In the Rescue Union Elementary School District (UESD) outside Sacramento, the class for "young fives"--children technically old enough to begin kindergarten, but who still need time to mature--is called Junior Kindergarten. Elsewhere in the state, similar models are called developmental kindergarten, transition kindergarten, Preppie K,…

Five years after the Virginia Tech massacre prompted a student in Texas to start a Facebook page in favor of the right to carry concealed weapons on college campuses, the resulting group, Students for Concealed Carry, has advanced its cause. In more than a dozen states, legislation has been introduced to allow the carrying of concealed firearms on…

Ten states now offer in-state college tuition rates to illegal immigrant students. Others are struggling to enact similar policies. But while many advocates want to open the doors to higher education for undocumented students, critics say the laws granting in-state tuition discriminate against other low-income students and legal residents of the…

Conventional wisdom has long held that Asian American students are conscientious, brainy, and successful, and a look at the statistics makes it clear that many are. These students routinely post the highest scores on California's standardized tests, are most likely to graduate from high school, and have the highest rates of eligibility for…

On March 15, 2007, Santa Barbara residents were shocked when a baby-faced 15-year-old high school student was stabbed to death in the heart of the city's fashionable State Street shopping district. His assailant, just 14, was a member of a rival street gang and a student at the local junior high. "It was a wakeup call for the entire…

People have high regard for the arts, whatever the medium. From painting to the written word to performance and beyond, the arts help define people, both as individuals and as a society. And yet a strange dichotomy exists within one's society, where the arts are paid rhetorical respect even when they are not always adequately funded. Arts…

For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) students, school is rarely a safe space, much less an environment conducive to learning. Seventy-five percent of gay students report being verbally abused at school, and more than a third say they are physically harassed. And research shows that LGBTQ students are five times more…

In this article, the author talks about the passing of new laws forbidding gay marriage or legal recognition of same-sex unions in the United States and the impact of the gay rights issue on students. Across the nation, faculty who enjoy secure academic appointments, work with caring colleagues, and reside in university towns are subject to new…

Students, parents, and the general public are interested in what is happening in their schools. The ability to communicate openly and effectively can help generate a positive image that builds a community's confidence in schools. Although open communication can thus be beneficial, much of the information people want is subject to privacy laws:…

Looks at how effective state and federal sex equity mandates (Chapter 622 and Title IX) have been in reducing bias and sex segregation in Massachusetts schools, particularly in the areas of physical education, athletics, home economics, and industrial arts. (Condensed from "The Massachusetts Teacher," April 1981, p6-12.) (Editor/SJL)

Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican candidate for governor, is one of several lawmakers across the country supporting a group called First Class Education, which is pushing for state initiatives that would require schools to spend at least 65 cents of every education dollar in the classroom. The group, led by Overstock.com…

For decades, educators have wrestled with how to handle the increasingly diverse religions of an increasingly diverse student body. Sometimes, the line between church and state--what schools can and cannot do under the Constitution--can feel confusing and slippery. Today, religion has become a subject one high school teachers describes as even…