Testing teachers for recertification to ensure that all certified teachers and administrators can read and write adequately is supported. Insofar as possible, tests must be developed and used in ways that are not demeaning to educational professionals. Recertification testing may recapture public support for education, which has seriously eroded.…

The Minnesota Plan offers the kinds of major structural and delivery reforms (many adopted by Minnesota's legislature) that public education must undertake to achieve significant improvement: the restructuring of secondary education, the deregulation of the curriculum and instruction, the redesign of instruction and instructional management, and…

Section 180 of Title 16 requires the State Board of Education (Board) to "adopt through a public process a statewide strategic education plan to describe how the agency will help school boards to improve student performance." The Vermont State Board of Education and Commissioner Richard H. Cate drafted a plan that was adopted by the…

Noting that investments in children are often the first casualties of lean state budgets, this advocacy "toolbox" offers information on the most pressing needs of New Hampshire children and on effective solutions. The toolbox begins with information on advocacy and characteristics of an effective child advocate; specifically, an…

In the past eight years, Chicago has created an excellent charter school model with help from across the city. Mayor Richard Daley supported the reform, Chicago Public Schools developed a thoughtful and proactive approval process, business and civic leaders championed the movement and provided technical support, and teachers and community groups…

Because of an increasingly challenging fiscal climate, state lawmakers are faced with making tough financial decisions regarding their early childhood systems. This document describes and examines various funding sources used when making decisions about possible early childhood initiatives combined with policy choices that may be considered in…

This book discusses topics designed to assist school leaders and teachers in creating safe schools. It explains how to develop, implement, and evaluate an anti-bullying program and describes how to teach students to use three methods when dealing with bullies (social skills, assertiveness, and conflict resolution techniques). Seven chapters focus…

The goal of this book is to provide comprehensive and practical knowledge of relevant legal issues that affect the administration of public schools. It will allow educators to effectively perform their duties within the boundaries of constitutional, statutory, and case law. It is also designed to be easy to understand for those with little or no…

This document contains the 11 issues of the newsletter "Rural Policy Matters" published in 2001. Issues examine recent educational research on small and rural schools; report on court litigation related to rural school finance, local advocacy efforts in support of rural schools, and the condition of rural school facilities; outline policy issues…

The first article, "The Cost of English Acquisition Programs: Arizona Department of Education English Acquisition Cost Study" contains excerpts from a study (Phases 1 and 4) conducted for the Arizona Department of Education on the costs of various English-acquisition programs. Six successful but varied English-acquisition programs for…

The law has developed extensive rights and procedural safeguards that allow for the removal of overly disruptive and dangerous students while also protecting students from arbitrary and wrongful disciplinary action. This report describes New Jersey legislation intended to support fairness in discipline. Part 1 examines: sources of authority for…

During 1996-97 each of the three branches of Wisconsin State government--the judiciary, the executive, and the legislative--experienced substantial activity regarding educational finance policies. After describing Wisconsin's current school-finance system, this paper examines Wisconsin school finance based on the 1996-97 actions of the judiciary,…

This digest presents a brief review of recent Fourth Amendment decisions that affect the rights of students and the parameters of schools' authority to maintain a crime-free environment. Although Federal decisions apply nationwide and do mark the boundaries of permissible state and local action, state and local laws and regulations must always be…

This study identified seven categories of influence of local college governing boards, based on how they were established and their members appointed. Information was drawn from questionnaires sent to staffs of statewide coordinating bodies and multicampus governing boards; from statutes, local board policies, bylaws, and handbooks; and from…

This report highlights recent state legislative efforts to expand early care and education, promote the development of young children, and meet a variety of state policy goals. Chapter 1, "The Role of Early Childhood Care and Education in State Public Policy," presents the rationale for policymakers from a range of policy jurisdictions…