The purpose of this research study is to compare student achievement changes between matched QEIA and non-QEIA schools in an effort to infer effects of the most significant feature of QEIA funding, class size reduction. The study addressed the critical question--are there demonstrated, significant differences in student achievement gains between…

Maryland, as one of 17 states that had de jure segregation, has an intense history of school segregation. Following the 1954 Brown decision, school districts across the state employed various methods to desegregate their schools, including mandatory busing in Prince George's County, magnet schools in Montgomery County, and a freedom of choice plan…

This report presents information provided by New Jersey public schools for the 2015-16 school year on incidents of violence; vandalism; weapon offenses; substance offenses; and harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB). The information is presented annually by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to the Governor and Legislature to…

This paper examines 12 states' statutes that extend in-state resident tuition for undocumented students, illustrating their ambiguities and contradictions as they produce the "subject" in these on-going policy debates. This study asks and answers the question: "How are students' identities produced in ISRT policy?" At stake in…

Public university systems and institutions actively engage in legislative relations efforts with elected representatives who comprise state legislative bodies. Historically, the primary impetus for fostering legislative relations was to leverage appropriations. Funding issues remain an important component of higher education's interactions…

California's public schools have some of the strongest content standards in the country. Yet many students who have come through the state's school system are failing placement examinations when they get to California colleges. Instead of taking college-level English courses, they are shunted off into remedial classes. When a group of high school…

Information gained from the present study should provide important policy insights into whether adjustments to the School District Finance and Quality Performance Accreditation (SDFQPA) Act funding formula have supported the original goal behind SDFQPA, which was to provide more equal funding to public elementary and secondary pupils in Kansas.…

This is a qualitative case study using ethnographic methods of how one school community has been able to negotiate Arizona's restrictive English only language policies. Drawing from classroom and school-wide observations, extensive interviews, and document collection, this case study explores three key questions in relation to this school's…

In the Southwest, politicians, legislature, and voters have devised and instituted a plan originally known as House Bill 2732, voted into law A.R.S.15-701§ A (2) & (3), which declares that all third grade students, beginning in the 2013-2014 school year, must receive a score that demonstrates their competency as approaching or above their…

"When will they ever learn?" is the refrain of a Pete Seeger song from the '60s. It could also stand as one of the primary questions in higher education today. It's a question that the educators who teach in institutions, and the businesspeople who hire those institutions' graduates, are asking about students: When will they learn what…

This article presents case studies from three districts implementing green cleaning. In 2008, Missouri passed legislation requiring state education officials to convene a committee of stakeholders with the purpose of developing green cleaning guidelines and specifications for schools. The guide, published by the Department of Elementary and…

As college completion becomes a priority, more state legislatures are challenging community colleges to demonstrate progress by tying funding measures to institutional performance. Tom Harnisch, a policy analyst with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, reports that 17 states are currently implementing or considering the…

Student bullying is one of the most frequently reported discipline issues in schools. Members of minority groups are the typical targets. These days, that most often means students whose sexual orientation or gender identity attracts the ire of others. In a school climate survey of 7,261 middle and high school students conducted by the advocacy…

New York Senate Bill 6107 authorizes City University of New York (CUNY) to operate a Parent Training Center for public school parents in all five boroughs. Priority must go to "high-needs" schools and districts with low student achievement, high density of English language learners (ELLs) and low-income families, and a lack of effective…

A growing chorus of state and federal policymakers, large foundations, and business leaders across the country are calling for states to adopt a common, rigorous body of college- and career-ready skills and knowledge in English and mathematics that all K-12 students will be expected to master by the time they graduate. This report looks at the…