This document contains 3 statistical reports. The first report, "Attrition Rate Decline Seems Promising--Though High Schools are Still Losing One in Four Students" (by Roy L. Johnson), presents results of long-term trend assessments of attrition data in Texas public high schools. The second report, "Slow Declining Pace Keeps Zero Attrition Date at…

Attrition rates are an indicator of a school's holding power, or ability to keep students enrolled in school and learning until they graduate. This study examines regional trends in Texas for the number and percent of students lost from public high school enrollment prior to graduation. A comparative analysis of 1985-86, 2005-06, 2006-07,…

In Texas, all students are equal, but once again some are more equal than others. This policy update provides a description of the key elements of the existing Texas school funding system, identifies features that contribute to equity and those that maintain and expand inequity, and includes recommended reforms that would reinstate critical…

The examination of historical trend data on the number and percent of students lost from public school enrollment prior to graduation from high school is becoming increasingly important since distinct trends are emerging on a regional basis. This study examines regional trends in Texas on the number and percent of students lost from public high…

The activity around the 50th anniversary of the landmark ruling made by the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in 1954 is described. There have been many local and national events that have taken place, including a unique event sponsored by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA). [This…

This article describes some core characteristics that reflect the underlying commitment of public school teachers to create and maintain vibrant learning environments for every student, every day, in every way, often under the bureaucratic pressures of high-stakes testing, rigid curricular fads, and simplistic administrative responses to…

The many advantages of preserving the nature of community schools is discussed in light of the development of voucher programs and reasons to oppose the voucher system are outlined. [This document originally appeared in the "IDRA Newsletter", however some accompanying charts and graphs may not be provided here.]

Some groups that are pressing for changes in the state's school funding system represent the interests of a small number of school districts that see themselves as somehow "unfairly" impacted by the state's recapture provisions. Recapture is the part of the funding system that re-allocates state resources that are concentrated in a small number of…