In 1994 and 1995, most school-finance legislation at the state level dealt with state aid--36 out of 127 bills introduced in 1994 and 31 out of 212 bills introduced in 1995. This report presents 13 tables that summarize the content of state legislation and identify bills that addressed the formation of study committees, the use of lottery funds to…

This guide is intended to provide parents, administrators and service providers in Iowa with information needed to access and implement early childhood special education (ECSE) programs and services for children with disabilities from birth through age five. Section 1 provides an overview of ECSE in Iowa, including the program rationale, program…

The public school funding lawsuits that have been filed over the last two decades indicate that many people are not satisfied with the existing levels of school funding. After several years of trying to bring about changes through different avenues, a group called Tennessee Small School Systems filed suit in 1988 to have the system of financing…

Designed for middle school through high school students, this unit contains eight lesson plans that focus on Alaska state law. The state lessons correspond to lessons in the volume, "Antidote: Civic Responsibility. Drug Avoidance Lessons for Middle School & High School Students." Developed to be presented by educators, law student,…

Designed for middle school through high school students, this unit contains eight lesson plans that focus on Kansas state law. The state lessons correspond to lessons in the volume, "Antidote: Civic Responsibility. Drug Avoidance Lessons for Middle School & High School Students." Developed to be presented by educators, law student,…

The purpose of the study was to determine the characteristics of the 10 best school districts in Arkansas for 1992-93. State legislation (Act 688) of 1989 established an Office of Accountability within the State Department of Education that would provide, among other things, an annual school report card. The school report card assesses the…

Intended as a practical legal guide for Texas educators and lawyers, this book contains three major sections dealing with several chapters on various school law topics, each prepared by Texas attorneys. Section 1, "School Boards and Superintendents," includes chapters on school board members authority and relationship with staff, the…

This study examines the changing role of bilingual education in a Title I elementary school in Northern California in the wake of the passage of Proposition 227. It is found that native language literacy is an important component in the academic success of English language learners and that reading in the native language does not detract form from…

The 1998 Mississippi Legislature passed a bill which addressed the state's problem with critical teacher shortages. The Mississippi Teacher Fellowship Program (MTFP), which was developed in response to critical teacher shortages in certain school districts and in certain content areas, grew out of this legislation. The state-based initiative…

American Indian students attend Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools, BIA schools operated by tribes under contracts and grants, public schools off Indian reservations, and public schools on Indian reservations. Who has legal jurisdiction over Indian education in these various scenarios is undecided, so some tribes, states, and school districts…

The Massachusetts Education Reform Act was passed in June 1993. In fall 1993, the Massachusetts Board of Education approved the Department of Education's Implementation Plan for Education Reform and appointed a board task force to oversee the implementation process. This document presents the state's first annual implementation report card for…

This report examines the extent to which proposals to decentralize public education can be implemented by individuals, groups, or institutions prepared to operate charter schools. Charter schools must be able to balance autonomy for decisions relating to educational programs and accountability with academic standards and market forces.…

Data from the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) in 13 states for 1997 and 1999 was used to study how welfare reform policies, mandated by the 1996 passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, affected employment of single mothers with children. The states were Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida,…

The paper examines California's Proposition 227, a voter-imposed statutory amendment that substantially altered the method by which non-English-speaking children learn English in California's public schools, looking at the forces behind the legislation and the challenges to its implementation. The context for bilingual education in California is…

This report provides information on Cleveland's and Milwaukee's publicly funded school voucher programs, using previous research and reviews of state laws, school district and voucher program records, state budgets, voucher-related reports and articles, and site visits and interviews. Researchers examined eligibility criteria; public and voucher…