Describes the debate in Illinois over proposed bilingual education policy changes. Analyzes these issues: the effectiveness of transitional bilingual education, the inclusion of a cultural component, language assessment, the overprescriptiveness of current Illinois law, the impact of extending services to all limited-English proficient students,…

Identifies the political forces affecting state decision making during four Minnesota legislative sessions--1955, 1971, 1976, and 1981--that either passed or retained measures for private school tax deductions. The study focuses on the central features of the legislative process and the implications of those features for education policymaking.…

Because most decisions on the basic requirements in public school curricula and on the funding required to implement them are made at the state level, it is proposed that the major U.S. geographical organizations join in a vigorous campaign to promote the establishment of strong state and metropolitan societies. (RM)

This report includes an analysis of findings from Electronic Learning's 1984 Survey of State Governments on educational computing trends, information on state mandated computer literacy programs, a summary of teacher certification requirements and state mandated computer literacy programs, and a review of two state approaches to educational…

A Michigan law allows school districts to make energy conservation improvements and pay for them with savings generated by lowered energy consumption. A 71-year-old school, now the Community Education Center of Kalamazoo, Michigan, also serves as the base for a centralized energy management system for the school district. (MLF)

Modern medications allow children with a variety of acute and chronic health conditions to participate in daily activities. However, parents and child care providers may not realize that there are different dosage strengths available on the market. The parent or staff may not fully understand the dosage or a miscommunication may occur. These…

Over the past ten years, probation departments across the state of California have seen a number of important changes in the way they do business. Beginning with Title IV-A-EA in 1993, departments began a system-wide "sea change," from a focus on suppression, enforcement, and monitoring of youthful offenders to a focus on families and on…

This report presents data on home schooling in the state of Arkansas that covers: students withdrawn from home school; home school student count by county, district, and grade level; and home school enrollments by grade and gender. The report contains the texts of the Arkansas Code Annotated Section 6-15-501 through Section 6-15-508 Home School…

Nationwide, schools, communities, parents and students recognize the continuing need to make schools a safe place, an environment where children can learn without fear for their safety. In the past few years, the available research on violence prevention has increased, providing legislators with important information about effective violence…

In 2004, Voices for America's Children member Kansas Action for Children, partnered with state and local organizations to increase funding for Smart Start Kansas, a successful early care and education program. Kansas Children's Campaign, an initiative of Kansas Action for Children, collaborated with a key state organization, legislators,…

This report to the Legislature and Governor provides recommendations on the design of a workable structure for the annual evaluation of district-level performance for California Community College districts. Under contract with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, a six-member panel of the Research and Planning Group for…

The Public Law Research Institute at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, with whom the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) forged a partnership to research, analyze, and make sound recommendations regarding an accountability structure, provides an excellent opportunity for CPEC regarding federal and state…

This handbook is an important reference for individuals seeking to understand charter schools in Utah. Information contained here will be especially useful for interested parties seeking to start a charter school, as well as current charter school operators. This handbook is intended to be a general reference regarding charter schools. The…

This report evaluates Florida school district requirements concerning use of the exceptional student education (ESE) Matrix of Services, which is required by the state only for students receiving the most intensive special education services. It provides background information, an explanation of the method used to gather data, and results of the…

In 1994, the Mississippi legislature enacted the Workforce Education Act, Senate Bill 2955, which called for the creation of One-Stop Career Centers affiliated with each community college district. The mission of the One-Stop Career Centers was to provide assessment, training, and placement services to individuals needing training, retraining, and…