The National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL), an organization dedicated to redesigning and expanding school time to improve opportunities and outcomes for high poverty students, and the Education Commission of the States (ECS), with a mission to foster both the exchange of ideas on education issues among the states and long range strategic…

In comments on the proposed federal guidelines for stimulus funds, some researchers say there's no evidence for the policies touted. Among education researchers, one complaint about the U.S. Department of Education under former President George W. Bush was that it relentlessly promoted "scientific research in education," while at the…

President Barack Obama's call for innovation to improve the nation's schools strikes a chord with many in policy circles, who are already discussing how the federal government can play a role not only in supporting the expansion of what works, but also in creating solutions to unsolved problems. But some experts are pointing out that significant…

This report has been provided to the Legislature on an annual basis since 2000 when the legislature amended the language of G.L. c. 71B to align Massachusetts special education terminology with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This year reports the context of a major change in the way state systems of special…

As 48 states charge ahead with plans to adopt common academic standards, the U.S. Department of Education will enlist experts and the public to help design a $350 million competition for the next step: the development of common tests. In coming weeks, top Education Department officials will travel to Atlanta, Boston, and Denver for a series of…

America's K-12 education system faces three significant challenges: (1) increased global demands for skilled workers, (2) significant financial shortfalls, and (3) a looming teacher shortage. Independently, these factors present significant challenges for U.S. schools. In combination, they create a national imperative for swift action to create a…

Through a $7.5 million U.S. Department of Education grant, students at the Hudson (Massachusetts) Public Schools "attend" Virtual High School--a network of 30 schools in 10 states. Kids attend classes any time, work collaboratively, and choose among innovative, timely, technologically rich course offerings. Other sites are described.…

On the silver anniversary of the U.S. Department of Education, participants on all sides of the perpetual debate over the proper role of the federal government in education are taking its survival for granted. The Cato Institute this year issued its customary biennial call for Congress to demolish the department. Based on interviews with some of…

Recounts the political, economic, social, and governmental situations surrounding Shays' Rebellion, the 1786 farmer's uprising in Massachusetts which, among other things, demonstrated the need for a stronger federal government. Concludes with contemporary analogies and the statement that, in a free society, the conflict between the legitimate…

Reports on the work of Amherst College historian Robert A. Gross, a leading expert on the topic of Shays' Rebellion. Includes a collection of insights Dr. Gross has developed concerning the rebellion's meaning and its impact on the United States Constitution. (JDH)

This article examines definitions of "highly qualified" teachers posed by the federal government, the American public, the professionalization agenda in teacher education, and the deregulation movement in teacher education. It focuses on one university's definition in practice: the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. I describe…

While current early education and care funding still reaches only a fraction of preschool children, some states now have considerable experience in coordinating subsidized child care, Head Start, and state prekindergarten initiatives to enhance early education and learning opportunities for young children. Drawing on the experiences of Georgia,…

In this compilation, five alumni of the Institute for Educational Leadership's Journalism Fellowship Program assess the impact of policies and conditions under the Reagan administration on state education in Washington, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Texas. An introduction reviews the Reagan administration's education program and budget.…

Based on the issues related to the 1975 desegregation court order issued to the Boston (Massachusetts) Public Schools, the author discusses and describes the following three components of Boston's Unified Plan for occupational and vocational education: (1) the implementation of core programs in the eight community districts that together comprise…

The volume is one of a series of six listing language-related legislation around the world. It contains the texts, in French, of laws of Colombia, the United States federal and some state governments (California, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York), Mexico, and Puerto Rico, and those relating to international…