Analyzes New Jersey case involving the jailing of striking teachers who refused to comply with a judge's return-to-work order. (PKP)

A Wisconsin law that forces students to attend school before they receive welfare money may impact Blacks and other minority students disproportionately. The "learnfare" program reduces the payments received by families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children for truancy and dropping out. (FMW)

Offers tips for managing discipline among young people at recreational camps. Suggests preventative measures through identifying special needs of youngsters and meeting them before problems develop. Emphasizes importance of staying "adult" and laying ground rules. Recommends using "time out," rather than outright punishment, as consequence for…

Discusses the need for elementary principals and teachers to understand their state's policies involving the improvement of school performance through the use of high-stakes assessment of students and schools. Describes range of state sanctions for poor school performance, which are infrequently based on test scores alone. (PKP)

There has been substantial interest in recent years in the performance and accountability of teachers and schools, partially due to the No Child Left Behind legislation, which requires states to develop a system of sanctions and rewards to hold districts and schools accountable for academic achievement. This focus has lead to an increase in…

A decade ago educators began panicking over the state of the academic system and the overemphasis on athletics in school. Consequently, an increasing number of state legislatures, state boards of educators and local school districts have taken action to limit participation in extracurricular activities if students fail courses or do not achieve…

Leading national civil rights groups and advocates are increasingly divided over whether the No Child Left Behind Act will improve the academic achievement of poor and minority students, a rift that is generating conversation and concern among a circle of people accustomed to working together. Few civil rights advocates disagree with the law's…

This paper explores what lessons we can learn from the experiences of states that instituted NCLB-like accountability systems prior to 2001 (here called first-generation accountability systems). We looked at the experiences of three smaller states (Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina), four larger ones (California, Florida, New York, Texas), and…

The winds of decentralizing reform that have been driving their way through various government education systems across the globe over the best part of two decades have generated a great deal of conflict. In the late 1990s those working in the Western Australian government high school in which I conducted the research reported here found…

In May 2008, the Center for Evaluation & Education Policy (CEEP) issued the Education Policy Brief, "Calculating High School Graduation Rates," which discussed the importance of accurate and reliable high school graduation data, various graduation rate calculation methods, the history behind the use of particular methodologies, and…

The Escuela Internacional Sampedrana (EIS) in Honduras implemented a new discipline program in its Primary School during the 1996-97 school year. This paper contains findings from three evaluations of the program--an initial analysis, a midyear report, and a year-end report. The first report analyzed the number of suspensions and detentions, as…

Issues in suspension reform are examined in this document, which identifies the need for reform in the Oakland, California, public schools and offers suggestions. Data was derived from the conclusions of educational researchers, experiences of educators and students, and analysis of local data. Following the overview, which asserts that the level…

English departments should develop policy statements dealing with the selection of books, films, and periodicals. (JH)

This handbook comprises strategies that concerned individuals can use to petition Congress to repeal the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). Despite the conclusion of the Government Accounting Office that the employer sanction provisions of the IRCA are causing widespread employment discrimination against Hispanics, Asians, and…

The intent of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 to eliminate the large exploitable subclass of undocumented immigrants living within the borders of the United States cannot be achieved through the methods chosen for its implementation. IRCA was designed to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants and to prevent more…