Based on the alleged growth in the number of families seeking unapproved alternative schooling arrangements, this paper reviews related state legislation and court litigation. Both home schooling and small, unapproved private schools are discussed. According to the paper, in virtually every state, enforcement of minimum standards for private…

This report describes the procedures employed in the preparation of a list of courses to be deleted from the credit and noncredit programs of the California community colleges in response to a $30 million deduction from the total community college apportionments. The first section presents background on the 1982-83 budget bill, specifies three…

Part 1 of a two-part publication, this guide presents newly revised standards for public schools prescribed by the Oregon Department of Education pursuant to Oregon law. The standards presented are legal requirements intended to insure that all Oregon students have access to a sound, comprehensive curriculum and to guide districts in qualifying…

Busing, or transporting students at public expense, has been practiced in the United States for over a century. The use of the term to mean transporting students for school desegregation purposes has been relatively recent. Most States started providing pupil transportation when legislation for school district consolidation was implemented,…

This report discusses the impact on elementary and secondary education in New York State and New York City of: (1) a New York Court of Appeals decision to grant State Legislature control over Federal funds received by the State; and (2) passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act providing block education grants to States. The report provides…

The background out of which "truth in testing" legislation arose is reviewed in this report, which also describes existing state and federal testing legislation, details arguments raised in hearings on the legislation, analyzes the legal issues raised, and provides a framework for simplifying the arguments and gathering more information.…

Perspectives on an American Institutes for Research (AIR) study of state oversight in postsecondary education, conducted for the U.S. Office of Education (USOE), are offered by researcher Steven M. Jung. In addition, a list of recommendations by the General Accounting Office concerning USOE's eligibility process and responses by John Proffitt, on…

Noting that traditional physical education (PE) courses are geared toward healthy, younger students, this paper examines the need to provide adapted PE programs for older adults. The paper first discusses the growing number of older adults in the population and the concomitant need to overcome the materialistic values that relegate the elderly to…

A summary is presented of some of the ways that judicial decisions and laws have an impact on higher education and on public education. The sources of legal obligation that impose duties and responsibilities on teachers are discussed. These are: common law, contractual obligations, state laws, and federal laws. The legal definitions are given of…

Teacher evaluation is fraught with difficulties for several reasons. On the one hand, it is directed to self-improvement and remediation, while on the other, it can be utilized as a tool for nonrenewal of a contract, demotion, reassignment, or dismissal. Moreover, educational researchers are far from reaching consensus on the characteristics…

Intended as a guide for Texas school districts wishing to adopt or modify a student code of conduct, this proposed code describes a positive learning atmosphere, specifies conduct that disrupts such an environment, assures the rights and responsibilities of students, and standardizes procedures to be used in responding to disciplinary problems.…

This publication is an update and expansion of earlier studies on the legal organization and administration of school districts in South Carolina. The treatment of this topic progresses from the general to the specific and includes detailed data about the geographical, organizational, financial, and legal aspects of the topic. The report attempts…

During 1976-77, 42% of U.S. schools operated with fewer than 600 pupils and 27% operated with fewer than 300 pupils; Iowa had 181 K-12 public school systems with fewer than 300 pupils in 1977-78. All of Iowa's smaller school systems were located in the more sparsely populated rural areas of the state, had higher than average per pupil assessed…

As required by state law, a consortium was developed by Eastern Washington University (consisting of the training institution, 10 school districts, and their professional organizations) whose responsibilities were the development of competencies for special education teacher training, supervision of teacher training programs, and evaluation of…

The paper examines staff and parent advocacy training for special needs preschool and Head Start children. The author outlines the rights and responsibilities as stated in federal and state legislation, and the aspects of advocacy not usually considered, such as maximizing the resources to provide an appropriate program. Suggestions are given for…