All students need to develop essential academic skills and to acquire a knowledge base on which to build lifelong learning. To this end, Texas has implemented sweeping reforms of the state's public education system in the form of House Bill (HB) 72. This legislation essentially revamped every aspect of public education. This report gives a summary…

State control over education appears to be increasing as a result of state efforts to develop specific programs in response to calls for educational excellence. Missouri's Excellence in Education Act of 1985 was just such an effort and was aimed particularly at improving teaching by attracting and retaining teachers of high quality. The act…

This document begins by presenting a general summary of Iowa's current school finance law, which dates back to steps taken in 1967 by the 62nd General Assembly, and by providing a current state aid chronology, organized by year, general assembly number, session, bill, and major features. Subsequent sections provide descriptions of the following:…

This curriculum guide consists of materials for high school vocational agriculture instructors to use in teaching a course in the law and agriculture. Addressed in the individual units of the guide are the following topics: the purpose of the law in our society, the judicial system, contract law, torts, ownership of land, and water rights. Each…

Changes in foreign student services and tuition and admission policies affecting foreign students from 1983 to 1985 were surveyed at 681 public colleges and universities. With annual percentage increases below 1%, most colleges had stable (42%) or declining (30%) foreign enrollment since 1983. A third of the schools did not maintain foreign…

Formal action by state education agencies (SEA's) in regard to educational technology is quite recent. In 1981 only seven states addressed the issue in formal state-level action. This paper presents the results of a 1983 survey on state-level initiatives relating to educational technology. The survey found that nearly all state SEA's are involved…

The recruitment and retention of faculty in business administration and accounting at the University of California (the University) and the California State University (the State University) are evaluated. An overview of education in business considers the location, type, and level of degree programs and concentrations in business-related fields…

This document presents the legislative program advocated by the Governor of Arkansas that was scheduled to be sent to the Arkansas Legislature in January 1989. The program expresses the needs of the state in terms of its ability to compete with the rest of the country in education, jobs, economic development, and prosperity, and it points out the…

Actions taken on higher education by the 1985 Arkansas General Assembly and the First Extraordinary Session are summarized. Successful and unsuccessful legislation are identified, and the appropriation and funding process for each institution is shown in chart form. The general revenue appropriations for higher education for the 1985-1987 biennium…

California's 1980 proficiency law, which is the topic of this report, mandated that each school district was to adopt or construct tests and establish standards for assessing proficiency in reading, writing, and computation on tasks that were necessary to success in school and in life. In order to graduate from high school, a student must have…

Since the 1983 publication of "A Nation at Risk," most states have responded to public demand for educational improvement by enacting legislation increasing the number of units in academic subjects required for high school graduation. Required courses now consume three-quarters of the high school years, countering the former trend to large…

Community collaboration for improving career guidance is an attempt to obtain cooperation from local agencies, organizations, and volunteering individuals to provide assistance to citizens whose career needs are not being addressed. This monograph is designed to motivate and provide initial orientation for community leaders who want to develop…

The issue of academic fraud is addressed in a transcript from a three-part series entitled "Degrees for Sale" from the "Donahue on Today" television show, and two essays drawn from presentations at the 1981 annual conference of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. The essays are "Stopping Fraud and Ensuring Quality," by Lyn…

To help make school districts more accountable without resorting to minimum competency testing, the Minnesota legislature in 1976 passed a law requiring the state's 434 districts to prepare annual planning and evaluation reports (PERs). The PER law obliges districts to develop educational policies and review them annually; create an instructional…

Many states have mandated two possibly far-reaching legislative reforms within secondary vocational education: minimum competency requirements and increased course requirements for graduation. Most legislated educational reforms include only selected aspects of competency-based systems, primarily the specification of and testing for minimum…