In 2007, the U.S. Department of Education commissioned WestEd to develop a guide on using quality authorizing to promote high-quality charter schools. At the time, notions about how authorizers could contribute to the existence of such schools were in their infancy, and the publication, which profiles the oversight practices of eight selected…

Legislation and policy lead to action. In the absence of law or policy, situations are addressed on a case-by-case basis or they are sometimes ignored. Legislation and policy become extremely important when they relate to groups that have traditionally been marginalized, such as students with disabilities or students with gifts and talents, and…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report is…

Profiles of the 14 states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) provide information on the structure of these states for public postsecondary education and budgeting. For each state, the following areas are discussed: state-level coordinating and/or governing agency, institutional governing boards, state board for vocational education,…

These guidelines have been developed to help the Maryland Department of Education and Maryland schools divest themselves of racial and sexual biases in the educational materials they produce and use. The information on equitable treatment of the sexes contains general content and language usage guidelines and examples to help avoid sexual…

This manual outlines Maryland's community college course evaluation system. Part I provides a historical overview of continuing education in Maryland, including the legal provisions establishing the development of continuing education courses as a function of community college instructional development. Part II presents policies for state…

This manual outlines the evaluation system used by the Maryland community colleges to determine which continuing education courses can be supported by state funds. Following a historical overview of continuing education in the state, policies related to state participation in continuing education courses and to federal or state contracts or grants…

The purpose of this paper is to provide information about the current status of available programs, research findings related to quality programs, and issues surrounding programs for 4-year-old children. The paper is intended as a resource for multiple audiences, including decision makers, legislators, regulatory administrators, advocates,…

The development of a comprehensive state plan for arts education in Maryland is presented. The introduction states three program development goals and four major conclusions from a needs assessment of the mutual goals of the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Alliance for Arts in Education. The goals include the development…

Media literacy education is being explored by scholars in many different fields (including education, literature, media studies, psychology, and public health), but there is less evidence of implementations occurring in K-12 settings. With more than 1.3 million teachers in U.S. public schools, it is impossible to estimate the extent to which the…

The Maryland program guidelines for non-English-proficient (NEP) and limited-English-proficient (LEP) elementary and secondary school students are designed to help administrators and teachers plan instructional programs that will ensure appropriate educational experiences for these populations. The guide begins with an overview of the…