In 2010, more than 40 states adopted the Common Core State Standards. Initially, the standards were quickly and easily embraced, but over the past year the standards have become enmeshed in various controversies, raising many questions about how the standards were written and what they include. This article attempts to provide authoritative…

The push for centralized control over what every child should learn has never had more momentum. The Obama Administration has pressured states to adopt the Common Core State Standards Initiative, conditioning more than $4 billion in Race to the Top grants on its adoption. The Administration's blueprint for the rewrite of No Child Left Behind also…

This monograph, one of the nine-booklet Teacher Quality Series, explores the state/local control boundary and suggests how state policy can encourage local strategies to improve teaching. The following topics are covered: (1) understanding the developmental process in teachers; (2) clarifying goals in policy formation; (3) policies indirectly…

This report provides information on the actions of the states in educational reform. A state policy overview is presented in seven areas: (1) school leadership; (2) teaching; (3) parent involvement and choice; (4) readiness; (5) technology; (6) school facilities; and (7) college quality. Reports are given of financing school improvement,…

This paper seeks to help state policymakers understand their relatively new role in improving the academic performance of local schools and districts. The first section, "Intervention Decision-Making Framework," focuses on the intervention decision making framework model, performance criteria, strategic criteria, diagnostic…

This paper discusses some alternatives to the Federal Interagency Day Care Requirements (FIDCR) including the feasibility of developing state standards for certification of federally-supported day care. Section I describes briefly the background and political context of current federal policies concerning day care regulation. Section II discusses…

Research and legal issues that relate to accreditation policy questions for schools, colleges, and departments of education are reviewed, and strategies for integrating empirical information and social/professional values are presented. The discussion divides into three sections: (1) information concerning a variety of contextual issues that…

Licensing requirements are often regarded as minimum standards that result in only a basic level of care. In fact, the minimum standards that licensing requires can be as high or low as licensing rules permit. Further, in almost all cases, licensing requirements provide a foundation upon which higher standards can be built. The relationship…

In a review of statewide plans for assessing student learning at institutions of higher education, this paper argues that assessment, carefully planned to focus on students, can lead to an improvement in the communication and understanding between the academy and the polity. A brief section on the role of statewide assessment places it in a…

This report summarizes, and gives a full report, of a feasibility study involving a discussion of problems and issues related to occupational and professional regulation that took place during four regional conferences attended by nearly 100 officials from 30 states. Participants included state legislators, licensing administrators, attorneys…

This report contains information relevant to policies for child day care regulation in California. An introductory section of the report briefly provides background information on the development and goals of the California Day Care Licensing Task Force, summarizes policy recommendations, and defines the terms used in the report. Separate…

The BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) has had a long-standing interest in measures of student mobility and the potential of the Provincial Education Number (PEN) being applied in post-secondary institutions at the applicant stage. The Admissions Committee of BCCAT included a project in its 2004/05 Work Plan to conduct a thorough…

Presents results from a survey of state higher education agencies in the North Central Region regarding current requirements on assessment, the history of assessment requirements, definitions/terminology, communication of expectations, evaluation of effectiveness of the requirements, and state and accrediting agency cooperation. (DMM)

Eleven states have established autonomous professional standards boards responsible for teacher licensure. Supporters of these boards feel that they create higher standards than state boards of education do, are better able to address complex issues related to teachers and teaching, and are an important statewide component in the nationwide effort…

These appendices accompany a study that was conducted to determine whether the state and federal performance standards for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs have influenced Service Delivery Area (SDA) and service provider decisions about program design and implementation practices in ways that have affected the clients served, the types…