Intended as a practical legal guide for Texas educators and lawyers, this book contains three major sections dealing with several chapters on various school law topics, each prepared by Texas attorneys. Section 1, "School Boards and Superintendents," includes chapters on school board members authority and relationship with staff, the…

This study examines the changing role of bilingual education in a Title I elementary school in Northern California in the wake of the passage of Proposition 227. It is found that native language literacy is an important component in the academic success of English language learners and that reading in the native language does not detract form from…

The 1998 Mississippi Legislature passed a bill which addressed the state's problem with critical teacher shortages. The Mississippi Teacher Fellowship Program (MTFP), which was developed in response to critical teacher shortages in certain school districts and in certain content areas, grew out of this legislation. The state-based initiative…

American Indian students attend Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools, BIA schools operated by tribes under contracts and grants, public schools off Indian reservations, and public schools on Indian reservations. Who has legal jurisdiction over Indian education in these various scenarios is undecided, so some tribes, states, and school districts…

The Massachusetts Education Reform Act was passed in June 1993. In fall 1993, the Massachusetts Board of Education approved the Department of Education's Implementation Plan for Education Reform and appointed a board task force to oversee the implementation process. This document presents the state's first annual implementation report card for…

This report examines the extent to which proposals to decentralize public education can be implemented by individuals, groups, or institutions prepared to operate charter schools. Charter schools must be able to balance autonomy for decisions relating to educational programs and accountability with academic standards and market forces.…

Data from the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) in 13 states for 1997 and 1999 was used to study how welfare reform policies, mandated by the 1996 passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, affected employment of single mothers with children. The states were Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida,…

The paper examines California's Proposition 227, a voter-imposed statutory amendment that substantially altered the method by which non-English-speaking children learn English in California's public schools, looking at the forces behind the legislation and the challenges to its implementation. The context for bilingual education in California is…

This report provides information on Cleveland's and Milwaukee's publicly funded school voucher programs, using previous research and reviews of state laws, school district and voucher program records, state budgets, voucher-related reports and articles, and site visits and interviews. Researchers examined eligibility criteria; public and voucher…

About 38 percent of all fourth-graders have reading skills below the basic level and thus cannot read well enough to complete grade level assignments. Research clearly demonstrates that most reading failure is preventable and most high-risk students can improve their reading and writing achievement with expert instruction. Research also indicates…

This report of the Select Committee on California Children's School Readiness and Health, established in 2001, examines the relationship between the status of a child's health and its impact on school readiness and achievement. The report is intended to promote and facilitate continued dialogue, exploration, and research on student health and…

These 13 issues of the Children's Defense Fund Report from 1997 discuss concerns related to child advocacy and provide information on problems in children's lives in the United States. Regular features include the editorial column "A Voice for Children," a status report on federal legislation related to children, descriptions of…

This handbook begins with a history of funding in California's community colleges, explaining that financial support for community colleges has evolved over the years, as have the colleges themselves and the purposes they serve. Following this history of funding is a discussion of 1988's Proposition 98, which guaranteed annual funding and revenue…

These five newsletters comprise volume 20 of "CDF Reports." They discuss concerns related to child advocacy and provide information on problems in children's lives in the United States. Regular features include the editorial column "A Voice for Children"; a status report on federal legislation related to children; descriptions…

This report highlights Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states' recent legislation affecting teachers. Section 1 examines teacher licensure and certification, looking at such action taken by states as requiring teachers to know how to use technology in order to get or renew licenses and addressing the issue of teachers' content knowledge…