This report presents findings from a 5-year study of the impact of educational reform on Texas students who are in situations that put them at risk of school failure or dropping out. Data were derived from three sources: a statewide survey of high school principals; a longitudinal analysis that tracked 1,800 at-risk high school students from…

Inequality in school facilities is emerging as a pivotal factor in court decisions that have ruled state school-funding systems unconstitutional. This report examines cases in three states--Arizona, Ohio, and Texas--where courts considered school facilities paramount in ruling the funding system unconstitutional. Arizona's school funding system…

Although Florida's community colleges have consistently been the primary access to college and post-secondary education for state residents and are uniquely suited to help dependent individuals gain the skills necessary to become self-sufficient, state funding to the colleges has consistently been reduced. Income per student from the state has…

This policy brief examines the relationship between fiscal policies in special education and the requirement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that students with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their needs. It discusses the effects of state fiscal policy on the provision of special…

The Program Status Research Study examined the status of local programs for students with high abilities and reasons given by key personnel for program status. A mail survey to 2,900 local personnel in 19 states (divided into four groups according to economic health and the existence or non-existence of a state mandate to provide services) yielded…

When Colorado's Tenure Reform Bill, House Bill 1159, was signed into law, the work of teachers was not significantly changed. However, the law did make some significant inroads in the work of administrators and streamlined the due process accorded to teachers in the event that dismissal becomes necessary. This paper addresses whether the…

By the end of 1995, 19 states had passed charter-school legislation and at least 16 others had considered similar legislation. This document summarizes the issues surrounding charter schools and the implications of recent research about the charter-school movement's failure. The document defines charter schools and their organization, describes…

This document provides a summary of school-reform actions taken by each of the 50 states and Puerto Rico as of February 12, 1996. Reform refers to four broad categories--school choice, services that are contracted out to private entities, deregulation or decentralization (for example, charter schools), and accountability through strong academic…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined urban school district superintendents' perceptions of the methods by which the Ohio Department of Education (DOE) influenced Ohio's public school districts. In particular, the superintendents were asked about the influence and control utilized by the State Department of Education to implement…

In 1990 the Kentucky General Assembly passed one of the most sweeping educational reform measures in the nation's history. Among the provisions of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was the creation of family resource and youth services centers in or near schools with large numbers of at-risk students. Family resource centers are primarily…

In the early 1990s, several states developed legislation that permitted the creation of a limited number of charter schools. At the beginning of 1997, there were 428 charter schools operating in the United States. This document is the first-year progress report of the 4-year National Study of Charter Schools, sponsored by the U.S. Department of…

In 1990 the Kentucky General Assembly passed one of the most comprehensive and innovative reform laws in the nation, the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). Under this law, schools must meet state-defined goals to receive financial rewards. This paper presents findings of a 6-year, field-work study of education reform in four rural Kentucky…

This special report reviews problems in Illinois' education funding system and discusses potential solutions to these problems. The report notes that the fundamental problem with the current education finance system is an over-reliance on local property taxes. Although property taxes are a relatively stable and lucrative revenue source,…

This paper examines licensing from the provider's point of view. It is based on the premise that a healthy relationship between the licenser and licensee is based on knowledge and the free exchange of information. More specifically, four areas are examined: (1) licensing, as one of the many forms of regulation in our society; (2) legislation, as…

The charter-school idea has spread rapidly across the United States. One-half of the states have adopted charter-school laws since 1991, and legislatures in other states have given the idea careful consideration. This paper explores the political factors that shape charter-school laws. The paper utilizes the policy-innovation-diffusion framework…