The author reports on progress being made in Tennessee as a result of recent legislative mandates. He discusses the Comprehensive Vocational Education Act, the Weldon Act, and the Post Secondary Education Authorization Act. (Author/BP)

An array of Florida laws which have affected the State's vocational programs are examined. Prevocational industrial arts programs, counselor education programs, and placement and followup services have been influenced in significant ways by the legislature's action. (Author/BP)

The author presents a concise sketch of what has happened since the State of Arizona legislature made a strong commitment to high quality career and vocational educational programs. The focus on career education has resulted in both qualitative and quantitative improvements in the State's vocational education. (Author/BP)

Traces historical roots of creation of first art therapy licensure bill to be written and entered into state legislative system. Explains concept development, writing of legislation, how bill was introduced, transformation and evolution to omnibus bill, and factors pertinent to passing of legislation during 1993 New Mexico Legislative Session.…

Describes the design and implementation of a mediation program for the resolution of child protection disputes in Nova Scotia. Focuses on the legal mandate for mediation, training programs for mediators, orientation programs for child protective workers, and the actual mediation process. (MDM)

Describes methods used by Missouri's Industrial Technology Educational programs to develop an outcomes measuring instrument for accountability purposes. (Author)

Discusses the adoption laws and procedures of Lagos State, Nigeria, and presents a demographic profile of the 236 adoptions that have taken place since the enactment of the current law in 1972. Because of the dearth of information on adoption in Nigeria, it is suggested that research on adoption should be pursued with the utmost vigor. (MDM)

This study examined child, parent, and case characteristics over 4 years in 200 cases of serious child maltreatment in Boston, Massachusetts. Comparison with 1985-1986 cases (before relevant state legislative changes) found children permanently removed from parental custody in the 1994 sample required only slightly less time to achieve permanent…

To compensate for an unhealthy food environment, foods high in calories, fat, or sugar could be subjected to special taxes, with costs of healthful foods subsidized. This paper reviews state tax laws, identifying 19 states and cities that levy such taxes. These taxes raise about $1 billion annually. The paper proposes using such revenues to fund…

Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of providing tenure in local school districts. Cites the case of the Patchogue-Medford School Board on Long Island, New York, which started denying tenure to qualified teachers because of one tenured teacher who is making a mockery of his position. (JOW)

In the first quarter of the 2004 legislative sessions, some states continued to amend existing laws to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, while others began to move beyond compliance to improve the means by which they intend to leverage greater student achievement. Still others addressed health issues, fiscal officers,…

A number of states passed legislation in the 1990s requiring youths to wear helmets when riding bicycles. The effect of this legislation on bicycling fatalities is examined by subjecting data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System to a panel analysis, using a control-group methodology. A helmet law reduces fatalities by about 15 percent in…

During the Constitutional Convention of 1890, one delegate characterized the history of county formation in Kentucky as a process whereby "fifteen or thirty or forty people" created "outrageous special legislation" to make laws that "were not for the benefit of the people at large, but only for the benefit of people who…

It sounds like a simple solution to a growing problem: Address teacher shortages by adopting policies that encourage veterans to stay in the classroom while attracting retirees back to the job. While many states and districts are doing just that, they are also finding that their policies can have unintended consequences--such as raising questions…

Information regarding enactment of drawing education legislation in the United States during the 19th century centers almost exclusively on events that occurred in Massachusetts, primarily the Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870. Legislative history regarding the ratification of drawing education laws in states surrounding Massachusetts is available…