Frustrated by the federal government's new approach to desegregation of public colleges, states are taking steps to help more minority students persist and succeed in higher education. Conflicting court rulings over race-conscious desegregation remedies have added to the confusion. The most extensive state proposals are in Maryland, where public…

The 22-member Commission on the Academic Presidency has examined the present higher education governance system in a context of rapid and substantial change. It found the presidency significantly weakened, particularly in the public sector, and has recommended a reform of shared governance and the president-board relationship. Key recommendations…

Illinois tort policy has swung from supporting the sovereign immunity of school districts, to completely striking down sovereign immunity, to narrowing conditions in which districts and employees could be liable. Advises Illinois and other states with similar problems to develop legislation and court precedents to reduce the complexity of tort…

Discusses legislation aimed at prevention, identification, and treatment of prenatal exposure to controlled substances and the consequences of such exposure. Coercive state intervention can include involuntary civil commitment, child protection; and criminal prosecution. Such intervention raises constitutional issues of privacy and…

Court decisions in two cases concerning the University of Nevada at Las Vegas's suspension of an athletic coach because of institutional violations of National Collegiate Athletic Association regulations are discussed, focusing on the courts' applications of state action doctrine (subjection to scrutiny under constitutional law) and coercion…

Describes to experience of one of professor D. Nakanishi's graduate students, who with others, lobbied the California State Legislature on Nakanishi's tenure denial at the University of California Los Angeles. Describes Nakanishi as a teacher and mentor and links the tenure struggle to the Asian-American community's political development. (JB)

The effectiveness of indirect incentive grants by California on school district spending was investigated by using state data to document the impact of the incentives under Senate Bill 813 (1983). Incentives appeared to be more effective in directing spending toward direct instruction than other grants. (SLD)

Discusses events leading to the Texas legislation limiting professional education courses to 18 semester hours for initial certification and eliminating undergraduate education degrees. Noting implications for other states, the article suggests that teacher educators collaborate to develop a knowledge base, create coalitions, and provide national…

Describes two state-mandated programs for institutional accountability in New Jersey (i.e., Basic Skills Assessment Program and College Outcomes Evaluation Program), which function through cooperation between the state's higher education agency and its colleges and universities. Highlights research objectives, procedures, responsibilities,…

Reviews the implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) and explores its effects on higher education. The law, largely silent about higher education, does mandate a professional standards board for teacher certification, and there are implications for teacher education. Efforts at the University of Louisville to meet KERA challenges…

This case study uses six interviews with administrators and three speeches to trace the definition of the term "at risk" in Arizona educational policy, where the definition process was used as an opportunity to enhance the prestige and power of the State Department of Education. (SLD)

Highlighting Massachusetts initiatives, examines the recent state movement toward adoption of curriculum frameworks and state assessments as vehicles for improving accountability and student achievement. Absence of standards guarantees stratified educational opportunities. Reform initiatives should include practitioners; avoid prescriptive,…

Interviews with 32 teachers in 8 California school districts examined how teachers responded to Proposition 227. Three teacher reactions were identified: outward defiance, clarification of pedagogical purpose, and anxiety in the face of change. Key factors in these reactions were teacher ideology and experiences and the course of implementation…

Various strategies used by state policymakers to influence small school districts are discussed. Incentives can be used to help small districts survive or encourage them to reorganize or consolidate. Disincentives, or "the stick," can withhold funding from small districts or establish impossible goals, resulting in consolidation while…

Argues that Mississippi has used every effort to block the higher education aspirations of its black citizens and describes the state's latest effort that involves setting higher admissions standards at the state's predominantly black universities. The history of unequal funding of higher education in the state is highlighted, as well as political…