Examines how the federal accountability mandates affect the design and implementation of Title I schoolwide programs in three urban school districts: Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit. Using case studies developed in each district, examines Title I schoolwide programs within the context of state and district policies adopted to meet the federal…

Implementation of the Illinois Educational Reform Act of 1985 in local school districts during the year before and the two years after its passage was studied through an analysis of school board meeting minutes. Policy questions about the place of school boards in the educational reform movement are raised. (SLD)

As state legislatures have become increasingly involved in establishing educational policy, state boards' authority has diminished. Presently, there are no clear demarcations between rule making and implementation. Most state boards handle administrative and regulatory tasks rather than policymaking. Cumbersome and expensive to operate, state…

Examines the role that policies concerning curriculum, professional development, and mentoring in two reform-active districts played in shaping the experiences and concerns of two first-year language-arts teachers. Finds that the two districts served powerful roles as teacher educators, even if the first-year teachers are only dimly aware of…

Rules of the Florida State Department of Education that govern the administration of the state's community and junior colleges are presented. The rules cover absences, acceleration mechanisms, accounting, accountability, accreditation, admission requirements, adult general education, adult high schools, annual contracts, area served, athletic…

The "Minnesota Plan for Metric Education" and the document "A Resolution on Metrication" were approved by the Minnesota Board of Education in February 1975. The texts of both documents are reprinted. (SD)

This report reviews recent state initiatives in education reform, including state legislation, state programs, and decisions by state boards of education. The initiatives have been organized according to the eight recommendations for improvement made by the Task Force on Education for Economic Growth. These recommendations were to (1) develop…

In response to Illinois's consolidation of all elections, this handbook aims to assist school board secretaries in coordinating election duties and responsibilities with local election authorities. The handbook comprises 13 sections. Section 1 defines 11 election consolidation terms. Section 2 explains how specific elections are scheduled, and…

The degree of proof needed for conviction in a criminal action (which is "proof beyond a reasonable doubt") is greater than the proof needed to obtain a judgment in a teacher-dismissal civil action (which is "a preponderance of the evidence"). (Author)

This report offers an overview of the "back-to-basics" movement and its implications, discusses the results of a recent survey conducted by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) on the impact of the back-to-basics movement, and presents six "source documents" that provide more detailed discussion of the back-to-basics movement. The first…

In spite of its colorful history of labor organizing efforts, Illinois has been slow to respond to conditions in higher education that have led to academic collective bargaining nationally. The time has arrived for Illinois leadership to recognize the symptoms and to respond to the issues before higher education is swept into retaliatory…

The characteristics, objectives, and application of the present Pennsylvania subsidy system are reviewed. The relative ability of each school district to support its educational program is equalized by the State paying each school district a share of the cost of its educational program. The State's share for each school district varies in relation…

In the absence of a statutory provision to the contrary, the power to employ teachers and other school officials presupposes the power of dismissal. Proceedings for the dismissal of a teacher are frequently regulated by statute. As a result, the proceedings depend on the wording of the particular statute in force. This paper discusses the status…

In 1971 the North Carolina General Assembly enacted a tenure law for the State's public school teachers and principals. Codified as G.S. 115-142, the Act became effective July 1, 1972. It requires local boards of education to adopt "reasonable rules and regulations" for the conduct of hearings on dismissing or demoting teachers and…