In a Kansas school finance case, trial court Judge Terry Bullock issued a preliminary legal opinion and convened meetings between legislature representatives and the governor's office. Yale law student Charles Berger's article characterized this novel approach as "equity without adjudication." Lehigh student Ralph Puerta's accompanying…

Presents conflicting legislation on calculator usage in California and Virginia, and summarizes research favoring students' use of calculators while taking tests and solving classroom exercises or real-world problems. Another research study shows that stayers in school choice programs are likely to have chosen the school, have friends in the…

Examines the nonadjudicative path to educational finance reform pursued by Judge Terry Bullock in Kansas that culminated in the 1992 School District Finance and Quality Performance Act. This act has drastically reduced disparities in educational expenditures and rates among districts and increased overall school funding levels. The act has also…

Examines historical and contemporary conditions underlying South Carolina's landmark Educational Improvement Act and Education Finance Act. Analyzes the nonadjudicative T-formation methodology used to achieve passage of this legislation. Although these statutes brought systematic change to public education, both contain loopholes that undermine…

Literature offering solutions to reduce student absenteeism can be divided into four categories: stringent state/community laws and regulations (parental sanctions, zero credit for missed work, suspensions, and police interventions); in-school programs to increase school effectiveness; use of computer technology to lasso truants and inform…

Discusses how the University of California's Board of Regents, under pressure from students and lawmakers, rescinded its policies against affirmative action, although a state ban remains in effect. (EV)

Examines department chair responsibilities and teacher perceptions of such responsibilities in the context of Kentucky's mandated systemic reforms. Findings show a distinct lack of consensus about the appropriate department-chair role among both chairs and teachers. The chair's chronically ambiguous role should be addressed to realize the…

Camille Sanders, a Michigan assistant principal transferred to a teaching position, sued the district and lost. The appeals court reversed the decision, claiming the district hadn't properly notified Sanders of her original contract's nonrenewal. Similar cases in three other states are discussed. State statutes may not adequately protect…

This statement of the Safer Society Foundation is designed to assist states considering public notification when convicted sex offenders are released to the community. It considers the impact of public notification on the greater community, including citizens, families, victims, and offenders. (DB)

During its 1993 session, the Michigan legislature enacted two statutes for the organization and operation of public school academies, Michigan's name for charter schools. A circuit court judge declared the charter schools were unconstitutional. In response, the legislature amended its original enactment. Traces the short but curious history of…

A Texas superintendent debunks six legislative advocacy myths. Actually, superintendents have more political clout than board members. They should work with legislators even when the state legislature is not in session, communicate effectively by telephone, work with "noninfluential" legislators, influence the state education…

Describes the high stakes use of educational indicators to hold schools accountable for students' academic performance, using examples from California's Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 to discuss the assumptions on which this strategy is based and examining the assumptions against the literature on the use of educational indicators to…

Interviews with superintendents of eight charter-school districts in four states: California, Florida, Georgia, and New Mexico. Describes advantages and disadvantages. Includes a list (with website addresses) of all current charter-school districts. (PKP)

Examines the effectiveness of new funding formula included in major education reform legislation passed by the Tennessee legislature in early 1990s. Finds unanticipated outcomes. For example, while the variance in per-pupil spending among districts is smaller than before the legislation, the gap between the per-pupil spending of one-third of the…

Notes the author was a member of the Arizona Reading Achievement Task Force, established by state law to report on how to implement the "phonics law" passed the year before. Presents the minority report, which outlines some principles of achieving reading excellence and which was not included in the Task Force's report. Suggests keeping…