Spurred by a deep recession and large budget shortfalls, the California Legislature in 2009 enacted what was arguably the largest change to California's school finance system in decades--relaxing spending restrictions on more than 40 categorical programs through 2012-13, extended later to 2014-15. Categorical funding, which gives school districts…

The purpose of this study was to discover the perceptions of Florida law school administrators on the impact of the OFI (one Florida initiative) and the addition of two MSI (minority serving institution) law schools on diversity in Florida's legal profession. This research explored the impact of Governor Bush's EO (executive order) on diversity…

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for curriculum design, instruction, and assessment that gives all students equal opportunities to learn and to demonstrate what they have learned. UDL is built on the premise that there is not one kind of learning. Learning differs across tasks, across development, and among individuals. UDL is…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from January 24 to 28, 2011. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) Opening testimony on HB 1003, the University System budget bill, was completed January 24 and 25. The committee also heard testimony on HB 1020, the NDSU Ag Main Research, Branch Stations…

In 2002, Jack Barnes was a school administrator in 11,000-student Sullivan County (Tennessee) Schools when a student brought a racial harassment case against the district. Though an out-of-court settlement was reached, the U.S. Justice Department came down hard with a federal court order forcing the district to pay out millions for third-party…

The California Community Colleges (CCC) serve more than 2.4 million students and comprises the largest system of higher education in the nation. Each of the 112 colleges in all 72 districts use state funding allocated for Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) to assist it in providing support services and educational accommodations to…

This report provides the Nebraska Legislature with comparative statistics to monitor and evaluate progress toward achieving "three key priorities" for Nebraska's postsecondary education system: (1) Increase the number of students who enter postsecondary education in Nebraska; (2) Increase the percentage of students who enroll and…

Online learning has steadily become a more integral strategy for schools and districts in their efforts to offer students greater access to the courses they need. Where in the past, much of the online learning activity happened at the state level or regional level, more and more schools are exercising greater control over their online and digital…

In 2011, Indiana's legislature reshaped the state's education policy landscape with a package of laws that enabled local leaders to make swift and potentially sweeping changes to district and school operations. The Hoosier State's reforms, dubbed by supporters as the "Putting Students First" agenda, provide a valuable case study of the…

It is not troubling, or even surprising, that the United States today faces increasing economic competition from around the world. It is easier for other nations to make up ground on the world's leader by copying more-advanced existing innovations, than it is for the leader to move forward by making new innovations. And as other nations improve…

As one part of a broad reform package, the 2011 Indiana General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act 001 (Public Law 90), a bill that significantly changed the way Indiana teachers will be evaluated and compensated. An earlier Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) policy brief, "Revamping the Teacher Evaluation Process"…

This study explores factors associated with implementation of the physical education and physical activity standards of the South Carolina Students Health and Fitness Act of 2005 in Title I elementary schools. The study was framed using selected components of the diffusion of innovations theory, which looked at characteristics of the law and their…

This dissertation examined the relationship between instructional practice in the classroom and current theory when educating culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional (CLDE) middle school students in inclusive settings. Participants for this study were chosen using community nomination and data were collected using classroom observation.…

High school dropouts fare substantially worse than their peers on a wide variety of long-term economic outcomes. On average, a dropout earns less money, is more likely to be in jail, is less healthy, is less likely to be married, and is unhappier than a high school graduate. But despite this growing education gap, dropout rates have remained…

In absence of an existing framework to assess the state's compliance with the court order in "Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) v. State of New York," which guarantees all students the right to an adequate education, the Campaign's first report creates an operational definition for sound basic education. Drawing on relevant state…