State departments of health and education were asked to describe state laws, regulations, legal opinions, and guidelines concerning the dispensation of prescription medications to students in school. State laws and policies dealing with liability risks, persons who can give medicines, and drug management procedures are reported. (PP)

South Carolina's Educator Improvement Act, a recently enacted teacher minimum competency testing measure, is described. The act mandates testing of basic skills and subject matter knowledge of college students planning to teach, and observational assessment of the performance of teachers and student teachers. Testing provisions are discussed. (PP)

A new California law, Senate Bill 813, implies sweeping changes for teacher education in that state. The law permits districts to hire college graduates without teaching credentials and train them. It also requires all teachers to renew certification periodically. Implications for schools of education are discussed. (Author/PP)

Provides an overview of state-mandated minimum competency testing programs. Describes the potential impact of competency testing on the school counselor. Proposes actions counselors might take to protect student well-being and counselor functions from misdirected regulation. (RC)

Three possible avenues for the future of teacher education are: (1) continue current practice and risk diminishing public confidence and teacher quality; (2) allow state legislation to improve teacher education programs; and (3) combine a more rigorous selection and preparation process in professional schools of education with extended periods of…

Details cooperative agreements to finance new schools drawn up by growing school districts in Colorado and the corporations whose activities are responsible for that growth. The developers of an oil shale project and a tract housing project lent school districts money under very favorable terms. (JM)

Explains a new approach by creationists to pass state legislation which supports their philosophy yet sidesteps the issue of separation of church and state by avoiding direct mention of God, the Bible, or Divine Creation. Warns of the ramifications of such legislation to science education and general education. (DC)

Reviews the purposes and findings of a nationwide study of state directors of two-year college systems conducted to measure the current status and future directions of statutory and administrative agency policies affecting potential community college and public school coordination and cooperation with respect to lifelong learning. (DMM)

Employment rights of the handicapped are examined in this collection of symposium papers. Addressed are: procedural aspects of plaintiff litigation, job relatedness and bona fide occupational qualification doctrines, plaintiff's private right of action, arbitration, insurance, state fair employment legislation, and federal and constitutional…

The status of programs serving students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) was investigated via questionnaires completed by 144 SLD teachers in Virginia. Findings raise serious questions concerning instructional intensity and scope in addition to procedural issues related to compliance with federal and state regulations. (Author)

The tendency for bilingual education to remain locally-oriented and to resist outside input may impede its success. Unless the efforts to better instructional programs, teacher training, materials development, and evaluation improve soon, no amount of political or legal support may be able to sustain the movement. (Author/SJL)

Student financial aid programs have become significant elements in governmental aid to postsecondary education. The effect of the regulations stemming from the Education Amendments of 1976 and succeeding regulations will serve to increase an already heavy administrative burden in institutional management of student financial aid programs. (MLW)

The imposition of legal proof requirements to detect occupational disease and the burden that this places on compensation claimants and the medical profession are examined, along with various court decisions, present legislation, and revision proposals to improve disease diagnosis and the legal treatment of occupationally disabled workers. (MF)

The legal status of constitutionally autonomous higher education systems is analyzed, and a constitutional provision granting autonomous status to the Board of Regents of the State University System of Florida is proposed. The legal implication of adopting the constitutional provision granting autonomy is assessed. (JMD)

Legislation has mandated equal opportunity in American society for persons with handicaps, creating mechanisms for ending discrimination against them. Access to education, employment, public transportation vehicles and other facilities, and community living situations is specifically guaranteed in federal legislation. State statutes and municipal…