Federal law (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, P.L. 101-336) and state law concerning the capacity to consent demonstrate the many standards used to determine the severity of retardation and whether a mentally challenged person has the capacity to consent. This area of social policy is fascinating because it adds another layer of debate to…

A federal initiative to expand learning services to adult basic learners via distance learning is proposed. The California experience can prove useful to states and programs wishing to adopt distance learning interventions. This article describes how California adult schools' serve adult learners via distance learning. Over 38,000 unduplicated…

Previous research on grandparents has focused on the individual and familial level and has characterized grandparent roles as ambiguous and contingent. Emphasizing instead structural phenomena, this theoretical paper argues that grandmother and grandfather roles are being institutionalized through state and federal legislation. This phenomenon…

This article reports the 7-2 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding a Washington state scholarship program that denies aid to theology majors. Disappointing proponents of tuition aid for students in religious schools, the court held that Washington state was well within its rights to exclude students' training for the ministry from its Promise…

On June 7, 1926, the Senate of the University of Illinois authorized "an experiment in the matter of sectioning students upon the basis of ability." Such experiments have since been made in History 2b, Rhetoric 1 and Rhetoric 2, Mathematics 6, and French 1b, under the direction of Pro- fessor E. H. Cameron of the Department of…

This report presents findings stemming from the first-year evaluation of the Texas Educator Excellence Grant (TEEG) program, one of several statewide performance incentive programs in Texas. In June 2006, Governor Perry and the 79th Texas Legislature created the Governor's Educator Excellence Award Program, one component of which is the TEEG…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Enlightened Public Policy and includes: (1) Texas Education Policy: Prospects for 2009 (Albert Cortez); (2) Bilingual Education in…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

The New Mexico Public Education Department 2010 Annual Report was created as a way to reflect on the accomplishments in education that occurred under Governor Bill Richardson's administration from 2002-2010. In 2003, the Governor outlined a reform agenda and pledged his commitment to improve education in New Mexico. In the fall of 2003, Governor…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

The Oregon Statewide Report Card is an annual publication required by law (ORS 329.115), which reports on the state of public schools and their progress towards the goals of the Oregon Educational Act for the 21st Century. The purpose of the Oregon Report Card is to monitor trends among school districts and Oregon's progress toward achieving the…

The history of community colleges nationwide has been well documented. We know that the primary focus for community colleges has been to serve as the first point of entrance for many students who, otherwise, would not have been able to gain access to higher education. More than just increased access has been gained with the evolution of community…

Modern medications allow children with a variety of acute and chronic health conditions to participate in daily activities. However, parents and child care providers may not realize that there are different dosage strengths available on the market. The parent or staff may not fully understand the dosage or a miscommunication may occur. These…

This report presents data on home schooling in the state of Arkansas that covers: students withdrawn from home school; home school student count by county, district, and grade level; and home school enrollments by grade and gender. The report contains the texts of the Arkansas Code Annotated Section 6-15-501 through Section 6-15-508 Home School…

The importance of diversity and inclusion to higher education was the focus of intense legal and social scientific analysis in the decisions of the United States Supreme Court concerning affirmative action at the University of Michigan. The leadership of higher education and several other sectors of society offered overwhelming support, and a…