Discusses the role of teacher tenure laws in teacher dismissals. (IRT)

A nationwide survey of community college legislation introduced and made operative between 1973 and 1975 indicates a trend toward greater state control of postsecondary education. Numerous specific cases are cited in affected areas ranging from regulations concerning facilities to laws dealing with governance. New collective bargaining legislation…

Is your state making progress toward having a high-quality teacher in every classroom? How will you know? One indicator of progress in the Challenge to Lead goals refers to teacher compensation: "Salaries, benefits and incentives are competitive in the marketplace. They are aimed at recognized expertise, student performance, state needs and taking…

Stigma and school voucher threats under a revised 2002 Florida accountability law have positive impacts on student performance. Stigma and public school choice threats under the U.S. federal accountability law, No Child Left Behind, do not have similar effects in Florida. Significant impacts of stigma, when combined with the voucher threat, are…

Sunshine laws are designed to make meetings and records of public entities visible so that a state can help ensure accountability of decision making affecting public resources. The laws often pit the news media's desire for greater public disclosure of information on public college and university governance against institutional leaders' desire to…

This document is designed to guide local boards of education and school systems in Maryland in assisting individuals and organizations interested in establishing public charter schools. This guide is organized into the following parts: (1) Maryland Public Charter Schools Act; (2) Organizing to Assist Public Charter School Development; (3)…

The Annual Report is a critical document in charter school accountability; it is intended to be a clear, concise report regarding school performance and its success in meeting Accountability Plan goals. The formatting for each school's report may be unique; however, there are required elements set forth in this document that must be included in…

This document provides a summary of legislative actions and issues in the member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). The economic slowdown continued to dominate legislative deliberations of state budgets, with midyear cuts the norm rather than the exception. It is expected that 2002-2003 will be another tight year, with…

Data from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights showing that Indiana ranked first in the nation in expulsion and ninth in the nation in expulsions in the most recent available statistics cannot help but raise questions concerning why this is so. At a preliminary presentation of that data before the Indiana State Legislature in…

The 2001 Florida Legislature passed Ch. 2001-125, Laws of Florida, Section 40, which is often referred to as the Safe Passage Act. It requires all school districts to conduct a self-assessment of their school safety and security using best practices developed by the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA). It also…

This document articulates the guiding principles of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) for the creation, adoption, and implementation of higher education policy. The policy positions of the AASCU are founded on a commitment to supporting and advancing the best interests of students. Among the ideals on which the…

In the last decade, caseloads in Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families have shifted dramatically up, then down. Existing studies do not explain the changes well or reveal policies behind the fluctuations or the important role of government quality in shaping welfare reform. This study uses…

This issue paper presents an assessment of Georgia's need for schools facilities--both current need as well as the additional need created by law HB 1187. This paper identifies the current unmet needs of the state, which are primarily in the fastgrowing systems. For the purposes of this paper, the current unmet needs are addressedseparately from…