As of March 2008, over half of U.S. states are facing projected budget shortfalls for the coming fiscal year. During economic downturns such as this, opportunities available to hard-working, low-wage families are diminished. These conditions create growing concerns for policymakers who must, with fewer state resources, enhance opportunities and…

The Oregon Professional Development Center (OPDC) was created by the Oregon Department of Education to support school councils in the state as they make local changes to meet the requirements of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century. School councils will be established at every school in Oregon, charged with three main areas of work:…

This booklet presents findings of a study that gathered information about charter schools. Representatives of more than 170 public charter schools were surveyed by mail, telephone or at national and regional meetings. Approximately 120 surveys were returned by representatives of 110 charter public schools in seven states--California, Colorado,…

Private-school choice or voucher programs allow parents to put tax dollars toward a private education--for example, in the form of a subsidy to the chosen school. The dollar value of a voucher is usually equal to, but may be less than, the state average per-pupil expenditure, and may cover the partial or full cost of a private-school tuition. This…

This progress report reviews the first year of Texas' public-school accountability system. The report meets the state legislature's requirement to: (1) provide reliable measurement of student performance; (2) relate student academic outcomes to state standards; (3) recommend action in cases where results deviated from expected performance; and (4)…

This document is the U.S. Department of Education's first report to Congress on the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. It includes a brief history of the 1994 law, a description of how states and school districts are using their Goals 2000 money, a look at how the program is helping to reshape the department's technical-assistance effort, and a…

In 1991, the Florida State Legislature created "Blueprint 2000," a plan for school improvement and accountability. This handbook presents findings of an evaluation conducted by the Office of Program Policy and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), which gathered information about the improvement initiatives that schools implemented, the…

Under requirements of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990, the state was forced to redesign its department of education. This document describes the process by which a new department of education was created. After the introduction and executive summary, sections provide information on the following activities: the legal action…

This document presents the proceedings of a symposium which featured 11 Illinois schools that were selected as successful in their school-improvement efforts and focused on the role of colleges of education in facilitating school reform. The schools included two accelerated schools, one magnet school, and several examples of school-based…

This handbook for Oklahoma school administrators incorporates vital information about school operations and improvement in one volume. It provides detailed information on the following areas: contracts and their due dates; the progress of House Bill 1017; accreditation; federal/special, financial, and professional services; school improvement; and…

Objectives and components of New York's "A New Compact for Learning," a comprehensive strategy for improving public education outcomes in the 1990s, are described in this document. The plan focuses on results, promotes local initiatives, and empowers people at all levels of the system. Inherent in the plan is the development of a new…

In 1991, 58 Educational Excellence Teams made over 1,000 recommendations for improving South Carolina public schools. This publication briefly examines the accomplishments of the South Carolina educational system. A partial list of topics reviewed includes: accountability, accreditation and assessment, adult education/literacy, at-risk youth,…

During 1993-94, the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University conducted a study on behalf of the Arizona Department of Education. This document presents findings of that study, which examined linkages between health services and schools for a comprehensive service delivery to students. Following the introduction, chapter 1…

According to the Educational Reform Chicago Study Group, the traditional public school's text-paced classroom environment may be too bare, especially in poor neighborhoods, to help poor students learn, or too middle class to motivate all students to participate. We need to examine our present teaching methods, existing educational research, and…

In this report, Connecticut's Task Force on Charter Schools recommends enacting legislation to establish six pilot charter schools to begin operation in fall 1994. As public schools or educational programs operating under a State Board of Education charter, charter schools would be: committed to quality student outcomes; staffed and controlled by…