Instructor guides are provided for each of 11 courses in a 2-year associate degree program in solar technology. The semester-length solar courses are broken down into modules which correspond roughly to a 1- to 2-week block of instruction. Each guide presents a course description, course objectives, references for further information, and a…

To explore why school administrators have only a limited base of knowledge of the laws and cases affecting education, the Informational Resource Questionnaire (IRQ) was designed to study attitudes about legal knowledge. The IRQ focuses on school demographics, which resources administrators most commonly use to obtain both general and legal…

Describes a survey of 39 database publishers concerning their policies for downloading, i.e., capture of information into machine-readable format from proprietary databases. Discussion covers fair use principle, long-term storage and reuse, policy enforcement, and per record payment principle. Database publishers surveyed profile of survey…

A detailed checklist and timeline for ensuring due process are provided for adverse personnel actions, and the need to supplement this with expert, same-jurisdiction legal advice is stressed. This approach emphasizes the importance of treating due process as an ethical as well as a legal requirement. (SLD)

The issue of whether cheating and plagiarism should be categorized as an academic evaluation or disciplinary misconduct is discussed. It is claimed that if these offenses are categorized as disciplinary misconduct, students are entitled to some due process. However, if cheating and plagiarism are classified as academic evaluations, students are…

The number of students with disabilities entering higher education continues to increase, and there is a concomitant rise in the number of disability accommodation grievances filed in institutions, with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights, and through the legal court system. It is important that faculty members know about disability law. Faculty…

With professional educators becoming the target of litigation in increasing proportions and most state legislatures preparing 15-20 new laws per year dealing with educational issues, it is essential that teachers become advised of the impact of law on their classrooms and their activities. This study surveyed a sample of 480 Louisiana teachers on…

Under Phase II of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, eligible legalized aliens (ELAs) can become lawful permanent residents (LPRs) if they demonstrate English language competency or show that they are satisfactorily pursuing a course of study to obtain English language skills. Certain English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs have been…

Detailed explanations of the legal issues involved in teacher evaluation are discussed in this concise handbook. The basis for discussion is a self-assessment designed for response by the reader. The answers to the self-assessment instrument and explanations of them are discussed under 13 headings: (1) The Use of Test Scores; (2) Negotiability and…

Initial certification programs specify expectations or experiences of their teacher candidates both before and after admission. Typical prerequisites to admission include academic program, test scores, course work, or assessment of professional performance. Criteria for retention after admission often consist of academic performance or mastery of…

The experience of the child victim as a courtroom witness in sexual abuse cases is examined in this study of a testing program involving 30 children aged 6 to 15. The purpose of the study was to identify needs not recognized by courts that can be responded to, denied, or exacerbated through language. Based on court transcripts, differences were…

Thirty-seven objectives and related test items for business law courses taught in grades 10 through 12 are organized into the following categories: (1) foundations of law; (2) law of contracts, property, and negotiable instruments; (3) business relations and business organizations; and (4) vocabulary. Each objective contains three elements: the…

When a college/university employee feels that his/her rights have been abrogated, the human resource department and in-house legal staff should be prepared to conduct a comprehensive, objective, and professional investigation. Such issues as proof of misconduct, "reasonable grounds," negligent investigation claims, and defamation claims are…

Face-to-face structured interviews were held with 1,810 older adults throughout Queensland (Australia) to determine their sources of information about housing, finance, legal matters, home maintenance, and social activities. At least 97% of respondents knew of at least one source of information about each topic; however, 42%-57% could name only…

The first of two phases of this study consisted of assessing the need for a more formal library network in Virginia by surveying libraries, conducting site visits, interviews, and regional hearings, and reviewing documentation on existing levels of automation and networking in the commonwealth. Information gathered during this phase supported both…