The Texas Education Code requires the Commissioner of Education to develop and propose a system for evaluating the progress of students eligible for exemption from the statewide assessment program under current law. This report summarizes the proposed system for limited English proficient (LEP) students. It includes proposed changes to the…

The Texas Education Code requires the Commissioner of Education to develop and propose a system for evaluating the progress of students eligible for exemption from the statewide assessment program under current law. This report summarizes the proposed system for special education students. It includes proposed changes to the assessment and…

Discussing the established legislation and background behind the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, this document outlines reading test specifications for third and fifth grade. It gives specifications for grades three and five on Reading Passages, Readability, Test Conditions, and Test Forms. Two sections are devoted to details for each grade…

This report examines what has happened since 1985 with four statewide Minnesota public school choice laws. These include open enrollment, postsecondary enrollment options, second chance options, and charter public schools. Data collected over 2 years via interviews with and surveys of key stakeholders, including students at postsecondary…

This report describes the 1999 legislation affecting Oregon's K-12 school finance system. The first section summarizes state appropriations and local revenue estimates for 1999-01. The second section describes modifications to the allocation of the State School Fund among school districts and Education Service Districts. The last section reports…

This paper compares racial and ethnic enrollment in Milwaukee private schools between 1994-95, when the legislature expanded the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), and 1998-99, when the expansion was first implemented. While some predicted that more choice would worsen racial and ethnic segregation, researchers instead found that it…

This document provides a compilation of tobacco information for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, covering topics such as the prevalence of tobacco use, the health impact and costs associated with tobacco use, tobacco control laws, and tobacco agriculture and manufacturing. Recommended practices for school-based programs are included.…

In 1999, Congress for the first time, is debating a federal minimum wage hike that will affect low-skilled people who have dramatically fewer options if they cannot find work. This public policy debate has been occasioned by the new state focus on welfare reform that, to some, suggests that a state flexibility approach be applied to the minimum…

This collection of approximately 200 documents gathered during 1984-95 consists of materials used in the administration of state documents depository programs, including: (1) bibliographies; (2) commentaries and letters; (3) depository contracts; (4) forms and form letters; (5) labels; (6) legislation and legal materials; (7) mailing lists; (8)…

This paper provides an update on how some new charter schools have fared during the first year of operation under Pennsylvania's charter school legislation (PA Act 22, June 1997). Data should facilitate an examination of the degree to which the legislation supports or inhibits the entrepreneurial school reform practice of charter schools. Twenty…

This study explored how and why special education policy issues were treated as they were in the formulation of Pennsylvania's charter school law, Act 22 of 1997. The qualitative study utilized formal and informal interviews of state policymakers, review of documents, review of archival records, and participant observation. Findings indicated a…

As state governments realize that ignoring the child welfare status quo will victimize more children and increase state agencies' difficulties, they have begun implementing various reform ideas. Efforts to reform the family court system face many obstacles (turf battles among government agencies, inadequate numbers of attorneys, and lack of…

This document outlines the proposals in Chapter 738 of Assembly Bill 420, including: (1) the California Postsecondary Education Commission should conduct a comprehensive study of the part-time faculty, employment, salary, and compensation patterns of the California Community Colleges; (2) the schedule of salaries should be paid based on a uniform…

This paper reports on the progress of a Nevada Teacher Enhancement grant, Reinventing Teacher Preparation and Licensing through Performance-Based Reform in Nevada, toward meeting its stated goals in the first year. The goals are: (1) Nevada will use performance-based licensing for licensing teachers; and (2) Nevada will have National Board of…

School choice is in high demand and growing. Twenty years ago, few states had policies or programs allowing parents the freedom to make choices in their children's education. Today, 11 states and the District of Columbia have state-funded scholarship programs or provide tax relief for education expenses or contributions to scholarship funds. Most…