Developed to share information presented at a Southwest Educational Development Laboratory Regional Exchange (SEDL/RX) conference, this document includes reports and related materials on educational computing applications in southwestern school districts and states. Basic computer terminology is defined, and software evaluation instruments are…

The Colorado Department of Education undertook the establishment of an educational quality database that would contain the information necessary for measuring the effects of various efforts at educational improvement. Five major planning concerns had to be resolved before the database itself could be established. First, it was determined that…

A brief introduction states the purpose of and summarizes the five presentations made at a Southwest Educational Development Laboratory Regional Exchange (SEDL/RX) Project conference and notes that the SEDL/RX publication, "Evaluation of Educational Software: A Guide to Guides," was produced for use as a reference guide by participants…

The evaluation of federal programs such as the migrant education program causes a dilemma for state education agencies. The law places the prime responsibility for establishing, and accounting for, quality programs on state and local education agencies. However, no explicit directive requires that this be done in a uniform manner. A lack of…

This handbook is a directory of residency programs for artists and Arts in Education (AIE) programs. It is arranged on a state by state basis, listed alphabetically by state. The catalog includes 52 states and territories. The residency program for 1991-92 is discussed for each state and territory. The application and panel review process is…

Many strategy options are open to state education agencies interested in developing statewide programs to support and guide local school improvement efforts. Agencies can focus on instructional improvement, more general school improvement, improvement of the curricular program, or changes in educational structures. Factors influencing which of…

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), as part of their Arts and the Schools Project, surveyed state education agencies (SEAs) to determine policies and practices in relation to arts education in public schools. Art subjects were defined to include creative writing, dance, drama, music, and visual arts. The study focused on: (1)…

The Mississippi State Department of Education Dissemination Program undertook a five-year plan from 1980-1985 to develop a coordinated, comprehensive statewide dissemination system for public school improvement throughout the state. The major objectives of the project were to develop the following: (1) a system for collecting, storing, retrieving,…

As part of a study of the pros and cons of organizing regional educational service agencies to provide special programs and services involving media technology to groups of local districts that find it difficult to meet such needs when acting independently, a survey of state departments of education was conducted to gather information about…

This paper gives a brief historical account of Wisconsin's Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA's) and the need for changes, outlines some of the recommendations of a CESA fact-finding task force, and describes the current transition period. The first section describes the background and legislative history of the CESA, followed by an…

Maintains that a more thorough understanding of the complex relationship between state government and local schools would greatly benefit arts educators. Presents an examination of the structure of this relationship in Massachusetts as a model. Examines government funding, staffing, delegation of powers, and various shared responsibilities. (MJP)

The research described in this paper examines the relationship between raters and the training raters receive to apply that rating. The primary concern is maintaining scoring consistency within the context of raters' perceptions. If the criteria for holistic and/or analytic scoring can be recognized as communication based, rather than topic based,…

The Comprehensive Education Reform Act of 1984 (CERA) provides the mandate and framework for the Tennessee Career Ladder Program for teachers and administrators. The development and structure of the Tennessee Career Ladder Plan for teachers, a five level program which provides for teacher certification based upon performance, is discussed in this…

Thorough planning is required before implementing an examination for a high school diploma. It was decided in 1977 that Alabama educators would establish minimum competencies for grades 3, 6, and 9. The competencies for grade 9 then became the skills to be assessed on the Alabama High School Graduation Examination (AHSGE), first given to eleventh…

This paper summarizes the findings of a case study designed to determine if differences exist in the higher education planning and policy making process in Missouri and Oklahoma. A background and perspective section develops the definitions of key concepts relying on definitions from the work of Daniel Elazar. A section describing the study itself…