The Rostrum is a quarterly publication of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) Effective Participation in Governance: Policies and Practices (Julie Bruno); (2) TOP Code Alignment Project and Impacts on Local Coding (Craig Rutan); (3) Focus on Transfer: ADTs, UCTP Degrees, and…

The Oregon English Language Learner Report is an annual publication required by law (ORS 327.016). This report provides financial information for English language learner (ELL) programs, the objectives and needs of students eligible for and enrolled in an English language learner program, and information on the demographics of students in English…

The Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) phenomenon has happened very quickly and is also a shift in discourse. This article aims to slow things down and go through the last year or so with a bit more care than we're usually able to do in order to do a "close reading" of the year of the MOOC. Author Aaron Brady ventures an opinion to say…

Despite widely circulated pronouncements of the death of racism in the U.S. following the election of President Barack Obama, politicians continue to appeal to race as a means of galvanizing their (predominantly white) bases, legislation across the States taps into deeply held racist beliefs and connects those beliefs with notions of citizenship…

Georgia's General Assembly passed the 1961 "Tuition Grants Act" as a method for avoiding school desegregation. In 1993, an Atlanta attorney attempted to use the Act to provide private school vouchers. This study compares and contrasts arguments for and against the Act, and public support for the Act, in 1961 and 1993, using Robinson's…

Cassie Barnhardt, Marisol Ramos, and Kimberly Reyes share a case study of an undocumented student's academic success to demonstrate the importance of administrative commitment, clarity, and consistency in supporting such students in the unique challenges they face. (Contains 13 notes.)

Public schools are full of incidents that fill newspapers, but when a private school is struck with instances of libel, child abuse, and violations of Title IX, the community is at a loss as to what to do.

The quality of Illinois schools and the performance of their principals play significant roles in determining the future for children. Their success hinges on recognition that principals play a critical role in shaping the environments in which children learn. Illinois schools can and will be enriched by developing a principal pipeline system that…

Hughes, Rycus, Saunders-Adams, Hughes, and Hughes's article represents an important effort to critically examine the foundation of thought and empirical evidence associated with the rise in prominence of differential response (DR) within child welfare systems throughout the United States. The insights and criticisms offered are an important…

This article deals with the importance of building partnerships between legislators and educators in order to impact educational legislation. To this end, the faculty in the college of education at a large, urban university made institutional changes to establish a proactive relationship amongst stakeholders. As a result of this exchange, we were…

The purpose of this report is to provide insight into how state departments are implementing legislative requirements for educator evaluation, particularly the specific circumstances states encounter around arts education. Spotlights on Delaware, a first-round recipient of Race to the Top funding, and Colorado and Arizona, third-round recipients,…

Between 2011 and 2013 lawmakers in every state proposed, and often enacted, laws intended to impact codified state provisions related to teachers and teachers' unions (author calculation). These new laws either worked against union interests (e.g., by prohibiting collective bargaining) or they aligned with union positions (e.g. by providing…

In the summer of 2013, the State of Florida passed legislation that, among other things, gave parents of students with significant cognitive disabilities the right to refuse a separate curriculum and/or school for their child. This case frames the legal ramifications of Florida Senate Bill 1108 through the lens of the landmark Supreme Court case…

One central component of a great school system is a clear set of expectations, or standards, that educators help all students reach. In Iowa, that effort is known as the Iowa Core. The Iowa Core represents the statewide academic standards, which describe what students should know and be able to do in math, science, English language arts, and…

This study examines Kentucky high school students' participation and pass rates in college preparatory transition courses, voluntary remedial courses in math and reading offered to grade 12 students. These courses are targeted to students scoring just below the state's college readiness benchmarks on the ACT in grade 11. The study found that:…