It is paradoxical that discriminatory measures like California's Proposition 187 push immigrants and their children into entrepreneurial self-employment, at which many increase their incomes. The situation of Arab Americans illustrates the case of an ethnic group that is wealthy in the face of persistent prejudice. (SLD)

The goal of California's classroom size reduction (CSR) program is to have 20 or fewer students in kindergarten through grade 3 classrooms. Districts receive $650 for each student in a reduced classroom. Describes how districts implemented the plan and offers five lessons from struggles and successes with CSR. A table displays average elementary…

Examines, in detail, the recent events in New York that led to improvements in early childhood (child care and Head Start) teacher compensation. (BB)

"Sunshine laws," which stipulate when records and meetings of state agencies must be made public, have prompted legal battles as newspapers and public-interest groups demand access to the records of public colleges. Intensifying debates in Arizona and South Carolina are described. (MLW)

Reviews labor legislation enacted by each state during 1988. Covers such labor issues as (1) wages, (2) parental leave, (3) child labor, (4) discrimination, (5) employee testing for drug or alcohol abuse or for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (6) private employment agencies, and (7) safety and health. (CH)

Responds to an article by Mark Jaffee and Kenneth Kersch published in the Summer 1991 issue of the "Journal of Law and Education." Argues that the judicial role is often necessary but not sufficient to achieve fiscal equity and that, ultimately, the electorate must be educated and persuaded of the value of public school funding reform.…

This article examines state court decisions and legislative enactments concerning the applications of public records laws to university presidential searches. It reviews the arguments in support of, and in opposition to, open presidential-search records. Although many administrators favor openness, opponents of open searches argue that they…

The California Mentor Teacher Program is unique among statewide mentor teacher initiatives in its size, longevity, stipends for mentor teachers, and the discretion it allows local education agencies. The shared perspectives of a mentor, a local administrator, and a state administrator trace the legislative and policy history of this program. (SLD)

Presents a comparative examination of state statutory codes related to public educator termination, and an analysis of recent court cases involving hearing officers in public education termination actions. (68 footnotes) (MLF)

New York State does not have a mandate requiring differential instruction for gifted students but has increased services. Factors promoting program development have included financial incentives, mandatory screening, educational reform, and vigorous advocacy. Negative factors associated with lack of a mandate have been inequities in program…

Discusses approaches to providing sexual knowledge to adolescents, emphasizing the restricted information approach advocated by the religious and political "Far Right." Presents examples of the limiting of sexual information at federal, state, and local levels; discusses the role of health educators in assuring adolescents the right to learn about…

Describes teacher certification in private schools, noting tension between private schools and state regulations. The article examines experiences with and reactions to state standards by Vermont and Michigan private schools. It discusses alternative teacher certification, alternative student assessment, and teacher professionalism as means of…

Examines progress in equal opportunities for male and female students made possible by Title IX and other federal and state laws, noting factors which have hampered its enforcement. The article suggests taking action to eliminate inequities which continue to persist in high school and college athletics. (SM)

Publicly supported public/private educational choice can succeed if states and federal government passed legislation that immediately extends all regulations affecting public schools to all private schools receiving public funds. Applying the same extension to new regulations and statutes may be more feasible. This article illustrates by…

This article describes effects of four reform efforts on the role of the gifted and talented specialist in Oregon including Oregon's Educational Act for the 21st Century, adoption of both site-based decision-making models and integrative education models, and Oregon's Talented and Gifted Mandate. The emerging collaborative consultant role is…