Examines the constitutionality of public school personnel organizing prayers at extracurricular events and of using ceremonial prayers, invocation, and benedictions at school activities. Reviews court litigation and Supreme Court decisions that use the Establishment Clause and Lemon test to determine legality. Finds, in most cases, that prayer at…

Results of a survey of 77 public research universities indicated that, in spite of the presence of state legislation for third-party reimbursement of nursing services, legislation is not being implemented in many states by employers in their purchase of group health insurance policies. Nursing services covered by these policies include private…

Discusses the potential of the Supreme Court's recent decision in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, which upheld the Missouri anti-abortion statutes, to encourage state sponsored fiscal censorship in libraries. The types of library services and materials that might be affected are identified, and the First Amendment implications are…

Environmental education and interpretive facilities in Texas were surveyed to determine how a state education reform bill affected their attendance, management, and programing. Findings indicated that attendance declined during the 12 months following the passage of legislation. Programing and management changes were made to adapt to the bill.…

Means by which state legislatures practice evaluation are examined by analyzing oversight strategies for monitoring recent educational reforms in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Focus is on the inextricable link between politics and oversight; the oversight strategy and methods for policy evaluation are largely…

This policy analysis of Texas Senate Bill 994, mandating teacher education reform, traces the legislation through several stages: problem recognition; agenda setting; policy formation, adoption, and implementation. Included is discussion of the bill's impact on teacher preparation curriculum, teacher recruitment, and teacher educator salaries.…

Discusses various aspects of home schooling, including reasons that parents choose home schooling, two major schools of thought on home education, historical perspectives, and legal issues. The role of the public library is examined and some services offered to home schoolers are described. A bibliography of books for parents is provided. (10…

The Golden Rule settlement's application in Illinois has not improved passing rates for Blacks on licensing tests relative to Whites. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) will apply the Golden Rule procedure in Illinois as long as the settlement remains in effect, but opposes it as precedent for other legislation. (SLD)

A general commentary on the present education reform in the country is made using the examples of the five state reports. Certain common national trends are noted, and a summary is given of the effects of these reforms. Speculation is offered on the future of the reforms. (JD)

Examines state court education jurisprudence in three areas: (1) classical liberalism and republicanism; (2) the current understanding of federal equal protection and due process education through United States Supreme Court decisions; and (3) school finance cases litigated in state courts. (MLF)

In 1985 the Illinois Legislature revised its Juvenile Court Act and sections of the criminal code to get tough on juvenile crime and school-related crime. The Illinois Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the act. Greater legislative and judicial support is a national trend to control school violence. (MLF)

Two conflicting trends in recent school reform activities are identified: a shift from local to state control and an increase in state monitoring and accounting activity; and an increasing recognition of the need for local and district involvement in school reform. Reform movement is not likely to wither, but history suggests that reform efforts…

Topics under consideration for federal and state legislative action that may affect higher education are outlined, including research funding, support for National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, student aid funding, job training reduction, deregulation of telecommunications, accountability measures, Medicare and…

Techniques for college and university administrators and alumni to use in garnering support for or against state legislation include: gathering diverse experts; selecting a defense and/or offense; remaining flexible; flooding legislative offices with communications; meeting with local newspaper editors and legislators; distributing fact sheets to…

The Arizona Elementary Foreign Language Task Force's response to a state mandate requiring foreign-language instruction in all elementary schools is described. After a review of curricular and personnel resource needs, Northern Arizona University's teacher-training model is summarized. (Contains 29 references.) (Author/LB)