Objective: The present study extends research on campus smoking bans by examining where smokers are violating the policy at a large university in the southeastern region of the United States. Participants: The data collection was conducted by one graduate student from the university in August of 2014. Methods: A global positioning system device…

Analysis of two recent federal court cases in which principals violated student speech rights offers guidance to middle school administrators as they attempt to address student expression. Characteristics of a successful school from the Association for Middle Level Education provide a framework for analyzing these cases in order to prevent…

In 2021, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools celebrated 30 years since the passage of the first charter school law, influenced policies at the federal and state levels, secured $440 million for the federal Charter Schools Program, and expanded our policy priorities, among many other activities. Check out our annual report to reflect…

Although past research has documented that school leaders and teachers lack legal knowledge, this study is the first to ask the critical question whether legal training affects educators' actions and attitudes. School leaders and teachers responded to a survey in the years after completing a graduate-level school law course. They indicated that…

By most media accounts, charter schools are innovative schools. But little empirical work interrogates this idea. We examine the growth and decline of specialist charter school mission statements as one indicator of innovation. In line with theories of resource partitioning, we find that specialist charter school missions--those asserting…

New York State's system of public elementary and secondary schools is in steep decline, but it is salvageable. The roots of its problems pre-date the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, but the system's response to that challenge accelerated discontent with the schools and harmed students. The damage of those years will not be undone if…

The purpose of this handbook is to provide detailed information regarding school-based decision making (SBDM) processes, laws, and best practices. Topics covered include the following: (1) School-based Decision Making Statute: KRS 160.345; (2) Achievement Gaps and Planning Requirements; (3) Other Kentucky Statutes Related to School Council Work;…

There is a growing concern that adults who supervise children's play may restrict opportunities for children to engage in risky activities. Risk-benefit assessment is commonly advocated as a way of allowing children to take managed risks within settings. However "risk-benefit" adopts a limited strategy of convincing professionals of the…

The inter-district school choice law in Massachusetts was passed in 1991. Its two main goals were to provide education options to Massachusetts parents and children, and to spur competition among districts. School choice allows school districts to enroll non-resident pupils from other districts at a tuition cost that starts at $5,000 but averages…

While functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) are currently federally mandated requirements, public schools have not been provided clear federal guidance concerning what constitutes an acceptable FBA through Individuals With Disabilities Education Act or related regulations. The purpose of this article is to examine recent rulings regarding FBAs…

In November of 2009 Mr. Sean Lyndon was elected to the Verde Mountain School Board and by February 2012 he resigned from this position. During his tumultuous tenure, Mr. Lyndon's antics proved divisive, caustic, and disruptive to the governance process. These actions included belittling and intimidating fellow school board members and school…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore female teachers and vice principal's leadership on girls attendance and learning, safety and security issues in rural girls' schools experiencing Boko Haram insurgencies. The secondary purpose is to recommend innovative educational policy initiatives at the school, community and state levels, so as…

Online charter schools, charter schools that primarily utilize remote online instruction, have been both popular and controversial. As of October 2015, fully online charter schools operate in 26 (soon to be 27) states and enrolled approximately 200,000 students in the 2013-14 school year, comprising over 8 percent of all public charter school…

Teachers more familiar with students' culture tend to use culturally relevant teaching methods to smooth students' learning. Most pre-service teachers in Taiwan lack sufficient training for multicultural competence to enable them to embrace indigenous students' culture and appropriate teaching approaches. In 2013, the Education Act for Indigenous…

Relative to earlier research, this study from the Center for Reinventing Public Education provides a more in-depth analysis of policy features across the 27 states that allow online charter schools. It presents a well-organized description of policy features and includes a set of policy recommendations that generally, but not always, follow well…