This paper summarizes the status of educational funding in Georgia, which has experienced significant population and economic growth. In the decade following passage of the Quality Basic Education Act (QBE, 1985), the state has made significant progress in educational improvement. Although per-pupil expenditures have increased, Georgia continues…

On September 30, 1993, Far West Laboratory (FWL) and the California Assessment Collaborative (CAC) sponsored a cost/benefit forum to examine cost-analysis issues associated with the development and implementation of instructionally sound assessment. This report highlights the central ideas addressed at the forum, incorporates the audience…

Virtually no school is safe from violence. FBI statistics, which show that juvenile crimes actually peaked during the mid-1970s, are at odds with the public perception that crime rates among young people are at an all-time high. The FBI acknowledges, however, that the crimes committed by young people tend to be more serious than in the past, and…

Progress made by West Virginia toward achieving each of its six goals for education, which encompass the goals of the West Virginia Board of Education, the Governor's Committee on Education, and the national goals of America 2000 among others, is described in this report. Each section provides a checklist of state achievements and a list of the…

This handbook provides journalists with the information--both legal and practical--to successfully confront the roadblocks that might arise when covering campus crime. After an introductory section on campus crime reporting, sections of the handbook discusses what journalists' legal right of access to campus police records, campus crime…

Under the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) is the provision that creates school councils and delegates to them the authority to make important educational decisions to improve student performance. This paper describes findings from the third year of a 5-year study of SBDM that focused on early examples of…

In May 1991, the Florida Legislature directed the State Board of Community Colleges to develop a method to equalize the base funding of community colleges, including an appropriate cost differential equation. As a result, an allocation process of legislative appropriations was developed which supported the relative priorities of each college from…

This handbook presents guidelines and the rationale for creating a school violence committee. The committee is composed of Washington Education Association (WEA) members and addresses issues related to school safety. The committee defines the problem, sets goals for reaching solutions, and implements an action plan. Members may also review…

The ability of the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA) to address both educational equality and financial equity in the Kentucky public education system is examined in this paper. Following an overview of the conditions that facilitated the act's passage in 1990, the next section discusses the philosophical background of the concepts of…

To foster high quality education, some states are treating districts differently, reserving a heavy hand for some and granting more flexibility and regulatory freedom to others. South Carolina was the first state to enact a flexibility program granting blanket waivers, or wide-scale exemptions from whole categories of education regulations, to a…

Questions about inequities in educational funding were raised in New Jersey when the legislature enacted the state's second major education-finance-reform law, the Quality Education Act of 1990 (QEA). This paper describes changes in revenues, expenditures, and programs in 11 diverse New Jersey school districts during the first year of…

Covering the period from July 1, 1991, through June 30, 1992, this report describes the goals and activities of the Governor's Commission for Children and Families, a commission formed to improve children and family services in Pennsylvania. The report begins with a brief description of the demographics and conditions of children in Pennsylvania…

This book asserts the need for two-parent involvement in child-rearing, even after separation and divorce. Following a preface by David L. Levy entitled "The Best Parent is Both Parents," and an introduction by Vicki Lansky, "How We Can Do it Better--Divorce American-Style," the book contains six chapters: (1) "Children as…

To assist journalism educators and legislators who wish to initiate passage of anti-Hazelwood laws, this paper reports on the first stage of a research project on nationwide efforts at getting state legislation passed to override the 1988 Supreme Court Hazelwood School District vs. Kuhlmeier decision. The laws of five states (Massachusetts,…

This policy brief clarifies the definition of charter schools and explores their place in school restructuring and reform by describing existing charter schools in Minnesota and California, examining legislative and contract guidelines, and discussing the future possibilities of charter schools. Charter schools are sponsor-created and…