Alternative programs in the nation are faced with the responsibility of meeting the needs of the students removed from their home school for various infractions. Current legislation (IDEA, 2004) holds educators legally responsible for providing all students, including those with disruptive behaviors, a free and appropriate education in the least…

This article uses critical race theory, court opinions, newspapers, and interviews to explain how the burden of busing for desegregation was placed upon Blacks in Nashville, Tennessee and why the agenda of the litigants in the Kelley v. Metropolitan Board of Education cases shifted over time. The deliberate pace of the initial desegregation…

The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is a rapidly expanding network of public charter schools whose mission is to improve the education of low-income children. As of the 2012-2013 school year, 125 KIPP schools are in operation in 20 different states and the District of Columbia (DC). Ultimately, KIPP's goal is to prepare students to enroll and…

The objective of this paper is to explore the operation of magnet and professional development school (PDS) programs in a real life situation using an ethnographic study of Downtown Elementary School (DES--a pseudonym) that simultaneously operates as a PDS and a magnet school. The author spent almost three years at DES, located in the Southern…

This study was designed to assess high school students' opinions concerning issues relating to homework assignments. A questionnaire about homework was completed by 210 selected high school seniors in 7 rural Tennessee high schools. Findings indicate that 83 percent of respondents were assigned homework on a regular basis, with about two-thirds…

A 20-item questionnaire covering student attitudes, school and nonschool activities, problem behaviors, and family life was administered to 200 students in 10 rural Tennessee high schools. Subjects were randomly selected from a group that had low achievement scores, excessive absences, and failures in two or more academic subjects. Over half of…

Researchers conducted surveys of public attitudes in two Tennessee school systems in 1984-85 and 1985-86. Although interested in the survey results, one purpose of the researchers was to determine some inexpensive and relatively simple survey procedures. The researchers sought--through several pilot studies--to identify an efficient, parsimonious…

A case study of Oneida High School (Oneida, Tennessee) in December 1997 examined influences and unique circumstances that sustained the school in the face of possible closure and enabled it to "flourish." The study included structured interviews with over 70 individuals in the school and community, focus groups, and informal…

A random selection of 700 parents and teachers representing rural central Tennessee schools was surveyed in order to make their opinions available to policy makers. Usable responses were returned by 196 parents and 224 teachers. Parents opposed increasing public school funds through a lottery; teachers approved. Both groups believed that prayer…

A survey of Tennessee residents ascertained their attitudes about education issues. The survey was conducted by telephone using a computer-assisted telephone interviewing system with a random-digit-dialing-based sample. Useful responses were provided by 1,225 Tennesseans who were over age 18. Findings indicated the following: Tennesseans were not…

This paper compares responses of 660 teachers and 3,420 students from 36 schools (23 elementary, 4 middle, 9 secondary), located in 14 rural Tennessee counties, by school level on the Good Schools Survey instruments. Data represent teacher and student perceptions of classroom practices, support services/facilities, commitment, and goal attainment.…