During the last 20 years, the United States has experienced more attempts at education reform than at any other time in its history. Efforts to reform financing, the assessment of student performance, accountability and equity, and school choice have all been implemented--with varying levels of success. Michael F. Addonizio and C. Philip Kearney…

The No Child Left Behind Act declared that improving education in every school in the United States was a top national priority. However, this act did not acknowledge how state departments of education have successfully constructed reforms for the past few decades, despite the power struggle between governors, legislators, school districts, and…

"Policy and Performance in American Higher Education" presents a new approach to understanding how public policy influences institutional performance, with practical insight for those charged with crafting and implementing higher education policy. Public institutions of higher learning are called upon by state governments to provide…

The seven articles in this book examine the complex issues raised by new laws that affect reading instruction. The following topics are discussed: the origins of judicial activism in education; the decline in support for public education and in esteem for educators; reflected by the shift in responsibility for educational policy making; the…

Charter schools are public, nonsectarian schools that operate under a written contract from a local school board or other organization. This book describes the history of the charter-school movement and the patterns that current charter-school advocates may find themselves repeating; offers examples of existing charter schools, enabling…

Intended for persons concerned about public policies for exceptional children and those engaged in creating public policy, the book provides guidelines and examples of appropriate policies for exceptional children. Considered in Section 1 are the varying rights that advocacy groups have won for exceptional children in the legislatures, courts, and…

The perspectives in these essays present an examination of the Kentucky educational reform effort, with an examination of its rationale, various facets, and the reactions to its implementation. The ambitious assessment system includes multiple-choice and open-ended items, performance tasks, and portfolio assessments. The following are included:…

In 1989, the Kentucky Supreme Court declared that the state's public school system was unconstitutional and ordered the Kentucky legislature to create a new system of public education. The Kentucky General Assembly then enacted the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA). This book sets forth the policy assumptions underlying KERA and…

This handbook is designed for use by board members, administrators, and teachers to aid them in understanding the legal aspects of governance, management, and operation of public schools in West Virginia. Substantial discussion is devoted to sources of school law (common law, state and federal constitutions, state and federal statutes); the legal…

A wide variety of contemporary legal issues are addressed in the 15 separate papers that make up this volume. The introductory chapter by William C. Bednar, Jr. provides a broad-based rationale for "Preventive School Law." Chapters 2 and 3, both by Gerald A. Caplan, review "Current Issues in Reduction-in-Force" and "First Amendment Claims by…

This document is a collection of 32 1998 Education Law Association conference papers. The collection includes the following papers: "The More We Change: Meeting the Requirements of Unitary Status" (Angela M. Sewall and Ann E. Witcher); "Everything You Need To Know about Discipline of Students with Disabilities" (David T. Duff,…