Education policy shapers in Vermont are engaged in a statewide innovative assessment of fourth and eighth graders' mathematics and writing progress. The portfolio assessment of mathematics uses student work to assess problem solving and communication skills using seven criteria. This article describes institutes and other training provided for…

Strategies that school superintendents use to develop and implement school improvement plans in response to state mandates were studied through interviews with 30 Maine superintendents and assistant superintendents. Results indicate that imposition of state standards may ignore superintendents' interpretations that shape the approach to meeting…

Court litigation, state legislation, school board policy, and public opinion clash over sex education in public schools. However, rising teen pregnancy rates and AIDS make the availability of uncensored health and sex information in schools a necessity. (SK)

Interviews with state legislators from Wisconsin (D. Bezruki), Massachusetts (T. P. Kennedy), and Virginia (P. Leone) illustrate the roles that evaluation is playing in the current state budget crisis. The influence of evaluation data appears largely specific to individual programs rather than systematically applied to the budgeting process. (SLD)

Discusses the genesis and evolution of the California legislative mandate to teach critical thinking in every community college classroom. Defines critical thinking. Reviews steps included in the California colleges' plans for curriculum development. Considers pedagogical, affective, and transfer implications. Briefly describes two college…

Updates information provided in an earlier issue of this journal which examined the problem of drug-exposed infants. Focuses on three areas discussed in that issue: (1) the response of the courts and the legislatures to the problem; (2) the medical effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine; and (3) the impact of drug-exposed infants on the…

The first federal court decision on campus privacy protection law (the Buckley Amendment) contradicts the interpretation of the law used by the United States Department of Education and most colleges and universities. The case, against Southwest Missouri State University, offers encouragement to campus journalists wishing to publicize campus crime…

Since 1982, 34 states have changed their laws or regulations to make it easier for parents to teach their children at home. As the wave of home schooling grows, school administrators can do much to establish a climate of mutual respect, benefit, and cooperation. (MLF)

Reviews the constitutions of several western states that provide an absolute barrier between religion and public education. Asserts that these laws were passed after the Civil War when concern about minority religious influence in some states was high. Maintains that these state laws may be the next battleground in the ongoing controversy about…

Although education has appealed to southern governors as a catapult to historical recognition, future governors should consider Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer's ill-fated educational reform plan for Louisiana State University's College of Education, particularly its teacher evaluation and internship program. Public education seems a low-priority…

The integrity of the college degree is being compromised by the rapid increase in degree mills established and given tax-exempt status as church-related colleges. Ambiguous state legislation is partly to blame. More rigorous state standards and accreditation can help distinguish true religious degrees from those irresponsibly awarded. (MSE)

In "Fumarolo v. Chicago Board of Education," the Illinois Supreme Court invalidated the Chicago School Reform Act because it violated the one-person, one-vote principle when several school administrators were summarily deprived of tenure by parent-dominated school councils. However, due process concerns for the deposed administrators…

Through membership in intergovernmental cooperatives designed to provide liability protection, school districts can achieve greater control over insurance products at all levels. Defines terms, lists self-insurance pool contract provisions, and discusses dangers and miscellaneous issues for self-insurance pools. (MLF)

Creating coordinated, comprehensive, integrated children's policy requires breaking the mold of political convention. The system of political rewards and incentives must be revamped so that interest groups are encouraged to cooperate rather than compete. California's 1992 Healthy Support Services for Children Act (and accompanying $20 million…

A study of U.S. English-only legislation found that Latino voting blocs and state legislators, not extrainstitutional resources, helped limit passage of English-only statutes in the 1980s. In four states that ratified such statutes by citizen-initiated referenda, however, Latino institutional and extrainstitutional resources did not prevent…