This guide is designed to help advocates--including biological and adoptive parents, resource parents, adult students in foster care, and service providers--understand and advocate for the educational rights of children in New Jersey's foster care system. The guide explains the requirements of federal and state laws that particularly affect these…

This state plan identifies New Jersey Department of Education activities for assisting local school districts in designing educational programs to meet the needs of intellectually and academically gifted students. The plan begins with an identification of needs in the area of gifted education, focusing on the need for multiple measures for student…

The potential for reconciling state formula funding of higher education with institutional planning needs is discussed. It is proposed that states invent a financing mechanism that funds a fair share of the strategic aims of each public college and university, yet allows the state to invest in a few priorities. New Jersey's experiment with such an…

Many colleges and universities are engaged in new efforts to assess the outcomes they produce. As a first step, these institutions usually examine their mission statement, goals, and objectives. These form the foundation for assessment but they are also fundamental tools for enhancing institutional effectiveness in general. This handbook was…

The purpose of this guidebook is to assist chief school administrators of New Jersey's schools in the development of educational objectives and plans of action. Section 1 discusses district submission procedures, including description of the procedure to be followed, basic requirements, and review and approval processes. Section 2 presents a model…

A long-range facilities plan includes anticipated large expenditures and contingencies. The plan should include an overview of existing facilities, enrollment projections, program changes, and projected capital improvements. A school-planning checklist is provided. (MLF)

This paper analyzes mastery learning as an alternative to curriculum planning and discusses implementation of the strategy in a prekindergarten through eighth-grade school district in Red Bank, New Jersey. The paper briefly describes district schools and circumstances affecting the school board's decision to implement mastery learning; discusses…

Experiences in systems-development for state information systems are summarized for eight pilot-test state agencies, as part of the State Level Information Base project. Attention is directed to the evaluation of information needs; hardware and software choices; survey administration; data organization, storage, and linkages; and staffing…

Experiences of pilot-test state agencies in developing an information system are summarized, as part of the State Level Information Base project. The background and functions of each of the eight pilot-test state agencies are described, along with the information systems approach, and planning responsibilities (comprehensive planning, budgeting,…

This report by the president of Rutgers University (New Jersey) reviews past progress of New Jersey's commitment to economic and social progress through collaborative efforts with its State University, examines the impact of past and proposed budget reductions for fiscal year 1992, and discusses Rutgers' and New Jersey's future prospects into the…

The use of selective, as contrasted with across-the-board, state funding as an incentive for program improvement in higher education institutions is discussed, and the experiences of four states (New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, and Tennessee) are examined for forces that work against the long-term feasibility of this approach. (Author/MSE)

Relating college architecture to campus evolution requires saving the best old buildings through renovation and adaptive use, having noticeably modern buildings relate to older buildings, and respecting the historic composition of buildings and land. Princeton University, the Morristown (New Jersey) Free Public Library, and Lawrenceville School…

This document is divided into three volumes. Volume I describes what exemplary Private Industry Councils (PICS) do, Volume II explains why they are effective, and Volume III tells how to implement exemplary practice. Volume I contains case studies of 10 exemplary PICs organized by 7 topics areas (history and structure, policies and program…

In 1983, New Jersey's governor, Tom Keane, proposed the Alternative Path to Certification as a means to alleviate the state's growing teacher shortage. At least 12 other states are now using similar plans to recruit teachers possessing liberal arts bachelor's degrees who have passed a standardized test and completed successfully a one-year…

The author describes his own school closure procedures in the Paramus, New Jersey, school district of which he is superintendent, advocating long-range planning and an emphasis on the educational benefits of such closures. Also included is advice on when and how to lay off administrators. (JBM)