Reviews eight situations that have legal implications concerning child abuse for child care directors. Also notes some new state laws and trends concerning the definition, reporting and handling of child abuse cases. (BB)

While working to reconcile developmentally sound curricula and instruction with district and state requirements, faculty at a Dalton, Georgia, primary school were hindered by mandated standardized tests. Since uncovering several negative aspects of such testing, faculty have been struggling to teach a developmental and test-driven math program…

Ohio's experiences in the areas of "voluntary" certification, mandatory scope of bargaining, remedies for refusals to bargain, grandfathering, mixed-motive discharges, and clear-and-present-danger strikes have been troublesome. However, the state's experience with agency shop agreements and deferral to arbitration has been sound. (MLF)

Hawaii is the only state that addresses school inequities with a comprehensive, statewide system legislating the same educational opportunities for all students. This system is rooted in the Hawaiian monarchy's prestatehood practices and beliefs. Hawaiian schools are strongly multicultural, boast many Japanese teachers, and are uniquely organized…

This article calls for proactive accountability in education in order to identify effective educational practices and appropriate expectations for student results at different grade levels. A proposed plan of action urges civic leaders to champion proactive accountability concerning knowledge about effective educational practices, to target state…

An American Association of University Professors report on faculty workload uses federal data to refute perceptions that faculty spend too little of their professional time on teaching. Faculty are faulted for biased public opinion. Recent Ohio legislation mandating larger undergraduate teaching loads is also criticized by professors for its…

State legislators who consistently challenge higher education on one or more issues are seen as both allies, for bringing issues to the forefront, and as foes, for their sometimes strident criticism. Many such legislative critics focus on accountability vs. autonomy. (MSE)

Missouri's A+ Schools Program is a legislated, statewide framework for providing universal quality education with a career focus and an academic foundation for lifelong learning. The program recognizes that an internationally competitive workforce will require many employees to have more than a high school diploma, but less than a baccalaureate…

Examines teachers' union activity in large school districts in the 11 states without collective-bargaining legislation, using a supply-and-demand model of municipal labor markets and least-squares regression analysis. Average teacher salary in districts with collective-bargaining agreements was 9.5% higher than average salary in districts without…

Summarizes school-choice developments in several states and outlines various choice categories (intradistrict, interdistrict, and controlled). Discusses privatization efforts, the effects of choice, and the role of parental involvement, competition and productivity, regulations, bureaucracies, educational finance, unions, and implications for…

In a number of states, legislatures are successfully opposing governors on budget cuts that would adversely affect colleges and universities, even in states where relations between academics and politicians have been strained recently. (MSE)

The North Carolina General Assembly directed the State Building Commission to study the comparative costs of multi- and single-prime contracting and report the results to the 1995 General Assembly. Describes the analysis of data collected from governmental units that had awarded construction contracts. Identifies some alternative contracting…

Questionnaire was submitted to 1,145 Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) in Michigan with 67% response rate. Found majority of LPCs waiting to use license at later date, 59% were women, and most undergraduate degrees were in education or the social sciences. Very few LPCs have requested reimbursement, reporting difficulty receiving third-party…

Describes the evolutionary process of the State of Arkansas' Student Publications Act which goes into effect 1 January, 1996. Explains that the draft form of the Act emphasized the importance of recognizing students' right of free expression and stressed the importance of journalistic responsibility and high standards for academic advisors.…

After a 20-year fight, advocates in New Jersey get a mandate for seat belts on school buses, and the controversial law could spark a new national trend. Half of the states have pending legislation on seat belts for school buses. Summarizes the arguments for and against seat belts. (MLF)