This case study focusing on journalism curriculum in Tennessee sheds light on the obstacles that journalism schools face in efforts to include more instruction of sunshine laws into courses. Journalists use these laws to gather information to write their stories, either by attending public meetings or by filing open records requests. This study…

In 2005, the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners in Tampa, Florida, took steps to forbid government support for gay pride events. The issue came under scrutiny when a public library created a gay-themed informational display. When the commissioners learned of the display, they voted overwhelmingly (5 to 1) in favor of a policy prohibiting…

In the past decade, a variety of political and economic issues have contributed to changing the landscape of American higher education. Among these issues is a shortfall of college educated laborers for the workforce, the increasing costs of college attendance, and the subsequent expansion of student debt. State politicians and decision makers…

Facing a declining K-12 student population and rising education costs, Vermont lawmakers approved Act 46 in 2015. This legislation has the potential to consolidate school districts that have fewer than 900 students. The law aims to significantly reduce the number of districts in the state by using tax incentives as a carrot and forced…

Teacher shortages in Colorado are statewide challenges that uniquely affect all areas of the state and; therefore, all residents to some degree. As a result, the challenge requires collective efforts and collaborative solutions. Accordingly, this strategic plan framework represents the outgrowth of the statewide collaborative strategic planning…

2017 saw every legislature in the West in session--including the 15 Western states, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam--with legislators addressing a diverse array of higher education topics and dealing with an equally wide variety of budgetary outlooks. As in past years, Western states featured some of the largest…

The increasing need for highly-skilled employees in the workplace has policymakers and higher education leaders focused on innovative ways for students to access postsecondary education. These access points can include online programs, prior learning assessments and, the subject of this snapshot, competency-based education. The National Center for…

This study explores the impact of state-level guaranteed tuition laws on state general appropriations for higher education. Using the "Truth-in-Tuition" law that was implemented in Illinois in 2004 as the treatment condition, this study analyzes data from 2000-2012. To test the direction and size of the effect on state general…

The California Budget Act of 2012, through a trailer bill known as Senate Bill (SB) 1041, contained significant reforms to the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program. CalWORKs is California's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, a central component of the safety net that provides cash aid for…

In an effort to support college affordability in the region, the New England Board of Higher Education initiated the "Redesigning Student Aid in New England" project ("Redesigning Aid") in 2014. Funded by Lumina Foundation, "Redesigning Aid" combined custom state financial aid research with expertise of national…

One central component of a great school system is a clear set of rigorous, comprehensive standards so educators help all students achieve high goals. In Iowa, that effort is known as the Iowa Core. The Iowa Core represents the statewide academic standards, which describe what students should know and be able to do in mathematics, science, English…

The intent of this report is to describe survey data that measure legislators' opinions (if any) on a focused set of items about K-12 education topics and educational choice policies, trusted sources of K-12 information, as well as views and attitudes toward their profession, time demands and constraints, and factors in developing priorities and…

This quantitative study uses a survey to determine how public school teachers perceive the efficacy of the intervention of the Dignity For All Student's Act on the climate of civility in the classroom at one specific public middle school located in Upstate New York. The intent is to explore the perceived efficacy of the intervention put into place…

In light of the Pennsylvania's most recent pension cuts and the challenges the state faces in attracting and retaining qualified teachers, this report asks two primary questions in this study: (1) How does teacher pay compare with the pay of other comparable workers in Pennsylvania--that is, are Pennsylvania public school teachers underpaid (which…

In 2017, Washington's schools served 69,490 public school students that identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN). The Office of Native Education (ONE), established in the 1960s, assists AI/AN students to achieve basic education goals and meet state standards while supporting cultural identity. This report addresses the accomplishments…