The issue contains reports on seven new court cases regarding mental retardation and the law and updated information on 35 cases previously reported. Cases concern such issues as classification, commitment, education, employment, sterilization, and treatment. Also included is a feature article on the implications of Halderman v Pennhurst State…

The authors describe the procedure by which men charged with homosexuality are classified as one of three organizationally recognized classes of homosexuals and processed to dishonorable," undesirable," or general" discharges usually correlated with such classifications. (DB)

Attempted to validate previously identified classification of divorce attorneys as Counselors or Advocates and to assess practitioner attitudes towards divorce reform. Found that concordance rate for classification was not statistically different from chance. Concerning attitudes, most respondents expressed dissatisfaction with current legal…

Pure research in school law is not possible, since the researcher must rely on inquiry that can be verified by experience and observation in the field. The studies produced in the past year tend to fall into the following classes: compliance, accountability, impact, cost-effectiveness, Supreme Court decisions, and the process by which minority law…

Reported are 22 new cases and provided is information on 27 previously reported cases related to mental retardation and the law. Cases are grouped according to 10 topics (sample cases in parentheses): classification; confidentiality/access to records; commitment; criminal law (O'Brien v. Superior Court); education (California Association for…

The document reports on five new cases and updates information on 29 previously reported cases regarding mental retardation and the law. Cases are divided into the following categories: classification, commitment, confidentiality, education, employment, protection from harm, sterilization, treatment, and zoning. Listed separately, by the above…

Several recent court decisions provide ammunition for fighting over-identification of students who have impairments (like Attention Deficit Disorder) but who fail to meet the remaining eligibility requirements under Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. Distinguishing between Section 504 and IDEA requirements is crucial. (MLH)

Implementing measurement specialists' ideas about content validity with licensure examinations and the problem of court litigation are discussed. Validity issues surfacing when sponsors of national licensure examinations conduct validity investigations are considered. Issues include local versus national focus on content validity, job analysis,…

An analysis of a court decision, Podberesky v Kirwin, finding a University of Maryland scholarship targeting black students to be racially discriminatory reviews both what the Supreme Court has said about use of racial classifications and how it has not said what constitutes permissible affirmative action. (MSE)

Compared to students from affluent public and prep schools, few inner-city students receive extra time or other accommodations when taking high-stakes tests. The growth in "false positives" among affluent youth may partly stem from nonspecific definitions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Fairness is being…

The purpose of this paper is to examine, from a Constitutional perspective, the bases on which ability grouping and tracking might be challenged as barriers to equal educational opportunity. Findings from educational research on ability grouping, commentary from law review journals, and the texts of cases themselves are included as a part of the…