Assisted by a sophisticated telecommunications system, 90 small, rural Minnesota schools collaborated to influence state legislation regarding funding equity and other issues. Small-school strategies for building political activism include seizing available opportunities, developing leadership capacity, involving political constituents,…

The overriding concern in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is dignity. The implications for mental health policy are discussed. The U.S. may not ratify the convention, but it should serve as a guide for state lawmakers and mental health professionals involved in children's issues. (DM)

Discusses the team teaching process developed in the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada, resulting from the Nevada Legislature's mandate to reduce class size to a 15:1 ratio. Describes the nature of team relationships and how teachers came to teach in a team situation. Advises teacher input in team partner selection as essential to…

Larry Echo Hawk, Idaho attorney general and former state legislator, discusses success factors in college and law school; early experiences as an Indian lawyer; first election campaign; and his views on tribal sovereignty, state-tribal relationship, gambling, and his dual responsibility to the general public and Native American issues. (SV)

Summarizes the first year's results of an Oregon mandate that hospitals report all attempted suicides by adolescents and compares the characteristics of attempted adolescent suicides in 1988 with completed suicides between 1979 and 1988. The best predictor of outcome was the method used; the relationship between method and outcome must be further…

Examined changes that occurred in alcohol consumption, alcohol knowledge, and alcohol-related problems among students attending major university between 1983 and 1988. Analyzed data from 353 questionnaires collected in 1983 and 254 in 1988. In spite of alcohol awareness program and change in state law raising drinking age to 21 in 1985, found no…

In New Mexico, 18 out of 89 school districts are on the four-day school week. So are many rural Colorado, Oregon, and Colorado schools. Implemented as a fiscal last resort, this schedule has had unexpected educational benefits for districts. Attendance has improved and student achievement on standardized tests remains stable. (MLH)

Reviews claims of proponents of school vouchers; addresses issues of constitutionality and separation of church and state. (SK)

School districts often lack the capacity for turning vast amounts of existing student-performance data into useful information for helping teachers and improving classrooms. The California Accountability Project helps districts to function more systematically on behalf of children and to understand schools' pockets of success and underperformance.…

Examines three school districts [Richmond Unified School District (California), Coachella Valley Unified School District (California), and White Pine County School District (Nevada)] that faced financial disaster and then worked their way back to solvency. All three overspent revenues in the general fund, had unrealistic budgets, and lacked…

Reports on how bilingual educators in California are coping with English-only instruction in the aftermath of Proposition 227. (Author/VWL)

A study asked 318 randomly selected teachers from Kentucky to rate validated job descriptions for school council vacancies. Teachers with greater numbers of dependent children and prior school-council experience rated these positions more negatively than did teachers with fewer dependent children and no prior experience. Implications are…

Since "Serrano v. Priest" (1971), 17 federal and state supreme court decisions have discussed rural schools' unique funding dilemmas. Recent cases illustrate the escalating battle between rural and metropolitan districts over financial resources. If rural schools' fiscal situation continues to deteriorate and state lawmakers shun…

Examines the perspectives of administrators in Michigan school districts engaged in change processes. Responses from 83 administrators suggest a framing mechanism, or taxonomy, that represents the current state of change efforts in the state. First-wave, or state-mandated, change is driving most reform in Michigan at present. (SLD)

Describes Minnesota's landmark Bleacher Safety Act, enacted after a 6-year-old fell to his death from bleachers, and the efforts and recommendations of other states and organizations regarding bleacher safety. (EV)