Describes the new equal education legislation in Massachusetts and how it will serve the goals of equity and excellence. Provisions include grants to serve the educationally disadvantaged, competency exams for students and teachers, and teacher incentive programs. Special assistance is directed toward communities with high drop-out rate and…

This paper reports on the High/Scope National Policy Conference, which was concerned with the process of designing good early childhood legislation and the political processes that enhance or impede legislative passage. Discussion began with an overview of the range of options facing policymakers as they attempt to design legislation or write…

Discusses the progress of anti-Hazelwood legislation, and lists the five states with student free expression laws: California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and Massachusetts. Notes that 16 states have made no attempts to counteract the ruling of Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. Describes the limits of the laws existing in the five states with…

Describes findings and recommendations of the first annual report of the Massachusetts Education Reform Review Commission, which focused on standards and assessments, accountability, district and teacher capacity, and funding. (PKP)

A new Massachusetts law requiring foreign students to pay the true cost of their education is felt to be the first of its kind. The law's constitutionality and its implications for international education are being examined. (MSE)

The educational funding system in Massachusetts has become less equitable than before, since the passage of Proposition Two and a Half. A decision-making process driven by zero-sum economics, rather than educational needs, is particularly harmful to urban youth; failure to educate every young American threatens the nation's social and economic…