This second edition of this reference guide provides a survey of some of the major legal problems that confront policymakers and school administrators. It contains landmark cases and other cases that best illustrate major principles of education law, along with summaries, discussions, and analyses of the cases. Edited cases are integrated into…

This report presents results of a study in the United Kingdom to explore different understandings of outreach, its role in widening participation among people underrepresented in organized education, implications of doing outreach, and practical and ethical considerations involved. Chapter 1 addresses origins and meanings of outreach, including…

This document presents statistical information on children with special needs, their education, and the professionals who serve them. Graphs, tables, and charts are used to illustrate: (1) the number of children receiving special education services from 1989 to 1999; (2) the incidence of different disabilities; (3) the growth of students in the…

The current push for reform in mathematics and science education cannot succeed unless it addresses the critical and persistent issue of equity. This executive summary reviews the literature regarding that issue. Its purpose is to provide a reference tool for those who are working to change educational policy and practice. Part 1 of the review…

The current push for reform in mathematics and science education cannot succeed unless it addresses the critical and persistent issue of equity. This report reviews the literature regarding that issue. Its purpose is to provide a reference tool for those who are working to change educational policy and practice. Part 1 of the review discusses the…

This speech reviews the literature on school closings in the context of declining economic support. Declining school enrollment, coupled with declining funds (fiscal retrenchment), makes school district reform necessary. A school district in Seattle, Washington took approximately a decade to resolve these problems. A district planning commission's…

This study examines the organization and operations of local education foundations in Michigan and the fiscal programmatic impact of nonprofit education foundations on Michigan public schools. It also compares the socioeconomic characteristics of foundation and nonfoundation districts and tests the hypothesis that residents of local districts with…

The importance of private schools in Argentina is in contrast with the little attention they have been given in research on the country's education system. This paper has two aims: (1) to provide a brief summary of the outstanding milestones of educational privatization in Argentina; and (2) to review some of the most significant features of the…

In this paper we examine the research literature on teacher performance pay. Evidence clearly suggests an upsurge of interest in many states and school districts; however, expanded use of performance pay has been controversial. We briefly review the history of teacher pay policy in the U.S. and earlier cycles of interest in merit or…

Focusing on how local village communities in developing countries might support part or all of their educational costs, this study describes methods used by developing countries to reduce education costs and offers a model incorporating several of the most successful components of such projects. First is a discussion of methods used by governments…

State policies regarding funding programs to serve at-risk students and dropouts through school-to-work activities in alternative learning environments were examined in a national survey. Data were collected through the following: surveys sent to finance directors in state departments of education and education committee chairs in both legislative…

This study examines how federal, state, and institutional student aid promote equal educational opportunity by lowering the net cost of education that undergraduates and their parents must pay. It also considers some possible alternative federal policies concerning student aid that the 102nd Congress may wish to consider as it goes about…

The nature and scope of tax policies that affect higher education are sketched, concentrating on the provisions of the tax code that directly help families finance college costs. Attention is directed to: proposals to expand the range of tax benefits for higher education, the merits of existing and proposed tax schemes in times of reduced federal…

The Tennessee School Finance Equity Study was begun in 1978 to review the equity and adequacy of Tennessee's Public School Finance Program. Changes in the structure of the Tennessee Foundation Program (TFP) did achieve greater equity in the amount of funds local districts obtained from the foundation program even though the residence of the…

This paper examines secondary schools in countries other than the United States to show the diversity of secondary school systems that operate within the industrialized world. The six countries are Australia, Germany, France, Japan, Sweden, and Great Britain. The descriptions are organized according to country and area of focus--learner outcomes,…