This manual is designed to assist members of Michigan Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams to be in compliance with state and federal laws relating to programs and services for students with disabilities. It begins by briefly explaining changes in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act relating to the IEP and parent participation.…

This document presents some helpful examples of existing school policies and state laws that may spark action to help communities deal with homophobia and harassment of homosexual students. Most school districts have nondiscrimination policies of one sort or another, but these policies may not cover discrimination based on sexual harassment.…

The National Center for Children in Poverty(NCCP)has developed a series of issue briefs on the effects of welfare reform on children living in poverty. This issue brief is based in part on "Map and Track: State Initiatives to Promote Responsible Fatherhood," a report supported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation and prepared by NCCP in…

North Carolina has been active in its legislative support of site-based management since 1989. A study of the impact of such legislation and how participatory management at the school level has influenced the state's education system is presented. The report is based on data collected for the Task Force on Site-Based Management, which was created…

This report details a survey of state child care regulatory agencies. Data on both small family child care homes (FCCH) and group or large family child care homes (LCCH or GCCH) are included and organized into 22 categories: (1) number of regulated homes; (2) definitions and regulatory requirements; (3) unannounced inspection procedure; (4)…

The Cherry Creek School district (Englewood, Colorado) is a growing district of 37,000 students in the Denver area. The 1988 Colorado State School Finance Act required district-set proficiencies (standards), and forced agreement on a set of values for student knowledge and skills. State-adopted standards added additional requirements for the…

This document describes state and local elementary and secondary education standards developed for academic achievement and assessment of student progress in Missouri. In response to the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, the Show-Me Standards were established to represent knowledge students should acquire and how they should be able to communicate…

With the passage of Article 31, Rhode Island set out to transform the state's education system. This report is the first annual analysis of the work catalyzed by Article 31. Section 1 briefly outlines the events leading to this historic initiative. Section 2 describes the 1996-97 student assessment results, which are the baseline against which…

Feature articles contained in the four issues of volume 6 of this periodical for families who practice home schooling concern the response of the United States Senate to political pressure from home schoolers; a "declaration of war" on religious freedom by conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court; the likelihood that the Congress will pass a…

Although their perspectives differ, this volume's contributors agree that the home schooling movement offers an intriguing critique of traditional education. While nationally publicized school improvement measures call for increased bureaucratization, professionalism, and standardization, a growing number of families are choosing to forego…

An initiative of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications is a membership organization working to strengthen the efficiency, impact, and quality of educational telecommunications systems and programs. Most of the members are institutions of higher education, but the…

This practical manual provides useful, concrete ideas and suggestions to help public libraries make libraries more accessible to persons with disabilities. Most suggestions are for persons who have difficulty with mobility. Reviews of pertinent laws and regulations are followed by concrete, step-by step suggestions for planning for accessibility,…

Alaska Statute 14.03.120 mandates that each school district file an annual educational planning report that establishes its educational improvement goals and priorities and outlines strategies for achieving and measuring these goals and for ensuring community participation. Although each district has developed its own goals, strategies, and…

This budget summary document provides detailed listings of the allocation of funds for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for 1992-1993. The first sections include the state superintendent's budget recommendations, a description of the fiscal year in review, a mission statement, organizational goals, and legislative initiatives…

This guide was developed to help Wisconsin agency assessment, evaluation, and planning personnel to develop a perspective on how needs assessment fits into their state's vocational rehabilitation program planning. It is intended to offer practical and responsible suggestions that meet the intent of federal and state mandates. Volume I of the guide…