Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

In 1997, Vermont passed Act 60, which reformed its education finance system to achieve greater equality of spending. The reform encouraged wealthy towns to reduce spending; it was politically unpopular and was replaced, in 2004, by Act 68. We analyze the spending incentives created by the two acts and estimate the effects the change will have on…

For years computer viruses have threatened productive use of personal computers, challenging users and support providers to prevent and recover from viral attacks. Now another type of computing malady has begun to enter popular consciousness: spyware. Typically, analyses of spyware focus on technical issues or provide pointers to resources for…

The Oregon educational system confronts a set of legislative challenges similar to, yet different from, the rest of the nation. Like the rest of the nation, distrust of government runs high, politicians are wary of raising or restructuring taxes, the economy is expanding, and the November 1994 state election shook up the political leadership of…

Lack of a comprehensive state policy on state government aid for postsecondary work force training has resulted in duplicate funding and competitive relationships between the vocational high schools and the county colleges in New Jersey. Major attempts by state government agencies and the legislature to influence the future of work force training…

The status of work-based learning in the programs/courses of Georgia's technical institutes was reviewed, and issues raised by recent national and state legislation regarding education's role in preparing students for the workplace were identified. It was discovered that a total of 54 occupation-based instruction (OBI) programs are currently being…

Teens and young adults in Maine are at greatest risk for being either the offender or the victim of violence. At present, prevention activities in Maine are limited and fragmented. This document marks the beginning of a study of incidence and impact of violence among Maine youth. The process involved in conducting this was significantly hampered…

While violent crime among youth has not reached the epic proportions in Maine that it has elsewhere, there are signs that some youths are already involved in a cycle of violence and many others are at risk. The Maine Bureau of Health convened an interdepartmental work group to study youth violence in 1993 culminating in Part 1 of a two-part…

Illinois Senate Joint Resolution 173 resulted in the appointment in 1994 of a 53-member Work Group on Early Childhood Education. This group was mandated to report to the Senate on the development and implementation of a statewide early childhood education and care program. The group identified key issues, delimited legislative objectives, offered…

This paper presents an overview of the regulatory, technological, and economic status of interactive distance learning in Connecticut as it relates to the current and future provisioning of services by the telecommunications and cable television industries. The review is predicated upon the following questions: (1) What obligations should the…

A survey of 419 Kentucky regular public schools was conducted to investigate how special education services are presently delivered to children with disabilities in the context of the statewide educational reform movement. The study examined: (1) how many regular public schools in Kentucky are practicing full inclusion; (2) how full inclusion and…

This follow-up study tracked the employment outcomes, job retention, and average wages of 576 individuals in Washington State with mental health disabilities or developmental disabilities 2 years after they had received supported employment services and entered into competitive employment. The study matched client records from the Division of…

School officials face a daunting array of legal responsibilities in managing student transportation. This monograph identifies and discusses the most important transportation problems facing school officials, despite the considerable variances among state requirements. Following the introductory section, section 2 describes school districts' and…

This publication provides the basic statistics needed to illustrate the impact of North Carolina's Basic Education Program (BEP), an educational reform effort begun in 1985. Over 85% of the positions in the BEP are directly related to teaching and student-related activities. The new BEP programs result in smaller class sizes in kindergartens and…

This publication details the critical issues being debated in telecommunications today and their impact on colleges and universities in the future. An introduction identifies important changes in recent years including technological advances, the digitizing of communication, privatization and commercialization of the Internet, possible significant…