Asserts that student misbehavior is linked to poor reading and writing skills. Suggests ways to improve reading and writing literacy based on experience with a literacy program in the Orange County (FL) Public Schools. Three-year study of the program found significant improvement in reading comprehension, student self-esteem, and classroom…

Describes the development of Proposition One, which threatened to drastically cut education and social services in Florida by reducing the State and local governments' purchasing power to below 1980 levels. Assesses the potential for resurgence of the legislation, following its removal from the ballot by the State Supreme Court. (GC)

This guide deals with various areas of alternative education programs, including current practices and different options available to school and community personnel. Steps are outlined to assess present educational settings, design new programs, select the participants, and implement and evaluate the new program. The first appendix contains…

The requirement of higher scores on standardized tests for admission to colleges and universities and to teacher education programs discriminates against Blacks, who have less advantaged backgrounds than Whites. This requirement and poor Black performance on the Florida Teacher Certification Examination may diminish the pool of Black teachers in…

The theme of the conference reported on here was school reform and related issues. An introductory statement, "Thoughts on School Reform," by Jerome Bruner, and a list of conference participants are followed by a group of papers on education and politics. The papers are "Reform and Partnership in Education," by Albert Shanker;…

This report presents the results of a review of Florida's teacher certification system, administered by the Department of Education. The review addressed: (1) how Florida should regulate teachers to ensure that they are professionally qualified and possess the credentials, knowledge, and skills to provide a quality education; (2) who should…

These combined proceedings summarize presentations of two conference programs designed to address state-mandated student achievement issues. Dr. Terrel Bell delivered the keynote speech at a teleconference focusing on a broad perspective of competency testing. He discussed testing problems, as well as positive aspects such as comparison, diagnosis…

A discussion of recent trends in state educational reform stresses the importance of addressing two challenges: teaching all students higher order thinking and developing more systematic, coherent policies. The article describes the challenges, examines how state policies in the 1980s addressed them and how districts responded, and suggests future…

This report presents findings of a Florida task force that focused on the integration of career, technology, and economic concepts into the academic curriculum. It contains the mission statement for the public school experience, lists student outcomes to be assessed at high school graduation, and defines career development and economic,…