This booklet provides a history of teacher retirement benefits in the state of Texas from 1937-97, offering highlights of important state legislation related to retirement and its benefits. In 1936, Texas citizens approved an amendment to the Texas constitution establishing a retirement system for public school employees. Enacting legislation…

The increasing rate of absenteeism among Canadian and U.S. public school students is discussed noting the widespread effects of low attendance. Eight questions are provided as a starting point for reassessment of school board attendance policy. Ontario attendance legislation and current enforcement practices are briefly explained. (SB)

With the enactment of Assembly Bill 2295 (Chapter 1060, Statutes of 2002), the California Department of Education and the California Postsecondary Education Commission were directed to conduct a study of Title IX compliance in athletics in California?s public high schools, community colleges, and universities. This study found that California…

The effects of federal legislation regarding equal educational opportunity for all students, as well as specific problem areas in the implementation of that legislation in the Chicago public school system, are discussed. (LH)

According to a report from Detroit, physical education programs generally seem to benefit more from federal legislation concerning equal educational opportunity than do academic programs, although both are visibly affected by the government mandates. (LH)

Despite difficulties in implementing the changes dictated by federal legislation in the area of equal education for all students, the public school system in New York City is continuing to work for unilateral educational equality. (LH)

On December 24, 1994, the Michigan State Legislature passed a comprehensive school finance reform package for the K-12 education system. This document analyzes the school finance reform package and presents a comprehensive review of the issues affected by the proposed reforms. The first section reviews the overall financial components of the…

A theory that urges judges to decide that locally financed school systems are unconstitutional holds that courts must implement reforms because the legislative process is dominated by property-rich communities. However, the defeat of a New Hampshire gubernatorial candidate who advocated such reforms contradicts the theory. (JOW)

In 1997, an active year for school-finance legislation, states responded in a variety of ways to court decisions. This report provides an overview of school-finance legislation for that year. Historically, school-finance suits have focused on the equity and adequacy of state funding, and the decisions handed down in 1997, for the most part,…

The latest educational reform is that of charter schools. This article surveys the perceived benefits of charter schools and their organizational characteristics. Describes fiscal and policy issues and outlines seven critical components necessary for passing successful charter legislation. One figure is included. (Five references) (LMI)

This report contains detailed data on average salaries in the comparison institutions of the University of California and the California State University. It analyzes raw data submitted by comparison institutions for the University and State University and then provides a detailed written analysis of faculty salary parity computations. It is noted…

The Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Planning model (ACSIP) is an annual comprehensive planning and fund distribution design that must be used by all Arkansas public schools. Using the ACSIP model, each school in Arkansas develops a comprehensive school improvement plan. The plan is used, also, as the school's application for all federal…

The author discusses federal legislation that concerns American Indian education. Examines contract schools, the Bureau of Indian Affairs school system, availability of public schools, sectarian mission schools, termination of tribal sovereignty, relocation to urban areas, and the Indian Education Act of 1972. (CT)

This report intends to clarify and strengthen the position of the Texas Regional Education Service Centers by providing a structure to improve the quality of their services. The regional education service centers primarily deliver training and technical assistance to help school districts implement statewide initiatives for school improvement. The…

To generate a theoretical model for future interpretation, this study analyzed the 1985 Indiana Legislature concerning educational policymaking in public school funding. Previous research indicates that the classical rational actor model of policymaking inadequately addresses multidimensional pressures at work in state legislatures. A model is…