Five legal principles (and cases establishing them) on the use of competency testing in student placement or for graduation are discussed. The principles address the constitutionality of appropriate use, adequate notice to students, prohibition of effects of past racial discrimination, graduation test validity, and requirements for handicapped…

Reviews the impact on education of the first year's application of Massachusetts' Proposition 2-1/2, examines local factors linked to retrenchment policies, and considers the law's distributive impact among variously sized population centers. Analyzes projections of the law's second-year urban impact and its implications for educational equity in…

Presents the full text of Arkansas Act 590 (1981) requiring balanced treatment of creationism and evolution in public schools of this state. Includes, among others, requirements for balanced treatment, prohibition against religious instruction, requirements for nondiscrimination, definitions of "creation-science" and…

Contains 16 articles as a resource on political action. Presents views of individuals actively involved in shaping national education policy. Provides several perspectives on levels of political awareness from both philosophical and practical dimensions. Contains examples and consequences of counselor initiative concerning social program policy…

Develops a comprehensive approach to human relations training (HRT) for teachers based on knowledge of student diversity and application of communication skills. Describes a model that integrates the two major components of HRT. Discusses specific goals, skills, and attitudes capable of being fitted into a teaching paradigm. (Author/RC)

This article is an update and expansion of "Can We Still Sing Christmas Carols in Public Schools?" published in MEJ in November 1976. It is a report of a survey to determine whether any significant new guidelines were being developed on the issue of using sacred music in schools. (Editor/KC)

Reviews the major points of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenge to the Arkansas bill "Unbiased Presentation of Creation Science and Evolution Science Bill." (SK)

Analyzes the current evolution/creationism controversy by reviewing court cases and what scientists and educators are doing to prevent creationism from being taught as science or included in school curricula. Includes viewpoints of scientists, educators, and creationists. (JN)

Fifty-six college placement directors perceived that five percent of the on-campus job recruiters ask illegal questions concerning applicants' sex, age, national origin, race or color, handicaps, or religion. Forty percent of the student applicants are judged to be unaware of illegal questioning. (Author/MLF)

Since each disabled student must be considered individually, planning and implementing a realistic individualized education program while meeting the mandates of the law will always be difficult. The primary objective of educational diagnosis should be to determine the child's present level of functioning. (JN)

Evaluates the impact of the 1954 "Brown" decision and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on equal opportunity for women. Reviews the similar struggles faced by Blacks and women in the areas of education and employment. (GC)

Description of a course involving students in the Michigan state political process. The students investigated a legislative bill intended to reduce throwaway drink containers by summarizing relevant literature, conducting consumer surveys, and performing self-initiated projects. Journal available from Faculty of Modern Studies, Oxford Polytechnic,…

In arguing that the present administration has no coordinated or coherent policy for urban integration, this paper reviews urban trends, analyzes the barriers to unified action, and discusses a variety of steps that federal agencies can take to improve the administration's civil rights record. (Author/EB)

Examines the spatial basis of language planning for the Welsh-speaking regions of the United Kingdom and discusses the relationship between language planning and language rights. Conflict between rights of individuals and rights of groups and between rights of Welsh speakers and those of English speakers are also discussed. (Author/PJM)

The text of the court order following litigation to release faculty peer review evaluations at the University of California Berkeley is presented. The order applies to all university campuses and covers the release, maintenance, and return of relevant university documents. (MSE)