On July 19, 1968, a Task Force on Vocational and Technical Education was created by the governor of Ohio to develop proposals for organization, financing, and legislation. Some major problems to which the Task Force gave attention were: (1) the serious gap between the need for and the availability of vocational and technical education, (2) the…

Update VI provides an overview of federal and state legislation regarding minimal competency requirements for graduation and promotion as well as state department of education activities and local district programs in this area, from 1975 through June 1, 1977. Twenty-four states had introduced 67 bills related to this topic up to this date. While…

Since the California Assessment Program began in 1972 to provide information for evaluation of school programs in California, major changes in testing practices have occurred. Scholastic aptitude testing has been eliminated in all grades; state-designed reading and basic skills tests are administered in grades one, two, three, six, and twelve.…

As an alternative to assessments conducted by the State Department of Education, Arizona school districts can use this handbook for self evaluation of their compliance with school law, which is basically controlled by Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) Title 15 and State Board of Education policy. This handbook is divided into seven parts which…

Little is known about the costs of setting up and implementing legislated minimal competency testing (MCT). To estimate the financial obstacles which lie between the idea and its implementation, MCT requirements are viewed from two perspectives. The first, government regulation, views legislated minimal competency requirements as an attempt by the…

An extensive study was conducted to determine whether California's Public Library Services Act had succeeded in its goal of improving and extending library service through the establishment and funding of library systems. The comprehensive study involved field interviews at all 20 systems; a review of system documents; a survey of reference…

This book provides current information on general questions pertaining to various statutory enactments, court decisions, and administrative decisions affecting public schools. Since it is intended for use by boards of education in New York State, heavy emphasis is placed on provisions that apply specifically to New York schools. However, some of…

A directive to field representatives of the California Bureau of School Planning outlines five steps in the procedure involving facilities for the educationally handicapped. Three types of classrooms are described and maximum enrollment is specified. Further information on both educational programs and facilities covers legal basis and definition,…

The consequences of not graduating from high school are increasingly serious for both individuals and society as a whole. As a result, policymakers and the federal requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have placed a new focus on increasing graduation rates and reducing dropout rates. While the dropout problem has generated research and new…

The rising cost of college textbooks has recently become a topic of intense public debate. It is perceived as a significant barrier to college attendance, and an assortment of legislative remedies has been proposed. This position paper of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges explains that profit is just one of a complex series of…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Preparing, Recruiting, and Retaining Education Professionals: Senator Reed Proposes New $500 Million Bill to Improve…

Intuitively, class size reduction is a good idea. Parents support it because it means that their children will receive more individual attention from teachers. Teachers like it for the same reason and also because it creates a more manageable workload. It is generally assumed that the fewer students in a class, the better they will learn and the…

This 2005 edition of the Section 619 Profile updates information on state policies, programs, and practices under the Preschool Grants Program (Section 619 of Part B) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It presents current and/or historical information for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, which are…

In recent years, New York, like most other states, has adopted a set of challenging educational standards that are geared to preparing all students to be capable citizens and to compete in the global marketplace. The state has also implemented extensive Regents testing programs to measure student progress toward meeting the standards. These…

Except for school construction, there is no legislation to guide implementation of the programs and reforms ordered by the New Jersey Supreme Court in the landmark "Abbott v. Burke" case. Instead, in its 1998 "Abbott V decision," the Supreme Court directed the Commissioner of Education to provide standards and procedures to…