Search

State education agencies are in increasing agreement regarding the basic principles that should underlie state educational assessment programs, though some areas of divergent opinion remain. The agencies generally accept the ideas that comparisons between states will be made, that assessment programs should serve multiple purposes, that meaningful comparisons cannot be made without knowledge of the contextual factors affecting the provision of education, that a large number of indicators must be employed to fully display an educational system's status, and that assessment programs are bound to be costly. The agencies disagree over the uses to which assessments should be put, the educational outcomes that should be measured, the extent to which various contextual factors affect education, the specific indicators that should be used, and how the costs of assessment are to be controlled and allocated. Agencies need to develop policies for assessment that will resolve all of these questions in ways that are appropriate both to the individual characteristics of the state and to the demand for data that will allow meaningful assessment and comparison on a national level. (PGD)

When establishing statewide and nationally comparable educational evaluation and assessment systems, state education agencies (SEAs) must consider factors affecting policy in at least four areas. First, the full range of purposes for establishing such a system should be clarified. It must be decided whether the system exists to provide data for reporting or for decision-making, whether comparisons should be made within educational units or between them, and what emphasis is to be placed on various forms of learning. Second, the evaluation tools selected must be compatible with the purposes identified. The range of evaluation information gathered and the contextual data collected must be appropriate, and attention should be paid to whether the tools used are suitably diagnostic and reveal significant facts. The third area of concern is the potential for misusing or misinterpreting the data. Full disclosure of a broad range of data, coupled with thorough explanation of how to understand it, is vital. Fourth, careful consideration must be given to the degree of collaboration that is desired with other agencies, and the extent to which other decisions affect the achievement of the desired cooperation. (PGD)

State Education Agencies (SEAs), in their pivotal role of representing the interests of both the public and the education establishment, must make constant reassessment of the directions which may be taken to improve education, and of the policy issues and options to be examined. These policy-level considerations can be brought into focus by reviewing the contexts in which the improvement of teaching must take place. SEA education policies concerning the improvement of teaching need to be at once sensitive to, and isolated from, political considerations. Other contextual factors in education reform are contradicatory trends, e.g., demands to make things tougher for students and simultaneously to have more concern for their individual needs. Established law and entrenched interests in education must be of concern in policy formation as well as the complex problems inherent in reasonable and sufficient state funding. SEA action for improvement of education must be concerned with what is crucial to real educational reform, what is amenable to change, and most clearly with what is in the area of state-level authority. Factors to be considered are: (1) political realities; (2) organizational and institutional power balances and alignments; (3) patterns of school organization; (4) current and projected fiscal resources; and (5) state level priorities. (JD)

The educational "excellence" movement is hindered by inconsistencies between goals and action and by difficulties in translating national and state goals into local policy; nonetheless, progress has occurred. Examples of "voodoo excellence," in which proposed policies will likely work against their stated objectives, are widespread. While advocating excellence for all students, states raise standards beyond the reach of many. Likewise, broad humanistic studies are advocated, yet in practice schools increasingly emphasize rote learning. States are lengthening time in school without considering the use of time; they propose to make teaching a more attractive profession but use inadequate, demeaning, and divisive means to do so. Promises of equity contrast with increasing gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students, and endorsements of community involvement contrast with increasing centralization. Moreover, certain "anomalies" arise as state programs filter down to the grassroots. These include endemic complacency in school districts, reform proposals that stress structural and programmatic change but overlook instructional change, and widely varying viewpoints. Despite these obstacles, the public's awareness of and confidence in education have increased, as have aspirations for and expectations of children; finally, belief in the importance of thorough student assessment has spread, and the social status of teaching has risen. (MCG)

The capabilities of a distance education system to enhance instructional programs of small schools by providing equity and increasing quality of educational opportunity, providing access to subject matter and subject matter experts, and providing interaction and joint activities with students in other schools are of sufficient merit to formulate and adopt educational policies which will give positive direction as small schools move forward. The educational policy options from among which educational decision makers may choose include preserving the small school as a conscious educational choice, capitalizing on delivery systems, preparing teachers to use distance education, allocating instructional resources, assigning responsibilities for material/media selection, simplifying logistics, and nurturing partnerships. Although most policies must be determined by local school boards, state educational units play a crucial role in influencing these policies by the way they meet responsibilities in determining state patterns of fiscal support, employment of statewide curriculum standards, regulations governing teacher certification/recertification, accreditation policies, provision of technical assistance to local districts, and ability to be a persuasive leadership force in articulating state educational goals. Thus the productive use of distance education will require not only sound and informed policy choices at each level independently but also joint and cooperative policy determinations. (NEC)

Proposals for the adoption of programs to improve the quality of education frequently emphasize the importance of concentrating on the individual school building as the center of the change process. This emphasis has led to increasing support for moving the locus of decision making downward to bring about what is called "school based instructional management." This idea is analyzed in the broader context of the decentralization of education decision making. The policy options available are derived from an array of policy issues. This booklet discusses these issues under three group headings: (1) clarifying the concept; (2) responding to conditions and restraints; and (3) relating to the total school program. (SI)

This essay reviews current policy issues regarding statewide educational databases. It begins by defining the major characteristics of a database and raising two questions: (1) Is it really necessary to have a statewide educational database? (2) What is the primary rationale for creating one? The limitations of databases in formulating educational policy are then assessed to consider how they may be linked to policy formation and decision-making processes. This linkage appears to operate on two levels: the rational/ideal level, in which management information in statewide databases is used to determine what is rationally true and ideally desired; and the pragmatic level, which takes into account social, political, economic, and emotional constraints. On account of the proliferation of special programs, the growing demand for research data, and the growth of electronic data processing capabilities, state education agencies should adopt the following policy criteria for including information in a database: (1) clearly established needs; (2) clearly established definitions; (3) clearly established limits; (4) coordination of multiple databases; (5) a means for incorporating outside data, (6) a balance between technological and educational interests; and (7) proper regard for confidentiality and ownership, coupled with availability. Carefully planned, appropriately used, and constantly revised and upgraded databases can become the foundation of sound educational policy. (TE)

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 these foci to select include the political, fiscal, developmental, and aspirational contexts in which the state agency is operating. Once a strategy is selected, the agency must still determine what aspects of the strategy to stress, how to limit the range of efforts for greatest impact, how to maximize cooperation, how to ensure public support, how to develop adequate background data for assessing needs and measuring change, and what kinds of results to seek and to expect. (PGD)

The problem of student abuse of drugs and alcohol demands immediate action at the state level to ensure the taking of suitable action at the local level. It is inappropriate for state agencies to refuse to act, to delegate full authority to local agencies, or to try to take an equivocal position; the most reasonable response appears to be to share with local districts the responsibility for formulating clear policies and programs. Developing policy concerning substance abuse is complicated by several serious factors that are not normally associated with educational policy: (1) the activities with which the policy is concerned are clearly illegal; (2) these activities can be life-threatening; (3) the problem is rooted in community conditions and mores; (4) policy opposing intrusion into students' family lives may have to be set aside; and (5) effective action may challenge students' rights and freedoms. One option that states should consider is providing guidance to local agencies concerning policy issues affecting prevention, detection, and treatment of substance abuse. States must also decide whether to make their policies mandatory, whether to assist local districts in policy development, and whether to fund staff training, curriculum development, and the creation of program evaluation methods. (PGD)

Policy issues in the area of early childhood education are discussed in this document prepared for the Chief State School Officers of the Northwest and Pacific. Particular attention is given to: (1) the scope of early childhood education; (2) academic, developmental, economic, and political purposes of early childhood education; (3) targeted groups; (4) shared responsibilities of stakeholders; (5) certification and credentialing; and (6) determination of who does and does not benefit from programs. It is concluded that even though the dichotomy between education and care is probably necessary for policy purposes, the dichotomy does not reflect the intrinsic interconnection of care and education. Because education and care are unified in the child, services should be child-centered, and the viewpoints of families, agencies, and institutions that impinge on the child must be understood and respected. (RH)

Although providing tuition tax credits to parents of children in private schools could provide several social benefits, several difficulties stand in the way of adopting such a policy. The major difficulty is that tuition tax credits stand a good chance of being declared unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds. Tuition tax credit proposals have gone down to defeat in every state referendum in the past decade, yet additional proposals remain pending. Issues of particular concern to state education agencies are what purposes tuition tax credit proponents hope to achieve, what policies will be required to address those purposes, and how the adoption of a scheme for tuition tax credits would affect the delivery and cost of education. (PGD)

This paper poses and responds to 10 questions about the policy issues affecting state education agencies raised by the federal government's plans to reduce expenditures for education and to consolidate several categorical aid programs into two major block grants. These 10 questions focus on the shifting relationships among and responsibilities of state and local education agencies and the means for maintaining compliance with the various applicable regulations as laws regarding funding and responsibilities change. The questions also touch on the definition of "local education agencies," the impact grant distribution formulas will have on educational opportunity equalization efforts, and methods for ensuring the supplementary nature of federal funds. Finally, the questions concern alterations in the character and influence of advocacy groups at state and local levels, the impact of reductions in federal support on local tax burdens, and the capacity of local districts to manage the resources newly placed under their control. (Author/PGD)

The options available to state education agencies (SEA's) facing decisions concerning the regulation of controversial course content are discussed in this paper, which uses the issue of whether or not to mandate the teaching of creationism as an example. The author first clarifies the issues in the debate over teaching creationism, touching on the relevance to the debate of First Amendment regulations, child-benefit concepts developed from constitutional law, notions of religious freedom, public financing of religion, the sincerity of the issue's proponents, and the proponents' rights to expression of their opinions in the schools. Options open to SEA's prior to adopting regulations mandating inclusion of creationism in the curriculum include treating the matter as any other proposed curriculum change, seeking the state attorney general's opinion, or opposing or accepting the proposal outright. Once the change is mandated, the SEAs' options include having the subject treated as any other controversial subject, seeking procedural advice from the attorney general, or taking no action at all. (Author/PGD)

The procedures followed in the accreditation of public and private schools in each of six northwestern states were examined to determine how current practices differed and what problems were perceived, and to help develop reasonable policy options for improvement. The first section of this report considers the legal basis for accreditation in the states, levels of approval or accreditation, the development and nature of accreditation criteria, the relationships of the state education agencies with other accrediting agencies, and the regulation of compliance. The second section notes several accreditation issues about which state agencies indicated some concern: accreditation of small private schools, the costs of accreditation programs, the state agency's dual role as accreditor and provider of technical assistance, and the question of what to measure when accrediting programs. The suggestions offered to state agencies in the report's third section include giving private school accreditation high priority, giving accreditation of elementary and junior high schools attention equal to that given high schools, lowering the profile of the state agency as an enforcer of standards, and shifting the agency's emphasis from the maintenance of minimum standards to active improvement of the schools. (Author/PGD)

State education agencies (SEA's) must determine the policies most appropriate for the realization at the state level of the high priority placed on international education by the new U.S. Department of Education. The extent of international education (whether involving the study of different cultures, of foreign languages, of nations and international relations, or of some combination of these) must first be defined. SEA's can then establish statewide goals and provide consultative help and technical assistance to local education agencies as they make their decisions regarding the placement of international education in the curriculum or in district policy. Despite the priority placed on international education, however, available financial support remains limited. Some sources of further information on state-level programs in international education conclude this document. (Author/PGD)

A survey of state education agencies (SEA's) in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, supported by a random sampling of SEA's elsewhere in the nation, revealed several aspects of education in which the publics of all the surveyed states expressed low confidence. This document identifies eight of these issues, indicating the messages being received from the public regarding each. The document then itemizes the messages needing to be sent to the public to clarify the values and successes of education; useful data sources for preparing these messages; and alternative actions that SEA's can take to respond positively to responsible criticisms. The eight issues covered are student achievement, the cost of education, teacher preparation and effectiveness, student discipline and behavior, dropouts, lack of public information concerning schools, the needs of special populations, and the relationship of educational costs to benefits. (PGD)

Planning staff development programs to meet changing state education agency (SEA) needs can best be undertaken by considering first what the SEA is trying to accomplish. If we look at the priorities and emphases given by the SEA to its various managerial, service, and leadership tasks, concepts of agency role and mission begin to emerge. By examining these concepts and the legal and financial restrictions on the SEA's activities, planners can create a fairly clear picture of the possible staff development policy alternatives. Among the factors that must be considered are the likelihood of appropriate training programs outside the agency, the possibility of coordinating with local education agencies or other states' SEA's to provide programs that would be impractical for the individual SEA to provide alone, the uses to which new communications technology can be put, and the impact of changing public demand on the agency's role and its consequent training needs. While the options created by these factors are fairly universal, the policies appropriate to each state are quite specific and not touched on in this document. (Author/PGD)

The back-to-basics movement and public demands for educational quality guarantees have led state education agencies (SEA's) to examine their options in four areas: definition of the basics, relevant curricular and programming alternatives, alternatives for evaluating achievement of basics-related goals, and methods of reporting achievements to the public. This document first discusses SEA choices in defining basics broadly or narrowly, interpreting legally mandated definitions or creating their own, and basing definitions in general philosophy, specific course requirements, or established competency standards. The other options open to SEA's are highly dependent on the character of these definitions. The paper next looks at the SEAs' options relative to curriculum planning and programming. These range from offering support to maintaining close program monitoring. Alternatives regarding evaluation are essentially procedural, concerned with the types of tests given, the timing and sequence of testing, the remediation programs established, and alternatives for those unable to meet the standards. Reporting options include establishing the size of reporting units, selecting bases for comparing previous and current achievement, and identifying the primary audience. The document concludes with a discussion of legal issues faced be SEA's when choosing among these options. (Author/PGD)

Current public demands for increased educational quality can best be met at the state education agency (SEA) level, but the SEA is faced with the fact that no single, clearly acceptable definition of educational quality exists. As a result of this lack of consensus, the SEA must examine the policy options available before taking action. First, SEA's must recognize that the public, state legislatures, courts, and educational researchers have legitimate interests in the way educational quality is defined. Second, SEA's must realize that since no conclusive definition is possible, a series of operating definitions that can serve as bases for action must be accepted. These operating definitions may be focused on outcomes, processes, research results, or combinations of these. Once definitions are selected. SEA's have options when selecting the level of specificity with which the quality goals will be stated, the level of support that can be given local districts in the attempt to achieve the goals, the level of involvement of the SEA in monitoring goal achievement, and the form in which achievements can be reported to the public. (Author/PGD)

Limitations on governmental taxing and/or spending, exemplified by the "Proposition 13" initiative in California, have been instituted or proposed in a large number of states. As the movement spreads, state education agencies (SEAs) and, especially, chief state school officers have fundamental policy decisions to make. Areas where the tax/spending limitation movement most directly affects education are: (1) SEA posture (opposition/acquiescence), (2) relationships with other agencies and organizations, (3) changes in governance patterns, (4) changes in SEA functions and operations, (5) institution of economy measures, and (6) increase of productivity. Drawing on the experience and insight of state education leaders, this document presents an analysis of the policy dimensions of the tax/spending limitation movement, setting forth the policy problems in each of the areas listed above and reporting identified policy options for addressing these problems. (MLF)

This paper discusses the role of state education agencies in curriculum reform, in light of contrasting perspectives on the future of society. Current reform proposals call for more required courses and better performance by students, but such moves need to be made with a clear sense of direction. Accordingly, the problem becomes twofold: first, should the educational system set its sights on preparing students for society as presently constituted, or for the society as envisioned by the futurists? Second, should educational policymakers go along with perceived changes in the socioeconomic structure, or resist those changes deemed undesirable? A case in point is the trend toward decentralization envisioned by futurists, as set against the call by educational reformers for more stringent state standards. This paper does not seek to answer such questions; it merely raises them as issues that need further examination at the state policymaking level. Accordingly, Appendix A lists the futurists' projections and corresponding educational reform proposals, and Appendix B provides contrasting visions of a high school as seen by futurists and by educational reformers respectively. (TE)

This paper sets forth and clarifies state-level policy issues that are implicit in the recommendations for reform provided by recent major reports on the status of American education. For each report under consideration, four questions are posed: (1) Who is recommending what? (2) Does the recommendation make sense in a state's total program? (3) What are the influences (political, fiscal, other) operating for or against the adoption of this recommendation? and (4) What are the likely consequences of adopting this recommendation? The first part discusses recommendations in the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education that raise fundamental policy questions, such as those calling for "five new basics" as well as higher academic standards, more time in school, and the upgrading of teacher status. The second part discusses the Twentieth Century Fund Task Force Report, which is primarily concerned with federal, rather than state, policy, but nevertheless has implications for the federal-state relationship in educational policy. The third report discussed, the College Board Educational Equality Project, is primarily concerned with standards for college entrance and thus raises the policy question of equitable resource allocation to accommodate the needs of all students, whether college-bound or not. Remaining reports that are discussed more briefly include the Education Commission of the States Task Force on Education, the Carnegie Corporation report "Education and Economic Progress," and Goodlad's "A Study of Schooling." (TE)

This paper attempts to match identified large-scale social trends (derived from the popular book "Megatrends" by John Naisbitt) to possible state education agency (SEA) policy positions. The first part of the analysis explores possible implications of these "megatrends" for SEA policy development. The trends discussed show America moving: (1) from an industrial society to an information society; (2) from "force technology" to "high tech/high touch" society; (3) from a national economy to regional economies, with strong global overtones; (4) from a centralized to a decentralized society; (5) from a representative democracy to a participatory democracy; (6) from a hierarchical to a network society; and (7) from an "either-or" to a "multiple options" society. The second part of the analysis considers whether the educational policies that these megatrends might suggest are feasible in a time of limited or declining resources. Possible responses by SEAs that account for declining resources and are also in keeping with these megatrends include limits on regulation and reporting, decentralization of authority, expanded technical assistance, promotion of best practices, and expanded use of electronic communication networks. (TE)

There is a growing body of credible evidence that successful efforts can be made to improve the quality of secondary education despite cutbacks in educational resources. Such efforts are demanded by the current conservative public attitude toward education, as exemplified by movements for tax and spending limitations and for the return to educational basics. This document briefly characterizes recent critical studies of secondary education that now serve as the foundation for reform efforts, and notes significant major studies currently under way. The report then classifies the findings and recommendations of these studies under three major headings: those calling for basic changes in society, those requiring fundamental structural changes in the organization and operation of secondary schools, and those suggesting changes that can be made within the present school framework. The author notes that many of these proposals are impractical, few address the political issues involved, and only rarely do they recognize the cutbacks in available funding. Before summarizing, the report lists several directions in which educational quality can be pursued without additional funding: refining educational goals, restricting efforts on low priority activities, focusing the academic curriculum, adopting direct instruction practices, and increasing student time on task. (Author/PGD)

When state education agencies (SEAs) set out to fulfill their increasing recognized obligation to provide services to private schools, they must make very practical policy decisions that are in turn related to value judgments about these schools' legitimacy, their right to freedom from government interference, and the extent of control the state should exercise. This report discusses some of the practical policy decisions that SEAs face: how "schools" should be defined, whether SEAs can take action against those who claim to operate schools but fail to offer minimally acceptable levels of education, what level of control over private education an SEA should seek, and how SEAs can help private schools improve. (Author/PGD)

Recent block grant legislation requires both state and local education agencies to provide private school students a range of services equivalent to that provided public school students. These requirements pose administrative and operational problems for state agencies, since these agencies must simultaneously avoid relationships with religiously oriented schools that would involve constitutionally prohibited degrees of government "entanglement" with religion. While entanglement issues may be easy for state agencies to avoid in the course of adopting some policies for providing services to private schools--policies involving dual enrollment, personnel sharing, and the provision of technical assistance or instructional services--other policies must be drawn up very carefully to avoid the entanglement problem. These difficult policy areas include the provision of instructional materials and the imposition of planning and reporting requirements. The few hints at policy guidelines offered in Supreme Court decisions seem to encourage requiring only simple and infrequent reports on planning and finances, and using the neutral grounds of the public school for program operations as much as possible. (Author/PGD)

The responsibilities and prerogatives of state departments of education regarding the allocation of federal funds authorized under provisions of the draft version of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act of 1981 are clarified in this report, and the resulting policy options available to state education agencies are examined. The law specifies that some of the available funds are to go to local districts and some are to be allocated directly by the state, but the state retains broad discretion concerning such matters as how it will distribute the funds to local districts, how it will regulate local district accountability, how it will set priorities, and what technical assistance it will provide. In evaluating the many possible policy choices it can make affecting each of these issues, the state agency must recognize that a new relationship exists between the state and the local district as a result of the shift in responsibility for fund allocation from the federal government to the state, and it must also recognize the need for considering the many different ways the policy choices can be prioritized. (Author/PGD)

This document examines approaches to educational reform currently under consideration in the Pacific Northwest and discusses policy issues involved with these reform efforts. The introduction discusses broad-scale policy issues, including the setting of priorities amid the diversity of reforms, the clarifying of beliefs and selection of changes that policymakers truly believe in, the analysis of constraints, and the analysis of consequences stemming from various options. The first major section thereafter discusses issues arising from efforts to increase requirements and raise standards. These issues include establishing the motivation for increasing requirements, uniformity of requirements, locus of control (state or local), clarifying requirements, assessment, nonperformers, and equity. The second major section covers teacher salary reforms, including merit pay, master teacher programs, differentiated staffing, career ladders, and output measures. Issues discussed include policy motivation, projected effect on instructional improvement, and the relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach. (TE)