Incursions into the autonomy of institutions and the sources and types of incursions that occur are described including: legislatures defining the intent and the specifications of the legislation; expenditure controls extended to desirability and propriety; and legal opinions on legislative intent. Procedural and substantive autonomy are…

A discussion of the role of state government in public and private higher education addresses three questions: Who is planning for whom? Can autonomy and cooperation coexist? And whom should the state and higher education serve? It is proposed that the state role will continue to grow. (MSE)

In Braden vs University of Pittsburgh, a female professor filed suit against the University alleging sex discrimination in employment practices. The professor alleged that the school, which received state funds, was, in effect, a state actor and subject to constitutional restraints. This case and two relevant state action cases are discussed. (JMD)

In 1993-94, Ohio implemented an interdistrict open-enrollment policy, allowing student transfers only to adjacent districts. Districts can be open or closed, but cannot prevent transfers. A 1994 survey found that open districts were small, rural, racially homogeneous districts with declining enrollment. Closed districts were suburban, with…

Project RE:LEARNING failed to gain state-agency support because there was no widespread sense of crisis in Delaware to prompt restructuring, no shared conviction that schools needed dramatic changes. The Delaware story should caution systemic reformers to "front load" their energy and publicize serious problems. It takes more than a…

A 1987 grant from the Danforth Foundation enabled the University of Virginia Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies to develop and pilot a restructured principal preparation program several years in advance of a program restructuring deadline. Changes in educational administration will not occur without principal role changes,…

Curriculum policies of New York, California, Texas, and Florida are analyzed in light of their potential to control local educational practice. Examination of consistency, prescriptives, authority, and power of these policies indicates that state policies may have reduced, but have not eliminated, local curricular control. (SLD)

The current emphasis on accountability, standards, and assessment is missing one important dimension--connection to a sense of values and beliefs. In California, standards are stifling creativity and flexibility; standard-setting is too politicized; test scores are eclipsing democratic values; and cash rewards won't necessarily improve student…

Contributes to legal scholarship and communication scholarship by examining how increased privatization has posed increasing problems for public access to governmental records when a governmental function has been privatized. Analyzes one state's struggle to determine such disclosure. Suggests that courts turn to a "public function" analysis that…

The National Charter School Research Project (NCSRP) at the University of Washington's Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) has embarked on an ambitious research agenda to study the people and work of charter schools. The initiative is called "Inside Charter Schools." This initiative has two main parts. The first part, entitled "Studying…

The convergence of United States federal science and economic policy that began in earnest under the Reagan administration formed the First Stage in an emerging post-Cold War drive toward technological innovation. A frenzy of new state-based initiatives now forms the Second Stage, further promoting universities as decisive tools for economic…

The Education Commission of the States presents an urban education policy framework that is guided by the firm conclusion that state and city leaders must develop a collaborative approach to improve the state and urban education system. Toward this end, the following recommendations are made: (1) raise the state's academic standards; (2) free up…

An examination of education-reform efforts in 50 states for the period 1983-87 found widespread adoption of reforms that were designed to increase state authority over education policymaking. The few decentralizing efforts contrasted sharply with the near universality of the centralizing reforms. This paper presents findings of a study that…

This handbook has been prepared to assist Albertans in understanding the provincial charter school concept, to assist charter organizers with their planning and preparation for the establishment of charter schools in Alberta, and to assist those responsible for processing charter school applications. Bill 19, The School Amendment Act, which…

Kids Count is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States. By providing policy-makers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, the project attempts to enrich discussions about ways to secure better futures for all children. This year's data book, the sixth annual edition, places a special…