This document contains the 11 issues of the newsletter "Rural Policy Matters" published in 2001. Issues examine recent educational research on small and rural schools; report on court litigation related to rural school finance, local advocacy efforts in support of rural schools, and the condition of rural school facilities; outline policy issues…

The first article, "The Cost of English Acquisition Programs: Arizona Department of Education English Acquisition Cost Study" contains excerpts from a study (Phases 1 and 4) conducted for the Arizona Department of Education on the costs of various English-acquisition programs. Six successful but varied English-acquisition programs for…

The law has developed extensive rights and procedural safeguards that allow for the removal of overly disruptive and dangerous students while also protecting students from arbitrary and wrongful disciplinary action. This report describes New Jersey legislation intended to support fairness in discipline. Part 1 examines: sources of authority for…

During 1996-97 each of the three branches of Wisconsin State government--the judiciary, the executive, and the legislative--experienced substantial activity regarding educational finance policies. After describing Wisconsin's current school-finance system, this paper examines Wisconsin school finance based on the 1996-97 actions of the judiciary,…

This digest presents a brief review of recent Fourth Amendment decisions that affect the rights of students and the parameters of schools' authority to maintain a crime-free environment. Although Federal decisions apply nationwide and do mark the boundaries of permissible state and local action, state and local laws and regulations must always be…

This study identified seven categories of influence of local college governing boards, based on how they were established and their members appointed. Information was drawn from questionnaires sent to staffs of statewide coordinating bodies and multicampus governing boards; from statutes, local board policies, bylaws, and handbooks; and from…

This report highlights recent state legislative efforts to expand early care and education, promote the development of young children, and meet a variety of state policy goals. Chapter 1, "The Role of Early Childhood Care and Education in State Public Policy," presents the rationale for policymakers from a range of policy jurisdictions…

The history of Asian Americans is filled with abuses against them from virtually every segment of society and from every level of government. Fortunately, Asian Americans, as well as members of other minority groups, are able to turn to a number of state and federal statutes aimed at protecting their civil rights. Government, legal, and community…

The Native American Rights Fund seeks to "tribalize" formal education through developing tribal education laws and reforming state and national Indian education legislation. The Indian Education Legal Support Project advances Native American rights in education by emphasizing the legal rights of tribes to control the formal education of…

This report details a study of regulations for day care centers in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Data were collected by means of a mail questionnaire sent to each state central regulatory office. Following an introduction by Kay Hollestelle, the Children's Foundation executive director, the…

In 1993, Washington's state legislature created the Commission on Student Learning to identify essential academic learning requirements related to four goals. One of those goals was to understand the importance of work and how performance, effort, and decisions directly affect career and educational opportunities. As in other states, the…

This report to the Illinois Board of Higher Education examines the use of tuition waivers to achieve gender equity in intercollegiate athletics as allowed by the state's Public Act 89-166. An introduction explains the context for the law which requires that institutions must demonstrate "substantial proportionality" reflecting the…

This report summarizes results of initiatives established to achieve goals of the New York State Board of Regents to reform the state's preschool special education program. These goals, consistent with the provisions of the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, view special education as a service to support…

As states and communities work to improve the accessibility and quality of supports and services for young children and their families, they find that their greatest challenge is in gaining and maintaining concerted attention and resources for planning, financing, implementing, and sustaining high-quality, coherent systems. This brief addresses…

An Educational Technology Institute (ETI) has been offered annually by the New Mexico State Department of Education cooperatively and collaboratively with numerous other groups since its inception in 1990. The 1995 ETI was developed to address implementation of New Mexico's 1994 Technology for Education Act. This act provides for funding…