This packet includes three pamphlets from the South Carolina School-to-Work Initiative, which involves many components in ensuring for students high levels of academic and technical achievement; strong problem-solving, teamwork and technology skills; clear career goals; better access to postsecondary education and meaningful employment; and a…

This report compares the current-year faculty salaries in the University of California and California State University systems with projected salaries for the coming year at their respective comparison institutions, largely drawn from other parts of the country. The calculation of parity percentages, an estimate of the average faculty salary…

The Chicago (Illinois) Board of Education has been engaged in a process of system-wide reorganization that may shift the locus of decision-making authority for many administrative functions from the Central Office to individual schools. Proponents of decentralization contend that restructuring will reduce costs and increase efficiencies at the…

This final report discusses the activities of Minnesota's Medical Education and Research Costs (MERC) project, which was undertaken to gather data on the costs of medical education and health care research conducted by hospitals, medical centers, and health maintenance organizations and develop mechanisms to assess the costs across the health care…

The Pennsylvania Charter School Act (H.B. 1834), now under consideration in the Pennsylvania State legislature, allows charter schools to be approved by local school boards or school district voters. Based on the draft legislation and the experience of states with similar statutes, this paper identifies the extent of charter operators'…

This report describes the activities of the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) during the 1995-96 fiscal year. It provides an overview of student and parent financial aid programs, including the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), the largest state grant program in the United States. Major advances reported for 1995-96…

This booklet provides information about the state of Mississippi's Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program. The state-guaranteed program creates tax-exempt monthly or lump-sum prepayment plans that cover tuition and all mandatory fees at state-supported colleges or universities, are portable to private and out-of-state schools, and can be…

This paper explores some of the implications of compulsory education for public and private schools and for home schooling. Data were derived from interviews conducted with approximately 120 education leaders in 15 states and with state officials in all states and U.S. territories. Following the introduction, the first part reviews compulsory…

State litigation involving unconstitutional school financing systems are described in this document, which focuses on efforts in Texas to reform the financing of public education. Since its school finance system was declared unconstitutional in 1987, two subsequent proposals have been struck down by the Texas Supreme Court for the following…

Many states have begun to use independent or outside hearing officers in public educator termination efforts, curtailing the exclusive role of local school boards as fact finders and judges. This paper reports the findings of a two-part study that: (1) investigated the statutory codes of all 50 states to determine the current procedural methods…

This report presents a review and evaluation of the accountability plans in public postsecondary education as they relate to the mission and goals of postsecondary institutions. A review of current accountability activities found that existing legislation and institutional responses do not sufficiently embody the kinds of characteristics that…

Wisconsin has been exploring educational targets or outcomes since 1992 in conjunction with legislation mandating student assessment. While the establishment of outcomes does not necessarily indicate that a school subscribes to an outcome-based education (OBE) philosophy, the two could go together. OBE requires identification of outcomes prior to…

School district organization in Wisconsin was never intended to be permanent or static. Changes in school district organization are a normal, ongoing process necessary to keep pace with changing needs, expectations, and conditions. Wisconsin has four different types of school districts--common school districts, Union High school districts, unified…

Among several innovations in public school curriculum and financing, the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) also included a school-governance provision. School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Councils include administrators, teachers, and parents in addressing school-level curriculum and instructional issues. These groups have not had a…

This paper explores the impact of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 on the funding and allocation of resources to special education. Overall, the results indicate that the revenues generated for the special education system by KERA are approximately equal to marginal costs of special education services statewide. However, there is…