This annual report provides information for the 2014-15 school year on grade-level retention and student performance in the Texas public school system. Student retention and promotion data are reported with data on the performance of students in Grades 3-8 on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading and mathematics…

The purpose of this article is to highlight educational accountability and its relevance to occupational therapy. New federal investments are under way so that states can identify measures and procure data that indicate improved outcomes for students with disabilities. School occupational-therapy practitioners must advocate for their distinct…

Previous research has shown that Tax Revolt Provisions (TRPs) aimed at limiting state government revenues and/or expenditures, negatively impact public higher education funding. This analysis explores the influence of these same types of policies on average in-state undergraduate tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities.…

Since President Obama declared college completion a national priority, many states have set ambitious goals to increase college-going and degree completion. But as was suggested in an earlier "Change" article, "We Have Goals, Now What?" (November/December 2012), this is only the first stage of reform. For states to reach those…

The policy diffusion framework is critical to understanding the spread of policy innovations such as charter schools in the United States. This framework, however, is less instructive in explaining the state-by-state configuration of these policies. What explains the wide variation in charter school policy among states? This study addresses this…

In the absence of federal homeschooling guidelines, states regulate homeschooling through a patchwork of provisions. Homeschooling policies vary widely from one state to the next and families' homeschooling experiences will likely be very different depending on where they live. For example, some states have little or no homeschooling…

Wisconsin's infants and toddlers (defined as children less than three years old) are more than 200,000 in number. Seventy-one percent are white/non-Hispanic, and the largest minority group is Hispanic, at 12 percent. Black, Asian American, and American Indian infants and toddlers make up smaller percentages. To help states target policies related…

A growing number of schools across the country are working hard to provide a "deeper" learning experience for their students, and state legislators are being asked to create policies that support wide-scale implementation of 21st century learning practices. This primer is created for state policymakers seeking to modify instruction and…

While funding cuts are often necessary during economic downturns, reducing state investments in higher education will hamper recovery. If cuts are inevitable, a one-size-fits-all approach will undermine states' ability to meet future talent needs and ensure equitable opportunity. State leaders should evaluate funding decisions based on their…

Private school choice programs are frequently mired in political and legal controversy. Two primary factors fuel this controversy. First, these programs trace their roots to the 1960s in the height of school desegregation. Tuition-grant laws came forth across the South during this period, enabling White families to access public funds to pay…

Louisiana has received recent attention for some of its new education policies and promising early results. In this report, RAND researchers provide an in-depth description of Louisiana's approach to improving student outcomes since 2012. The authors examine how the state has used various policy levers -- including mandates, resource alignment,…

In the 127th Maine State Legislative Session, "An Act to Implement Certain Recommendations of the Maine Proficiency Education Council" (S.P. 660 -- L.D. 1627) was passed into law as Chapter 489. This amended the chaptered law passed in 2012, "An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy" (S.P.439 -- L.D.1422),…

The underperformance of English Language Learners (ELs) in test scores and high school graduation rates raises important questions about teacher preparation in California. A small, but growing body of evidence suggests that teachers of ELs need specialized knowledge, dispositions and practices to effectively teach this population. ELs in the state…

Many states with preschool programs, as well as other interested organizations and individuals, have undertaken research and evaluation efforts to improve their understanding of state preschool program implementation, results, and impacts. A 2004 review by Gilliam and Zigler examined state efforts to evaluate preschool programs from 1997 to 2003.…

The Public School Forum of North Carolina is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on improving educational outcomes for all North Carolina children. As they do each year, they have released a list of the "Top 10 Education Issues" they believe will be the top issues for the year, as well as issues they believe should be on the…