School board members in Louisiana, Minnesota,and Nebraska responded to a survey asking for their attitudes toward the six national educational goals. The boards' ranking of the goals is compared to that from a public opinion poll. Findings indicate that local school board members believe educational goals are best determined by themselves in…

A salary-administration plan involves job descriptions, job evaluation, salary surveys, salary structures, and communication. A carefully constructed and administered salary plan will guarantee external equity (jobs will be paid at a competitive rate) and internal equity (similar jobs will be assigned the same grade and salary range). (MLF)

Presents some of the findings of a recent study that addressed the issue of finding and keeping chief school business officials. Questionnaires sent to 1,057 members of the Association of School Business Officials International elicited responses from 552 persons (52.2%). Discusses salary and benefits packages and incentives to stay. Three figures…

"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) "In Need of Improvement:" New Alliance Brief Finds Flaws in NCLB's Design and Implementation for the…

The "Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998" requires that the Secretary provide the appropriate committees of Congress copies of annual reports received by the department from each eligible agency that receives funds under the Act. Congress has made "accountability for results" a central focus of the…

The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) is pleased to present the findings of the second annual National Trends Report. SETDA commissioned the Metiri Group for a second consecutive year to conduct a national survey in the fall of 2004 on the second year implementation of the No Child Left Behind, Title II, Part D, Enhancing…

This study evaluated the shortage of special education teachers in Oklahoma and presented a long term plan to meet this need. The study examined: (1) teacher shortages by category and geographic location in Oklahoma; (2) availability of individuals with the potential to be special education teachers; and (3) innovative recruitment and retention…

There is growing evidence that the need for cultural understanding and foreign language competence in the United States and in Illinois is not being met. This need must be addressed through state educational reform. The deterioration in foreign language capabilities affects national security and is a direct result of declining enrollment in…

This study examined trends in tuition and fees at private institutions of higher education, compared the fees with those at public institutions, and evaluated effects on need-based student financial aid. Data were collected from 150 private colleges and universities, from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Series, from the Entering…

This working paper examines funding to U.S. school districts and public schools in accordance with Chapter 1 of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as amended in 1988. The report discusses the background of the legislation, describes its provisions, and presents results from the Schools and Staffing Survey conducted in…

This report lists 11 budgetary principles for higher education institutions, and presents the results of a survey which examined whether the practices of four-year public higher education institutions in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin followed these precepts during the fiscal problems of the early 1990s. The 11…

This paper outlines the dimensions of a customer-focused system of accountability and describes approaches taken at the state level to respond to the information needs of a broader client base for higher education. Section 1 traces current trends in the development and implementation of state-level accountability policy for higher education. It…

This study attempted to identify efforts to evaluate programs for gifted and talented students in 122 Texas school districts and to compare these practices with those recommended in the literature and with Texas Education Association guidelines. Areas examined included informal and formal assessment of student and teacher identification practices,…

Community service is reemerging as an important focus for secondary education. This report, the culmination of a Ford Foundation project, considers independent schools' role in encouraging community service. Specifically, the project attempted to identify community service programs in private schools affiliated with the National Association of…

Information is presented on the three prepaid tuition programs and four college savings bond programs currently in operation in the United States, and the fiscal issues involved in their implementation are summarized. The three prepaid tuition programs are in Michigan, Wyoming, and Florida. The characteristics of the three programs are outlined…