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We present the classification of 197 point sources observed with the Infrared Spectrograph in the SAGE-Spec Legacy program on the Spitzer Space Telescope. We introduce a decision-tree method of object classification based on infrared spectral features, continuum and spectral energy distribution shape, bolometric luminosity, cluster membership, and variability information, which is used to classify the SAGE-Spec sample of point sources. The decision tree has a broad application to mid-infrared spectroscopic surveys, where supporting photometry and variability information are available. We use these classifications to make deductions about the stellar populations of the Large Magellanic Cloud and the success of photometric classification methods. We find 90 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, 29 young stellar objects, 23 post-AGB objects, 19 red supergiants, eight stellar photospheres, seven background galaxies, seven planetary nebulae, two HII regions and 12 other objects, seven of which remain unclassified., Comment: (43 pages, 21 figures, 4 tables including one large table out of order; to be published in MNRAS)

The SAGE-Spec Spitzer Legacy program is a spectroscopic follow-up to the SAGE-LMC photometric survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud carried out with the Spitzer Space Telescope. We present an overview of SAGE-Spec and some of its first results. The SAGE-Spec program aims to study the life cycle of gas and dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and to provide information essential to the classification of the point sources observed in the earlier SAGE-LMC photometric survey. We acquired 224.6 hours of observations using the InfraRed Spectrograph and the SED mode of the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer. The SAGE-Spec data, along with archival Spitzer spectroscopy of objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud, are reduced and delivered to the community. We discuss the observing strategy, the specific data reduction pipelines applied and the dissemination of data products to the scientific community. Initial science results include the first detection of an extragalactic "21 um" feature towards an evolved star and elucidation of the nature of disks around RV Tauri stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Towards some young stars, ice features are observed in absorption. We also serendipitously observed a background quasar, at a redshift of z~0.14, which appears to be host-less., Comment: 33 pages, 12 figures, 8 tables; accepted for publication by PASP

An in vacuo thermal desorption process has been accomplished to form epitaxial graphene (EG) on 4H- and 6H-SiC substrates using a commercial chemical vapor deposition reactor. Correlation of growth conditions and the morphology and electrical properties of EG are described. Raman spectra of EG on Si-face samples were dominated by monolayer thickness. This approach was used to grow EG on 50 mm SiC wafers that were subsequently fabricated into field effect transistors with fmax of 14 GHz., Comment: 215th Meeting of the Electrochemical Society, 8 pages, 8 figures

School systems have been forced to postpone purchases of new equipment and to defer repair and renovation projects. At present, 39 states provide support for local school district capital expenditures through five primary mechnanisms: full state assumption, state/local sharing, state flat grant, state equalizing grant, and state loans. In response to high and volatile interest rates, increased competition within the municipal bond market, and reduced investor demand for tax-exempt securities, state policymakers might consider new ways of structuring tax-exempt bond issues that have the advantages of lower interest costs to issuers and of a broader potential market. However, state policymakers should be aware of the pros and cons of various creative financing techniques before modifying existing legislation to permit their use. (MLF)

This review of the history of school finance litigation highlights various rulings of the courts and the ways that legal strategies have changed over time. Originally the school finance cases were based on the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the argument being that differences in per pupil spending had to be related to differences in student need. This was rejected by the courts on the grounds that a clear standard for assessing the education needs of pupils did not exist. Litigation strategies then focused on inputs to the education process, arguing that differences in the abilities of school districts to provide resources diminished opportunities in poor school districts. The student-need argument has reemerged more recently, and state school finance systems are being challenged on the basis of failure to structure funding systems to guarantee a thorough and efficient or ample education for all. Reviews of recent court cases are included. (MD)

Drawing on documentary data and surveys of state education officials, this report reviews current federal and state initiatives for disadvantaged, language-minority, and handicapped students in order to help states assess their options in light of the recent consolidation of federal education programs. The author notes different states' approaches and provides information on federal and state resources. Part 1 presents an overview of federal and state involvement in special-needs programs and discusses federal goals and objectives, state actions since 1965, and state financing mechanisms. Parts 2-4 cover federal and state programs and state funding approaches in compensatory, bilingual, and special education, respectively. State eligibility criteria for compensatory and special education programs are also examined in parts 2 and 4, while part 3 focuses on state legislation for bilingual programs. In the final part the author assembles national and state-by-state data on funding levels and analyzes past and future trends in federal and state support for special-needs programs. (Author/RW)

New directions in federal educational policy in the 1980s have had clear and consistent implications for state education finance systems. This study reviews the financing arrangements that have emerged during the 1980s at the state level, discusses the costs of new legislative mandates and state programs, and assesses the extent to which federal programs associated with special populations have been taken over by the states and how these programs are funded. Data for the study were derived from U.S. investments in education during the past decade and reform expenditures by states, regions, and the nation, along with questionnaires sent to the finance directors in each state department of education. The following selected results of this data collection effort are reviewed: revenue sources for education from 1980 to the present; state financing of education excellence policies; state financing of special pupil populations; and current systems of revenue distribution across the United States. In addition, the climate of education in the current year is reviewed, and emerging themes and collapsing constraints in education finance policy are considered throughout. Extensive tables and charts are appended, and 62 references and notes are included. (TE)

This booklet examines the cost implications of reward-for-performance plans for teacher compensation. The growing acceptance of plans that recognize effective teaching with financial or other rewards is noted in the introduction, and some of the arguments against such plans are expressed. The first chapter reviews the origins and aims of the traditional single salary schedule and describes the kinds of modifications districts and states are making or proposing for the purpose of rewarding excellence. These plans include career ladders, multiple salary schedules, merit pay, extended contracts, and pay for extra work or work in critical subject areas. The second chapter discusses the factors affecting the costs of performance pay plans. In addition to the costs of the rewards themselves, administrators must consider the costs of planning the program and evaluating the teachers. It must also be realized that the costs of a program will include the costs associated with lowered morale and increased staff turnover if the program proves unsatisfactory to the teachers. In the third chapter, costs for two evaluation processes are compared and incorporated into simulations of merit pay and career ladder plans. The costs associated with extended contracts are also discussed. (PGD)