Discusses efforts to criminalize fetal abuse, harm caused from a pregnant woman's use of illegal drugs. Such efforts have typically failed to withstand judicial scrutiny. Suggests that criminal prosecution for fetal abuse relies on questionable procedures, is unevenly applied, and may keep women from seeking drug treatment or prenatal care. (LKS)

Economic underpinnings of retirement incentives and case law leading to the Older Workers Benefits Protection Act (1986) are reviewed; implications for early retirement incentives for college faculty are considered. It is concluded that congressional intent is not to foreclose such incentives and that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act…

A pooled cross-section time series model is used to evaluate the effect of the 1977 Canadian firearms legislation on the provincial homicide rate between 1969 and 1989. Results agree with most studies that indicate no significant effect of this legislation on homicide rates. (SLD)

States and individual school districts are taking action to avoid hiring people with criminal records by requiring background checks for school employees. Advocates of more stringent measures propose more consistency and cooperation among states and a database of any indictments and convictions for child-abuse crimes. (MLF)

Provides an overview of school choice strategies. Examines the possible impact of choice on African American and poor children. Reviews recently passed Wisconsin legislation that allows for state-funded private school choice for a selected number of poor and minority children, thus addressing the needs of educationally disenfranchised groups. (AF)

This paper examines the pressures placed on northern Manitoba (Canada) communities to meet provincial legislative requirements for certification of special education teachers, the special needs of native northerners, and principles guiding an appropriate education program. Special emphasis is given to the need for distance education and…

Intercollegiate athletics is receiving more attention from the federal government because an institution's academic information is seen as consumer information for prospective student-athletes. The Student Athlete Right-to-Know Act, enacted as part of the Campus Security Act of 1990, requires federally funded institutions to report detailed…

Discusses the problem of drug-exposed infants from the perspective of a county attorney's office, focusing on a new Minnesota law that responds to the problem through early identification and provision of services. The approach calls for mandated reporting by medical providers and includes the possibility of civil commitment. (SLD)

Describes the development and adoption of Dade County (Florida) guidelines regarding national origin employment discrimination based on language. Discusses the case of English-speaking sisters denied employment because they did not speak Spanish, which prompted development of the guidelines. Presents the text of the guidelines in full. (JB)

Federal law requires that individuals with handicapping conditions be administered assessments in ways that accommodate their disabilities without penalizing them. Validation studies are needed to evaluate the meaning of scores resulting from nonstandard test administrations. The limited number of these studies to date is reviewed. (SLD)

National education goals are admirable, but achieving them democratically will be challenging, in the face of growing child poverty and current standardization efforts. Contributors to this special issue are "transformationists" advocating new definitions of school curriculum; new organizational arrangements to promote diversity;…

The GI Bill is seen as the most revolutionary and radically empowering federal legislation to affect American higher education in the 20th century. The bill gave African American veterans more access to higher education than ever before, at government expense, and helped improve the quality of education at black colleges. (MSE)

Outlines what is required of school districts for compliance with new regulations that require employers to test drivers with a commercial driver's license for the illegal use of alcohol and controlled substances. (MLF)

Discussion of the direction and governance of German higher education since the 1960s looks at the relationship of faculty to disciplines, the role of the state in higher education, and failed efforts at reform. New reform debates are examined. It is noted that change at the system level continues to be difficult. (Author/MSE)

Examines the New Jersey Supreme Court school finance decisions as examples of a state court using its state constitution to spur significant social reform. Describes the political activity and cooperation among the three branches of state government in securing the New Jersey education reform initiative. (113 references) (MLF)