The United States Congress' Southern Congressional Delegation promulgated the Declaration of Constitutional Principles, popularly known as the Southern Manifesto, on March 12, 1956. The Southern Manifesto was the South's primary means to effectively delay implementation of public school desegregation as ordered by the United States Supreme Court…

This monograph, the first in a series of documents being compiled from materials located in the Wisconsin State Educational Accountability Repository, reproduces copies of, or excerpts from, legislation that has been enacted through May 1972 in 19 States for Statewide assessment programs, accountability programs, and PPBS systems. Some of the…

This paper examines the public education governance structure in Utah. The role and influence of each of the central state actors in the organization and control of education in Utah--the state legislature, the governor, the State Board of Education, and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction--are discussed in detail. In an effort to…

In June 1989, the Kentucky Supreme court ruled the state's elementary and secondary school system unconstitutional. A Task Force on Education Reform provided recommendations to the General Assembly for reforming the educational system which resulted in the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990. This act mandates the creation of a system of public…

Summaries of special provisions and ratified bills are presented in this report on educational legislation conducted by the 1990 session of the North Carolina General Assembly. Contents include legislation pertaining to education budget expansions and reductions and summaries of special provisions and ratified bills. Legislative outcomes include…

Connecticut has proposed legislation to augment the remote education infrastructure which includes public libraries, public schools, and institutions of higher learning. The purpose of one bill is to explore the possibilities of transmitting interactive distance education to all schools intrastate and to classify public libraries at a cheaper…

Seeking to grasp what she called a "golden opportunity for rebirth" out of the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco asked the Louisiana legislature last week to embrace a plan that would give the state control of most New Orleans public schools. This article talks about the governor's plan to let the state…

This paper summarizes the status of educational funding in Georgia, which has experienced significant population and economic growth. In the decade following passage of the Quality Basic Education Act (QBE, 1985), the state has made significant progress in educational improvement. Although per-pupil expenditures have increased, Georgia continues…

This policy brief clarifies the definition of charter schools and explores their place in school restructuring and reform by describing existing charter schools in Minnesota and California, examining legislative and contract guidelines, and discussing the future possibilities of charter schools. Charter schools are sponsor-created and…

Interviews with 11 Colorado state legislators about their views on local control reveal they have no fear of pushing the constitutional envelope when it comes to legislating school policy. School board members must get involved in the legislative process, whether by lobbying legislators on behalf of important education issues or testifying as…

In 1981, the Texas Legislature established a systematic structure for the development and implementation of a state curriculum for Texas public schools. This biennial report outlines the state's responses to curriculum-related legislation issues from fall 1990 to fall 1992. The introduction offers a historical review of state legislation that…

This booklet presents findings of a study that gathered information about charter schools. Representatives of more than 170 public charter schools were surveyed by mail, telephone or at national and regional meetings. Approximately 120 surveys were returned by representatives of 110 charter public schools in seven states--California, Colorado,…

This progress report reviews the first year of Texas' public-school accountability system. The report meets the state legislature's requirement to: (1) provide reliable measurement of student performance; (2) relate student academic outcomes to state standards; (3) recommend action in cases where results deviated from expected performance; and (4)…

Most states are either working on or have adopted statewide standards. A significant number of states plan to link their standards to rigorous new assessments and accountability measures. Districts engaged in standards-based reform must routinely analyze data on student achievement. Sidebars list sources and describe a survey of district programs.…

Based on principals' own perceptions, this paper examines how the principal's role has changed, what constitutes principals' major problems or concerns, and how state and federal regulations and community pressures have affected the principal's role. The project identified and interviewed 56 public school principals for an 11-county area served by…