Discusses the 1857 Scott v. Sanford decision, which stated that blacks were "so far inferior that they had no rights which whites were bound to respect" and declared unconstitutional Congressional actions barring slavery in new states. Examines whether the social revolution and institutional reforms following the Civil War have had an impact on…

Describes how after the lifting of years of court-ordered desegregation, the citizens of Wilmington, Delaware, voted not to return to neighborhood schools, choosing instead to maintain the school district's socioeconomic and racial diversity. (PKP)

Discusses the potential of state accountability systems and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to reduce the achievement gap and funding disparities, thus providing greater educational equality for poor and minority students. (Contains 21 references.)

Describes research reports dealing with child nutrition and efforts to improve it through state and federal sponsorship of school breakfast and lunch programs for poor children, the reduction of fat and sugar in school lunches, and banning the sale of "junk food" at school. (PKP)

Describes various provisions in state statutes that ensure underrepresented student groups have equal access to charter schools. Includes facilitating student access, student admission, geographic boundary restrictions, and student transportation. Provides summary of student transportation provisions in seven state charter-school statutes. Also…

Presents data supporting the widespread perception that commercializing activities in schools have risen in recent years and that those activities influence the structure of the school day, shape curricula, determine whether some children have access to a variety of technologies, and undermine the quality of education. Considers school…

Raising the legal purchase age to 21 in New York did not greatly affect alcohol use patterns for most college students in this study. Findings are based upon analysis of survey data collected from students before and after the law went into effect. (IAH)

A study examined 50 Pennsylvania cases reviewing the involuntary commitment of persons with mental retardation. Factors evaluated included characteristics of the individual, the presiding court, the impact of a court-appointed Child Advocate or Public Defender, availability of residential alternatives, and prior placement. (Author/DB)

This article describes changes mandated by the Kentucky General Assembly regarding training and induction of school principals. The changes include competency based training programs, testing and supervised internships. (IAH)

State and federal budget cuts make it increasingly important for child welfare organizations to influence policy development. Accurate knowledge of legislators' beliefs about child welfare issues allows agencies and advocacy groups to develop positive means of promoting positive legislation. (SAK)

The recently enacted public employee drug testing policy in Kansas is utilized as a basis to speculate on the future of drug screening in education and to offer guidelines to public school districts considering implementation of voluntary or required testing. (MLF)

Describes how the Indiana library community defeated a "Speaker's bill" in the Indiana House of Representatives that threatened public library interests. Topics addressed include the introduction of the bill, lobbying, and arguments against the bill. (SLW)

Discusses the progress of anti-Hazelwood legislation, and lists the five states with student free expression laws: California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and Massachusetts. Notes that 16 states have made no attempts to counteract the ruling of Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. Describes the limits of the laws existing in the five states with…

Examines Michigan's attempt to abolish the school property tax and implications for New York State policymakers. Michigan substantially reduced the local property tax for local school operations, adopted a permanent set of tax and revenue limits, and devised a problematic assessment cap. Totally eliminating the local school property tax may be…

Analyzes how a California suburban school district has responded to over 30 years of federal and state mandates. Examines responses at the district office and individual school sites. The policy "conversation" represented by Redwood City's behavior seems a more likely course of educational policy progression than a more ambitious…