This qualitative study examined 20 high school counselors' perceptions of their experience serving LGBTQ adolescents in New Jersey. To begin addressing the gap in the literature, the purpose of the qualitative dissertation study is to examine high school counselors' perceptions of and experiences with the LGBTQ population's issues in northern New…

The authors believe it is time to expand the term school climate to reflect an intention of giving all children access to positive school environments. Their expanded definition recognizes that equitable school climates are central to education equity, and it calls on educators and policymakers to deepen awareness of race, ethnicity, gender,…

Minority students and students with disabilities are disciplined disproportionately from their peers. Discipline has led to many negative consequences in the lives of youth in the United States, including the school-to-prison pipeline. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance encouraging school districts to develop policies that…

Drawing on a recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision (2007), this case addresses a school district's responsibility regarding homophobic bullying, school culture, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students to be free of discrimination.

In the United States, parents have been homeschooling their children since the colonial ages. Back then, homeschooling was a way of life, and parents provided education at home because there was no such thing as compulsory education or mandatory attendance of any kind. Homeschooling continued as a practice until Horace Mann, in 1850, helped…

Reflecting the management advocacy position taken by school boards in collective bargaining procedures, this report analyzes New Jersey school labor negotiations laws and practices as of 1978. Terms and issues of special interest are defined and explained. Topics include contract language, good faith bargaining, past practice, negotiations…

New Jersey leaders have launched a campaign to build support for boosting high school rigor, but some are worried that the effort could produce a higher dropout rate as the state phases out an alternative exam used by nearly 15 percent of its students. Part of the state's bid to raise expectations involves scrapping the Special Review Assessment,…

This report, one of a series of yearly reports, analyzes New Jersey school labor negotiations laws and practices as of 1979. One article deals with the school board's ability to take actions within the framework of the negotiations law. Another concerns leave provisions for illness and disability connected with pregnancy, childbirth, and…

Analyzes federal case involving suspension of New Jersey high school student for wearing a T-shirt listing top 10 reasons for being a "redneck" in violation of district's racial harassment policy. Court upheld the policy with a minor exception, but ruled its application to the student's "redneck" T-shirt violated his First…

By New Jersey law, school boards are required to develop written policies governing their operations as a public body and the operation of the school district. This guide is intended to give board members and administrators a working knowledge of the policy process in local school district governance. Provided are background information,…

This brief booklet is intended to help New Jersey school districts as they develop or revise consistent systems of school rules governing student behavior. The booklet lists the most basic provisions of a student conduct code as student rights and responsibilities, rules of acceptable and unacceptable behavior, and regulations or procedural due…

Surveyed New Jersey secondary school teachers and administrators to: determine whether district HIV education policy content matched state policy, investigate their perceptions and practices regarding HIV education policies, describe their training, and examine local curricula. The use of state mandates to stimulate change was successful. All…

This paper recounts the controversy surrounding the development and implementation of alternate route teacher certification in New Jersey. The opposing forces in the debate were the governor and the commissioner of education versus education professors and teacher unions. The debate is presented as an uneven conflict in which the forces of the…

Discusses economic and legal issues related to declining public school enrollments and pressures for "reduction in force" (RIF) of teachers. Reviews developments involving RIF cases in New Jersey and Yonkers, New York. Recommends school boards not agree to contracts that limit their ability to lay off personnel for economic reasons. (JG)

The increasingly politicized environment of schools should be examined in the context of the board of education's legal powers and the politics of education. Historically, the superintendent of schools has dominated policy making, though school boards' influence has been noted in areas such as finance and physical facilities, and in smaller…