To complement the information gathered on middle school and high school literacy initiatives as reported in "Middle and High School Literacy across the Curriculum" (Task 1.2 Fast Response Project), the Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast (REL-SE) staff conducted a scan of the six southeast states to gather the following information…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated educational change within two innovative schools experiencing financial crisis. Data were derived from interviews with 14 educators (principals and teachers) and from observations of school board meetings. The two schools were: (1) the Team Academy, a nongraded K-6 school; and (2) the…

As policymakers focus their inquiries into professional education and the training of teachers, a preliminary framework, based on five questions, can guide them. These are: (1) Do state policies on professional development recognize the complexity of improving student outcomes? (2) Are state professional development programs linked to student…

This report recommends a new poverty indicator to use when distributing Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid (DPIA) to Ohio school districts. It also describes the implications of substituting the new indicator in the current formulas used to calculate DPIA funding. Ohio school districts receive DPIA, based on earlier aid programs, to provide all-day…

The fight over school funding in most states involves a long battle in the courts that may span several years and never have a definitive endpoint because resistance to adequate funding of public schools appears to be endemic to government processes. The "DeRolph" case, first filed by the plaintiffs in December 1991, is one such legal…

This report is a compilation of responses to 11 questions from the Ohio Legislative Committee of Education Oversight concerning issues of special education funding and inclusion. Five questions on finance issues address: which special education funding mechanisms ensure that school districts are responsible for a portion of special education…

The Ohio Department of Education estimates that 15,000 children were being home-schooled in Ohio, based on a 1991 survey of school superintendents. This document presents an overview of home schooling and describes the nature and extent of home schooling in Ohio. Data are based on a review of literature, information received from national and…

This study explores the relationships between the percentage of successful property tax issues and community and school characteristics in rural school districts in Ohio. Data were obtained for 74 rural school districts between 1984 and 1988; sources were government statistics and a questionnaire survey of school principals. The dependent variable…

PRIOR TO PROPOSING A POSTSECONDARY PROGRAM IN AGRICULTURE FOR OHIO COMMUNITY COLLEGES, QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SENT TO 161 COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN 34 STATES TO SECURE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM EXPERIENCED PERSONS AND TO DETERMINE THE STATUS OF EXISTING PROGRAMS. RESPONSES WERE RECEIVED FROM 116. ADDITIONAL DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM 44 STATE DIRECTORS OF…

This report outlines some of the institutional factors likely to affect the demand for teachers in the Ohio labor market, including a brief description of the Ferguson Act which prohibits strikes by public service employees. The author also deals with teacher supply, including a brief assessment of the two major organizations advocating collective…

The Ohio Instructional Grant Program is a financial aid program designed to assist low- and middle-income students who are enrolled for full-time undergraduate study in eligible Ohio institutions of higher education. The funds are intended to supplement other financial resources including parental income as well as the student's own financial…

As with past practice, publishing this set of guidelines officially launches the higher education capital planning and budgeting process for fiscal years 2007-2012. The guidelines include a schedule, definitions, planning assumptions, statewide considerations, and instructions for presenting a six-year capital plan. Contents include: (1)…

State funding mechanisms are seen as coming under scrutiny because they don't accurately reflect enrollment decline effects on overall costs. Ohio has worked out a method of relating funding formula to actual costs and Florida reduces funding by half the average cost for enrollment declines. (Author/MLW)

This report provides an audit of state policies in Ohio affecting access to, and success in, community colleges for students of color and low-income students. It was commissioned by Lumina Foundation for Education as part of a series of policy audits of the states involved in Achieving the Dream. Lumina Foundation is the primary funder of the…

The recent court decision in Ohio requires that school districts spend a sufficient amount to insure that students are able to meet outcome objectives. Determination of adequate spending is complicated by the influence that fixed socioeconomic factors have on outcome provision; adequate spending will vary depending on the harshness of the…