In this article, we focus on the implementation and development of ICT in the education sector, challenging and developing the traditional learning environment whilst introducing new educational tools including e-learning. The paper investigates ICT as a tool empowering and developing learners lifelong learning opportunities. It defines a model of…

In rural Oregon, the one-school, 240-student K-12 Perrydale school district faces the possibility of consolidation with another school district. Oregon's Ballot Measure 5, passed in 1991, reduced property taxes to equally low levels around the state, drying up much of the locally raised money that is the lifeblood of school districts. In addition…

Describes the Louisiana Consent Decree, a federally imposed program to correct racial segregation and gross resource distribution inequities in the state's system of higher education institutions. Focuses on the following: (1) governance; (2) faculty development; (3) cooperative programs; (4) enhancement of Black institutions; and (5) monitoring…

Presents a history of New Jersey's Public School Education Act of 1975, including a discussion of the landmark decision Robinson v. Cahill (1970), which found the state's educational finance system unconstitutional. Measures of expenditure disparity and wealth neutrality are then used to assess the present New Jersey school finance system. (JW)

Given the changing legal context for higher education desegregation cases, there is an apparent need to rethink the strategies used by integration advocates. Examines implications of the articles in this special issue for the ongoing policy discourse on "de jure" segregation and inquires whether grounds exist for litigation on the "de facto"…

Rural Georgia schools have unique needs arising from inequitable funding and high teacher and administrator turnover. Central Savannah River Area Regional Educational Service Agency, which serves 12 school districts, assists with teacher recruitment and preparation, federal regulations, school improvement planning and implementation, and…

Although the driving philosophy underpinning British educational reform since 1988 has emphasized "quality" and "choice," few governmental pronouncements have addressed equity issues. This article defines "equity," focusing on distributional equity as a framework for examining reforms such as formula funding,…

Describes the historical purpose of black colleges and discusses whether the continued existence of publicly supported black colleges is justifiable after nearly 40 years of jurisprudence specifically oriented to the elimination of 1-race educational institutions. (127 footnotes) (MLF)

Examines how divergent values and belief systems operate within educational politics. Reviews five questions (concerning educational quality and equality, schooling's purpose, curriculum decisions, school policy making, and financial responsibility for schools) and their underlying value tensions within the research areas of micropolitics, school…

Textual analysis and statistical data are presented to support the contention that the current formula for providing federal financial aid to campuses serving low-income students (which is based on 1985 distribution patterns) penalizes states such as California which face demographic trends involving greatly increased numbers of needy students.…

Rural school improvement requires that state educational policies empower rural educators to attempt innovative programs. After extensive grassroots input, the Alaska Legislature defined seven statewide educational needs relating to poor school performance. A Washington education reform bill allows schools to do anything not expressly forbidden by…

Presents key findings from a survey on direct state expenditures for child care and early childhood development services. The survey found striking disparities among the 50 states, as well as patterns of inadequate investment in every state. Recommendations are offered to increase and improve state and federal investments in such services to…

Reports on a study of educational equity in Irish secondary schools. Finds that, although overall class differences in educational attainment declined, barriers based on socioeconomic status were not removed. Presents alternative reform efforts that might have been more effective without costing more money. (CFR)

The West Virginia School Building Authority has arbitrarily emphasized economies of scale as a requirement for statewide facilities funding. This requirement has forced consolidation in sparsely populated areas with resultant "diseconomies of scale" related to transportation costs, increased dropout rates, and decreased parental and…

Per-pupil expenditures in the lowest spending states are half of those in the highest-spending states. The federal government could equalize interstate spending by subsidizing spending in poorer states. The plan must consider the dollar's varying purchasing power, higher expenditures for educating disadvantaged children, and disincentives for…