This report discusses the impact of federal budget cuts, program restructuring, and rescissions in programs crucial to child survival. It summarizes the changes voted in by House committees, including changes in school meal programs; combining the Child and Adult Care Food Program with the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program; removing…

The charter-school idea has spread rapidly across the United States. One-half of the states have adopted charter-school laws since 1991, and legislatures in other states have given the idea careful consideration. This paper explores the political factors that shape charter-school laws. The paper utilizes the policy-innovation-diffusion framework…

This information brief explains the State of Minnesota statutory provisions that affect the employment rights of K-12 public school teachers in Minnesota. It describes the required probationary period, the conditions of continuing employment for those teachers who successfully complete the probationary period, and the procedures that must be…

This document records oral and written testimony given at a hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The testimony pertains to veterans' preferences in hiring in the federal government and problems veterans are having in being reemployed after stints of active duty or during reductions in…

Authorized by the National Literacy Act of 1991, state literacy resource centers (SLRCs) are charged with assisting local public and private nonprofit efforts to enhance literacy. SLRCs have developed innovative approaches to their mandate to stimulate the coordination of literacy services. They have encouraged government and industry…

A study examined the statutory role of state commissions in implementing the AmeriCorps Program, state commission operations, and extension of state commissions' administration and oversight role and decrease of the federal government role. The research reviewed commissions in California, Maryland, Missouri, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia, and…

As of November 1996, at least 25 states had passed charter-school legislation empowering agencies of state government to enter into agreements with private individuals and groups to operate public schools. This is a guidebook for government agencies given the power to permit individuals and groups to operate autonomous public schools under state…

Organized around the theme of school violence, this booklet provides teachers and lawyers with classroom materials for elementary grades 4-6 (Level A), intermediate grades 6-8 (Level B), and high school grades 9-12 (Level C). In addition, each level contains pages for the lawyer (marked by the scales of justice), the teacher (an apple), and the…

Proposition 209 is a statewide constitutional amendment initiative in California, which, if passed in November 1996, will eliminate all statewide affirmative action programs. It is argued that, contrary to its title, this amendment is an extreme and unnecessary measure that will actually undermine further advances in civil rights. There are…

This article explains briefly how the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 applies to certain hiring practices. The four sections of the paper cover the following: (1) the scope of the ADEA, including coverage, prohibited conduct, and legal remedies for workers who feel they have suffered discrimination; (2) hiring older workers,…

Approximately one in four schools in the United States today is a private school. This handbook was designed to inform representatives of children enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools of the resources available to them through federal education programs. The handbook also provides useful materials to public school officials who…

Focusing on prerequisites, corequisites, and advisories on recommended preparation for existing courses in California's Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD), this document explains new Title 5 regulations adopted by the district Board in October 1994 and provide guidelines for implementation. The following sections are provided:…

Computers, microfilm, cable television, satellite communications, photocopiers and other technical developments brought about general revision to U.S. Copyright Law, which was enacted in 1976 and became effective on January 1, 1978. The 17 articles in this issue of The Bookmark consider how the law has resolved the main problems: (1)…

Many departments in higher education institutions actively recruit women and minority candidates for faculty positions. When a department decides that an available position should be filled by a woman, are the supporting rationales legally sound? This paper describes some basic principles of federal law that address issues of affirmative action…

This paper defines site-based budgeting as a tool for restructuring schools through meaningful participation. It also describes the legal dimensions of site-based budgeting, with an emphasis on Texas. The following legal principles are discussed: public oversight of public dollars, deregulation of governmental powers, equal protection,…