During 1996-97 the Education Commission of the States explored three policy areas in which state efforts to improve student achievement have been increasingly concentrated: early childhood education, teacher quality and stronger connections between the K-12 and postsecondary systems. The study surveyed the scope and intensity of state efforts in…

In September 1989, the Business Roundtable committed to a 10-year effort to work with state policy makers and educators to restructure state education systems and ensure that all students achieve at high levels. To guide this effort and achieve the 1990 National Educational Goals, the Roundtable adopted nine essential components of a successful…

Noting that fundamental reform of child support policy that builds on state and local innovations is essential, this report provides recommendations for state policymakers and advocates to address deficiencies in child support enforcement. The recommendations are in the areas of resources, paternity, and outreach. They include: (1) establishing…

A study examined the outcomes of the No Pass/No Play Arizona Board of Education rule that requires pupils to pass all of their classes in order to participate in extracurricular activities. Student records of all 7th through 12th grade extracurricular activity participants in the Mesa Unified School District (Arizona) were reviewed. The data…

Administrative costs and efficiency have become public policy concerns over the past several years as significant amounts of new state and local tax revenue have been infused into Texas's education system. Current trends and state law favor fewer centralized administrative functions at the school district level and greater autonomy at the campus…

This document presents findings of a study that evaluated the use of both propane and compressed natural gas as alternative fuels for Washington State school buses. It discusses air quality improvement actions by state- and federal-level regulators and summarizes vehicle design, development, and commercialization activities by all major engine,…

Information about the performance of Pennsylvania's public schools in relation to the six national education goals developed by the nation's governors and the Bush Administration at the Charlottesville education summit is provided in this report. Initiatives taken to improve educational quality and plans for further action are described. The first…

In March 1990, the Washington State Legislature adopted the Learning by Choice Law, a law relating to student enrollment options. The law consists of three major components: Family Choice; Running Start; and Seventh and Eighth Grade Choice. The Family Choice law allows parents to select which public school(s) their children will attend, within…

This publication is the second state-mandated annual report card for Alaska's public school districts, covering the 1992-93 school year. Included are a state summary of all 54 school districts' report cards, individual summaries of school district report cards, a state-operated schools summary, and a state summary of the 1993-94 education plans.…

The Kids Count project is an effort to track the status of children in the United States on a state-by-state basis. The benchmark figures presented give policymakers a clearer picture of the educational, social, economic, and physical well-being of children. High rates of child poverty and births to single teens continue in the United States, and…

The United States is trying to prepare 21st century children with a 19th century, factory-model education system that measures educational quality more by input than by outcomes. Schools must be transformed to meet the needs of a technology-driven information society, producing citizens who can analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information and…

This document contains the 1991-92 report on the Missouri public school system. Following an organizational chart of the State Board of Education and information on the State Board, part 1 presents highlights of education-related events that occurred during the 1991-92 school year. It contains an overview of state legislation that dealt with the…

State boards of education are routinely placed in the challenging position of reacting to emerging problems or responding to policy proposals generated by other actors in the policy arena. This policy briefing paper was written to help members of the North Carolina Board of Education identify educational policy issues they are likely to confront…

Annotations of 82 articles and 32 reports, books, and studies related to public school choice are grouped under: (1) sources from a national perspective; (2) sources from a state perspective; (3) local choice plans; and (4) material useful to parents. Several annotations include information on ordering documents, and six contacts for further…

The Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 1 in 1990, which gave all school districts the option to offer prekindergarten programs for 3-year-old disadvantaged children. The financial feasibility of implementing such programs in the Texas public schools is analyzed in this report. A brief review of the economic impact of program implementation…