington State was undertaken less than a year after voters approved Initiative 200, which prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Analysis of data gathered from several sources focused on five areas: student enrollment, transfers, retention,…

Expanding upon ideas presented in the report, "Start Early, Finish Strong: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader," this collection highlights projects, proposals, and programs that help all children become good readers. Chapter 1 describes 18 federal initiatives and programs; and chapter 2 presents excerpts from 16 State of the State addresses…