"We used to send out books that looked like this," says Barbara Dreyer, as she holds the 500-page volume from one of the first-ever courses offered online by Connections Academy. "You could look at this information online, but, frankly, a lot of people were doing this," she adds, thumbing through the book's pages. Dreyer, has…

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) leads a Mission Growth Working Group, which consists of states that are significantly impacted by the growth of military bases. The group includes state representatives appointed by the governors of Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,…

Since the inception of Standards for Technological Literacy (STL) in 2000 by the International Technology Education Association (ITEA), a number of changes have occurred in technology education programs at the state level. With the release of the latest standards publication, Advancing Excellence in Technological Literacy (AETL) (ITEA, 2003),…

Florida's education system must creatively confront a number of challenges if it is to fulfill its obligation to the state's students. This paper presents an overview of challenges to the Florida school system in 1995, some of which include rising student enrollment, an increase in racial and ethnic minority populations, and a tax base that is…

Presents an economic analysis of public finance based on criteria of equity and efficiency. Discusses the operational problems and issues confronting community college practitioners and policymakers. Reviews public finance and cost-sharing in Florida, Illinois, Texas, and California. Recommendations include deemphasizing enrollment-driven…

John C. Hitt became the fourth president of the University of Central Florida (UCF) on March 1, 1992, after nineteen years of administrative experience and a distinguished academic career. He received his M.S. and his Ph.D. at Tulane University. Dr. Hitt serves on the boards of EDUCAUSE, the National Center for Educational Accountability, the…

Public school funding in Florida differs from other states in a number of important ways. First, Florida has a highly equalized resource-distribution formula resulting in a high degree of interdistrict equity. Second, concerns for quality, while constant, have had to compete with the state's phenomenal growth. Third, the state exercises a much…

This short paper is part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002. It discusses educational voucher programs. It states that proponents of voucher programs, having scored a major victory in the U.S. Supreme Court with "Zelman v. Simmons-Harris" (2002), will…

This paper describes Florida's school choice program, instituted in 2000, for students with disabilities. It reports that, during 2000-01, the McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities provided scholarships to more than 1,000 students who chose to attend private schools rather than remain in their neighborhood public schools. It…

This symposium report consists of a 22-page report by Breneman and Haarlow, followed by 28 pages containing separate commentaries by Robert M. Costrell, David H. Ponitz, and Laurence Steinberg, respectively. The report builds on earlier research into the costs of remedial education as it relates to the total higher education expenditures in the…

Florida voters have authorized two constitutionally guaranteed sources of revenue to fund the capital outlay needs of the state system of public education. These sources are motor vehicle license fees and gross receipts taxes. (Author)

This essay examines the higher education challenges facing the state of Florida in the coming decades, focusing on solutions to demographic, economic, and social issues that may be applicable to other states as well. The state's population has increased substantially since 1950 and continues to increase at a high rate, placing significant demands…

Florida's state university system recently invested over $76 million in its education colleges. A national accrediting process based on peer review would help determine the existence of high-quality programs. NCATE (the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education), the Florida Department of Education, and the board of regents are…

Scenarios depicting both positive and negative alternative futures were prepared to serve as a source of ideas in this study of ways to improve education with less money. Included in this third volume are (1) a disaster scenario based on piecemeal, reactive solutions; (2) a scenario based on applications of "big media"; (3) a scenario…

State higher education-related referenda and 1986 voter response are listed concerning compensation of state employees, facility improvement, bond issues, English as the official state language, taxes and tax policy, lotteries for financing education, state trust funds for education funding, and governing boards. (MSE)