This study characterises the ombuds office in higher education as an innovative practice of handling employee, staff, and student grievances. Though ombuds offices have had a place on many higher education campuses for some time, their function has evolved in response to a changing environment. Drawing on Open-Systems theory, this study views the…

About 12 percent of all charter schools have bargaining agreements. Why do charter schools unionize? What is in these charter school contracts? Can they be considered innovative or models for union reform? And how do they compare to traditional district/union teacher contracts? Center on Reinventing Public Education legal analyst Mitch Price…

The purpose of the study was to examine categories of disabilities and disputes common to special education hearings in the State of Texas between 2006 and 2008, and to determine which party typically prevailed in these hearings. Special education disability was based on the 13 categories identified by the State of Texas. Chi square compared…

A recent Supreme Court decision on a First Amendment case involving a teacher in Texas illustrates how teachers' and other public employees' rights to freedom of speech face serious erosion. The problem is deciding whether grievances fall into the protected area of "public concern" or the unprotected area of a "purely private…

A survey and analysis of various fairness issues related to teacher evaluation and the pursuant legal challenges to placement on the Texas Teacher Career Ladder by the use of a statewide teacher appraisal system are presented in this report. Analysis of legal trends in Texas indicates that strict compliance has been required in situations where…

The Texas Part-Time Work Experience (PT-WEX) Program gives migrant high school students an opportunity to (1) explore their work and personal values and interests; (2) apply and learn skills in a job after school; (3) develop new career choices; and (4) obtain job experience. This manual provides participants of the PT-WEX program with some…

Literature and litigation are reviewed in a three-part study of the problems that exist in the administration of academic tenure; the history of faculty tenure at Texas community and junior colleges; and possible alternatives to faculty tenure. Part I outlines the general features of tenure operation in the United States and discusses trends…

The Part-Time Work Experience Program (PT-WEX) provides migrant students the opportunity to work after school. The PT-WEX program is part of the Midwest Youth Employment and Training Program (YETP) which emphasizes high school retention and completion and career awareness. Intended for supervisors of the program participants, this manual provides…

A bilingual handbook for Title I migrant Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) was designed to be used by administrators, teachers, consultants and parents in organizing and training PACs at local, district, and state levels. All information is duplicated in separate English and Spanish sections. The first part discusses the Texas migrant program,…