Over the years, as states have sought to incorporate more inclusive and relevant academic standards and curriculum for K-12 students, they have interpreted ethnic studies in both broad and narrow terms. While most states use the term ethnic studies to describe their efforts to incorporate the knowledge and perspectives of traditionally excluded…

This paper offers a critical review of a report published in March by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan titled "Improving Oversight of Michigan Charter Schools and Their Authorizers." The report argues that charter schools and charter school authorizers need more oversight. Making the case for this position might include…

Michigan's former governor, John Engler, was naturally attracted to charter schools. He had seen for too long how school districts treated students as their property and the state as an endless funding source, and he wanted that to change. Engler saw the chartering strategy as a politically viable means for gaining leverage over school districts…

It's a long, long way from Bay Mills Community College, near the shores of frigid Lake Superior, to Detroit. But distance, time and demographics aside, the school and the city are united by Bay Mills' status as the nation's only tribally controlled college that authorizes quasi-public schools, known officially as public school academies. And it's…

A small community in southwest Michigan has been witness to a significant cultural divide within its school system. An influential church has permeated school leadership and in many cases has overstepped the proverbial "wall separating church and state." A fairly high-profile case saw the Sixth Circuit Court enjoin the district to remove…

In 2003, the United States Supreme Court decided on two cases that involved affirmative action policies for admission to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor Law School and the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Those cases, "Gratz v. Bollinger" (2003) and "Grutter v. Bollinger" (2003) had implications for the…

This article discusses a new state law which has stirred up a fierce dispute over privacy rights, as innocent school employees in Michigan have begun learning that they have been misidentified as criminals. The Student Safety Initiative, a series of laws that took effect January 1, required Michigan school districts to obtain criminal-background…

Describes two recent court cases that demonstrate the difficulty of balancing the emphasis on drug detection with the privacy rights of students. Concludes that school officials should not be quick to assume that reasonable suspicion exists. (IW)

This paper uses the charter-school legislation of three states-Arizona, California, and Michigan--as a lens to understand the policy values embodied in school--choice reforms. It questions the prevailing rubrics of the Center for Education Reform and the American Federation of Teachers. Briefly stated, the former ranks laws as either…

THIS IS A COPY OF THE "COMMUNITY COLLEGE ACT OF 1966" (ACT NO. 331, PUBLIC ACTS OF 1966), AS PASSED BY THE MICHIGAN STATE LEGISLATURE. ITS INTENT IS TO REVISE AND CONSOLIDATE THE LAWS RELATING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND TO PROVIDE (1) FOR THE CREATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS, (2) A CHARTER FOR SUCH DISTRICTS, (3) FOR THE…

Surveys of Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin school board members indicate significant impact of state collective bargaining legislation on perceived ability of board members to perform legislatively prescribed duties. (Author/JBM)

Reviews reasons for, history of, and exceptions to open meeting (sunshine) acts and considers arguments by the Michigan Supreme Court in its ruling supporting a university's right to privacy in its presidential search. Concludes that in contrast to the court's argument, universities do not require the freedom to employ closed searches and state…

These guidelines describe areas of concern as indicated by recent litigation, questions received from local school districts, and complaints received from parents and students. They also present, as a frame of reference, the status of current school law where and as it applies to the area of students' rights and responsibilities. The document is…

Michigan is no stranger to the effects of competition. The auto industry was forced to adjust to an onslaught of foreign competition in the 70s and 80s. Now, Michigan's public schools face their own competition in the form of public charter schools. Since 1993, when Michigan became one of the first states in the nation to enact charter…

This report describes a problem-solving approach to grievance settling and negotiations developed in the Brighton, Michigan, school district and inspired by the book, "Getting To Yes," by Roger Fisher and William Ury. In this approach teachers and administrators come to the table not with fixed positions but with problems both sides want…