Through a Pennsylvania statewide curriculum integration project involving 11 school districts, this research examines the curriculum reform process and determines which factors, or combination of factors, are absolutely essential for successful curriculum reform. Comparing programs and their respective levels of success makes it clear that only a…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the problems and issues that emerged as school districts in Pennsylvania tried to implement a strategic planning mandate at the local level. In June 1993, revisions to the Pennsylvania school code changed requirements for graduation from time spent in the classroom to the mastery of 53 state-designated…

The material in this article is part of a larger study of resource inputs and achievement outputs of Philadelphia's public school students being conducted by the Department of Research of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The affects of various school inputs (teacher quality and equipment, for example), socioeconomic inputs (family income…

Designed to guide and structure the needs assessment of Pennsylvania children with special health care needs, this document describes six specific steps in planning and conducting a needs assessment. The steps include: (1) stating the goals of the needs assessment, including fulfilling legislative mandates, identifying geographical areas that have…

This report analyzes the special education funding reforms that were implemented in Pennsylvania for the 1991-1992 school year. The new funding mechanism was designed to reduce incentives for special education placements and to shift greater control over special education program and funding decisions to local school districts. After an…

A statistical and analytical procedure for selecting states for the purpose of comparing their postsecondary systems with New Jersey's is detailed by a public commission appointed by the New Jersey Board of Higher Education. The approach used factor analysis to examine information on specific variables that describe the socioeconomic and…

Distribution of federal expenditures for interest benefits, special allowance payments, default claims reinsurance, and administrative cost allowances among over 61,000 borrowers is described, including in-school, grace and repayment periods by institution type, years enrolled, dependency status, and family financial circumstances. (Author/MSE)

Financial statistics for Pennsylvania colleges and universities for the fiscal year (FY) ending 1981, for 1971-1972 through 1980-1981, and for 1977-1978 through 1980-1981 are presented, along with narrative descriptions of financial trends at the institutions. Information includes the following: current-funds revenues by institutional control;…

Information Interdependence is an empty concept unless the real user is a dominant element. The individual user of information must be sensitized to the existence of information interdependencies and to the critical need to foster much more of it, if libraries are to survive economically and provide exemplary information service. Three approaches…

In their 2004 State of the State speeches, the nation's governors cited many issues competing for their attention and their states' resources, including health care, education, crime, and security (Nodine 2004). Among the most compelling challenges were those related to economic development and the ability of a state's workforce to meet the needs…

Comments made by 11 governors concerning higher education in their "State of the State" addresses to state legislatures are presented. Statements include those of Terry Branstad, Carroll Campbell, Robert Casey, Steve Cowper, Mario Cuomo, Edward DiPrete, George Mickelson, Rose Mofford, Stan Stephens, James Thompson, and John Waihee. (MSE)

Urban school superintendents from Pennsylvania and New Jersey met to consider issues related to the improvement of urban secondary schools. Although the public is pessimistic about all urban public schools, it regards secondary schools with particular pessimism. There are 70 urban high schools in New Jersey and 81 in Pennsylvania. Superintendents…

The opinions of Pennsylvania educational and legislative leaders on four issues of critical importance to higher education in the state were evaluated. For the two issue areas of enrollment and resources, respondents were asked through interviews and a questionnaire to make projections for the 1980s, to identify the group or agency that should be…

The rural school project of the continental United States consists in educating over 18 million young people between the ages of 5 and 20 who live in small towns and villages, or in the open country. The 300,000 or more schools classified as rural enrolled nearly 12.5 million pupils in 1920, employed 425,00 teachers, supervisors, and principals,…

An attempt is made to clarify the language of the Adult Education Act of 1966 to yield operational criteria for identifying its goals within a needs assessment/treatment framework. Criteria for general and special target populations are set forth. Singled out are the group of those with four or less years of formal education and those determined…