Maryland's school finance system experienced a restructuring in 2002 with the passage of SB 856, the "Bridge to Excellence Act." The "Bridge" Act set the funding amount for "base" students, brought state funding for kindergarten students on par with students in grades 1-12, and collapsed about 50 school funding…

The Indiana General Assembly passed charter school enabling legislation in 2001, and the first charter schools opened their doors for the 2002-03 school year. As of fall 2008, 49 charter schools are operating in Indiana. A total of 17 of these schools are sponsored by the City of Indianapolis, Office of the Mayor, 29 schools are sponsored by…

Student loans are a rapidly growing $85 billion a year industry fueled by the substantial higher economic returns associated with a college education, increased demand from students and their parents, and grant and scholarship funds that have not kept pace with rising school tuition and fees. This report describes federally subsidized and…

The "Code of Virginia" requires school divisions statewide to submit data to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) on incidents of discipline, crime, and violence (DCV). School divisions began reporting such data in 1991. This annual report focuses primarily on DCV data submitted for school year 2006-2007, with selected comparisons…

This article examines the contemporary role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in public higher education systems. The article is based on the premise that in order to address persistent questions about whether HBCUs are a relevant sector of public higher education, a contemporary, rather than historical, analysis is…

Charter schools, although a stage for potential educational reform and innovation, remain subject to federal laws regarding the education of students with disabilities. As they intersect with federal law, the variance of state charter laws and policy surrounding the provision of special education creates a challenging context for helping charters…

This article documents the efforts by Mexican Americans to challenge school segregation in Arizona in the first half of the twentieth century. As in Texas and California, although state law never formally mandated the segregation of Mexican American students, school districts in Arizona often established separate "Mexican Schools" for…

This Staff Brief provides background information on state and federal laws and regulations, relevant proposals recently considered by the Wisconsin Legislature and laws and proposals of selected other states relating to sexual harassment. Part I provides an overview of the state's employment discrimination law as it specifically relates to sexual…

This handbook provides certification and licensure requirements for school psychologists. It is intended for use by school psychology students, trainers, practitioners, administrators, state department personnel, and legislators. The introduction explains the data collection and validation procedures used in developing this handbook. A section on…

This report is a summary of the 1993 Virginia General Assembly Session and its actions regarding higher education. The 1993 session considered a record number of bills and resolutions with more than 1,500 passed and signed by the governor. Approximately 150 of the items pertain directly or indirectly to higher education in Virginia and include a…

Pessimism over finances pervades the outlook for education in 1976, as shown in a preview of this year's top education issues in each state. (Author/MLF)

Discusses what some States are doing to improve school safety programs in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). (MLF)

This document discusses Wisconsin state legislation on juvenile justice issues. In part I key provisions of these six bills are briefly described: (1) 1989 Assembly Bill 501, relating to a study of the use of small, secure juvenile facilities and youthful offender facilities; (2) 1989 Assembly Bill 502, relating to an early intervention program…

This paper presented during the plenary session of the 1989 Telecommunications Policy Research Conference discusses developments in regulatory reform in Nebraska. A review of the current state of the Nebraska telecommunications regulatory environment is followed by a discussion of the deregulation bill (LB 835) and the latest Nebraska Supreme…

This document is a report on a resolution recommending that states develop and adopt a Uniform Grandparent's Visitation Act which would allow grandparents to petition state courts for the right to visit their grandchildren after the dissolution of the grandchildren's parents' marriage (by divorce, separation, or death). The resolution calls for…