Caught between extraordinary public expectations and relatively modest constitutional authority, U.S. presidents historically have fashioned all sorts of mechanisms--executive orders, proclamations, memoranda--by which to move their objectives forward. William Howell asserts that under President Barack Obama's administration, presidential…

The following profiles address how the state departments of education are supporting local educators in classroom implementation of the Common Core by providing and/or facilitating the development of instructional resources and materials aligned to the new standards. In order for instructional resources and materials to be aligned to the Common…

The following profiles address how the state departments of education are helping educators prepare for and implement the Common Core and aligned assessments through professional learning. The major professional development efforts around the Common Core were examined in order to understand the overall efforts of each state. An exhaustive list of…

The following profiles address the basic decisions and actions that state education policy-makers--in the state departments of education, unless otherwise noted--are taking to foster successful statewide implementation of the new standards and aligned assessments in 15 states. These profiles provide a descriptive overview of each state's…

Over the past decade, SREB state policy-makers have focused on actions to reduce dropout rates and increase high school graduation rates. Some policy-makers have suggested that raising their state's compulsory attendance age (often called the dropout age) to require students to stay in school until age 17 or 18 is an important step. However,…

Concerns over the United States' global standing have spurred a national focus on improving postsecondary attainment. At the same time, many sectors of the economy find they have difficulty recruiting highly trained individuals to fill the good jobs that exist; jobs like nursing, respiratory care, dental hygiene, and various mid-level management…

Across the 50 states, career and technical education (CTE) programs at the K-12 and postsecondary levels have seen enormous policy action - 2013 alone saw at least 78 substantive policy changes via legislation, state board rules and executive orders specific to CTE and workforce development. What are the drivers behind this sudden policymaker…

The major concerns on legislative action affecting higher education in the Southern states is contained in this report. The dispatches were prepared for the Southern Regional Education Board by professional journalists. The contents include state-by-state highlights, listings of the SREB legislative correspondents, and indepth examinations of each…

An increasing number of state leaders have begun to grapple with one of the significant challenges of K-12 reform: how to substantially increase the percentage of young people graduating from high school while also continuing to bring academic standards into alignment with the skills and knowledge required for success in higher education and…

The political and legislative factors that weakened the role of the Florida Board of Regents over a 3-year period (1978-81) are traced in this report. The first section provides background on the functions of the Board from 1968 through 1978, a period characterized by a trend toward centralization and the reduction of university control.…

The study presents an analysis of the inception and implementation of the Florida law governing college student activity fees. After an introduction and review of the literature, it is explained that the data were obtained through focused research interviews with 41 participants. The following four conclusions were reached: (1) the student…

In 2002, Florida voters placed on the ballot through petition and passed a state constitutional amendment mandating universal prekindergarten (UPK) for all 4-year-olds beginning in 2005; it was the nation's first voter-initiated, mandated UPK. This case study examines Florida's successful UPK campaign. The report highlights the leadership of David…

The Georgia General Assembly in 1985 set up a matching gift program called the Eminent Scholars Program in which state matches dollar for dollar the income generated from gifts given specifically to endow chairs and professorships. The program in both Georgia and Florida are described.

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…

Although many states have been moving toward central boards, the opposite is true in Florida. The reasons why Florida's ten regents have come under attack from legislators are outlined, and a feud between the governor and the legislature over building a quality higher education system is discussed. (MLW)