State government is and is expected to remain the chief source of funding for higher education. At the same time, the state is confronted with serious policy issues relating to support of research, public services, and adult education, to falling enrollments in some public institutions, to the probable closure of some private liberal arts colleges…

Equality of educational opportunity for children in Appalachia served as a guiding theme for the Sixth National Education Association National Conference on Human Rights in Education. Included in this conference report are a synopsis of selected comments made by conference speakers, brief descriptions of ongoing opportunity oriented programs in…

The British North America Act of 1867, the founding constitution of Canada, provides that all matters pertaining to Indians and Indian lands are under Federal jurisdiction. Because of this, the province of British Columbia (BC) has not felt it could do much for native peoples and little attention has been paid to the extension of provincial…

The President's Task Force on Rural Development (established in September of 1969) reviewed the effectiveness of rural assistance programs and made recommendations as to what might be done in the private and public sectors to stimulate rural development. Included are recommendations for streamlining Federal programs, strengthening state and local…

This chapter focuses attention on (1) the major constraints that have prevented a more prompt and adequate attack on the problems of big cities, (2) the major issues involved in moving to meet the problem, and (3) guidelines for doing so; and proposes and evalutes a number of alternatives for resolving the basic issues. The author emphasizes the…

The Anchor Test Study is described as to objectives, the need for the study, tests selected for the study, States' participation, renumeration of School Test Coordinator, teacher participation, schedule of activities, reports of test results, pupil personnel data needed, and the tests administered during the restandardization phase and equating…

Several dilemmas have arisen as a consequence of the centralization of state decision-making, including areas of tension between state boards and institutions and between executive and legislative branches of government. It is suggested that these boards are ultimately in the best interest of the higher education community. In a period of…

Documents the history of broad-based, state- and local-level opposition to the development of public junior colleges in the early 1900's. Examines ways that states were able to frustrate the establishment of local junior colleges, and points to the uncertainty and instability of their support through the 1940's. (DMM)

California state commission recommendations cover a wide range of issues, including freshmen and sophomore enrollment at universities, minority student and faculty recruitment, and the tenure review process. The plans would update the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education. (LB)

State higher education executive officers were surveyed to learn the status, nature, policies and procedures of undergraduate program review. States see reviews as improving cooperation between officials at state and institutional levels. At the institutional level, many educators regard state reviews as necessary evils. (MLW)

Budgetary controls that were imposed upon doctoral granting public universities by the states in which they are located were studied. A comparative analysis of financial control practices in each state is provided and a continuum of practices from states is developed. (Author/MLW)

Reviews the first twenty years of the Education Commission of the States, covering aspects of organization, administration, and activities (including the operation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress from 1969 to 1983). Describes recent changes in the commission's organization and focus, and considers changing expectations for the…

The Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA) requires that each state or outlying area receiving federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) have a law that requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) in the state or outlying area to expel from school for at least one year any student found bringing a firearm to school. Their…

Historically states are seen as more comfortable with narrowly focused rules, regulation, and monitoring responsibilities than with broad change. Currently states face revolutionary new arrangements for financing education, overseeing federal commitments, and providing fair and meaningful standards for educational performance. The major…

This report summarizes the proposed budgets for U.S. public elementary and secondary education for fiscal year 1998 and describes the budgets and the major factors that influence those budgets. It is the second in a series of "State Fiscal Briefs" on education finance by the Center for the Study of the States. The report is primarily based on…