This report launches the second volume of the Brown Center Report on American Education. The five issues of volume one were published from 2000 to 2004. Volume one included regular reports on data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and state assessments, analysis of student achievement in charter schools, a study of trends…

With a new governor in Albany and a brand-new interagency group working on early childhood policy in the Mayor's office, early childhood advocates across the city were already pondering what changes might be afoot--and whether the time had come for the city to move toward a more integrated, high-quality system of early care and education. Given…

In 1989, the National Center on Education and the Economy created the Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. In its 1990 report, "America's Choice: High Skills or Low Wages!," the commission recommended that the United States build a new skills-development system. This document provides a progress report on reforms that followed the…

A task force examined New York State's role in providing resources and information to employers desiring to upgrade the skills of their current workers. The following were the task force's 12 major findings: (1) upgrading the skills of New York's existing work force is vital to the state's economic future; (2) all workers need opportunities for…

A team consisting of Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) staff, local educators, and other representatives developed an action plan to assist in advancing the blending of academic, career, and technology education. The team prepared a vision statement, set strategic directions, analyzed barriers, and developed recommendations and actions…

Following a decrease in minority student enrollment within the California Community Colleges (CCC), the Board of Governors (BOG) convened a special statewide symposium to examine issues of minority student enrollment, retention, and transfer, and established a standing Board Committee on Equity and Diversity. Over the past 2 years, a system policy…

Restructuring public education is central to the task of creating a healthy, just society. For the past 2 years, California Tomorrow's Education for a Diverse Society/School Restructuring Project has visited 32 randomly selected schools throughout California and talked with 1,000 teachers, students, parents, administrators, and advocates involved…

More than ever, U.S. economic well-being is intertwined with that of other countries through expanding international trade, financial markets, and investments. National security, and even world stability, depend upon U.S. understanding of and communication with other countries. Therefore, international education must be an integral part of the…

This ERIC digest examines the slowed pace of school district reorganization since 1970 and the expanded role of state education agencies (SEAs). It also reports trends that influence consideration of various reorganization forms and considers the framework in which future policy options may take shape. The decades from 1940 to 1970 show the…

Addressed to policymakers and to all the citizens of Illinois, this report of the Plan of Action for Children Task Force offers 81 recommendations for addressing the serious problems faced by children residing in the state. Taken together, the recommendations lead to six conclusions: (1) focus on prevention; (2) commit resources to strengthen…

A study was conducted to assess the purpose, design, and impact of three specific governmental policy initiatives, instituted between 1981 and 1984, upon the role and function of the 15 community colleges in British Columbia. The three policies included the introduction of a provincial model for long-range planning, the establishment of a formula…

The Minnesota Dialogue on Education project was a comprehensive statewide survey of public opinion on educational issues conducted by the Minnesota Department of Education from September 1983 through February 1984. The project involved dissemination of 250,000 copies of a Dialogue on Education Study Guide with a questionnaire attached, followed by…

As part of an ongoing effort to examine the quality of the New York State educational system, the State Senate Task Force on Critical Problems has compiled this report on the relationship between the nonpublic school sector and the state, as a basis for formulating consistent and effective educational policies. The first section examines why…

Implemented in January 1984, the two-part New Jersey local assistance plan calls for state intervention and possible takeover in districts that are unable, after going through the Level I and Level II monitoring and correction processes, to meet state certification standards. The first phase of the intervention plan, a Level III monitoring…

These three essays are intended to provide an overview of southern efforts to help increased numbers of young persons make a successful transition from school to work with a future. The first paper, "Smoothing the Path from School to Work: A Promising Venture in Structural Change in a Southern State," by Peter B. Edelman and Myrtis H.…