This survey identifies the characteristics that set the middle school apart from other types of academic organization. A questionnaire was sent to 1,988 schools whose names included the words "middle school," as well as to other schools that could conceivably be considered middle schools. Stratified random samples of 275 elementary and 91 junior…

The guidelines and codes in this booklet were written to assist teachers and administrators strengthen their positions in times of legal and social confusion and in the face of challenges to administrative and staff authority. Model codes are provided for student (1) assembly, (2) dress and grooming, (3) motor vehicles, (4) search and seizure, (5)…

This paper represents a report of a year-long case study of the implementation of a token economy in an entire elementary school. The effort was intended to provide teachers with an alternative to corporal punishment as a form of school discipline. In this report, both the successful and unsuccessful procedures are described in chronological…

This code of student conduct prescribes rules, procedures, rights and responsibilities governing non-academic relationships, academic relationships, and student records for students in the Kentucky system of community colleges. Part I of this code, concerning non-academic relationships, describes the structure, function, role, and scope of…

This booklet consists of seven articles intended to introduce new school board members in Texas to the formation and implementation of educational policy, with particular emphasis on the legal requirements governing policy-making and other school board activities. The articles include the following: "Policy Development: An Overview," by…

This paper analyzes data on anti-corporal punishment advocacy and the data's use in judicial, legislative, and public areas. The paper defines corporal punishment and discusses seminal court cases, personal effects of corporal punishment, developmental factors, demographic factors, litigation, use of tort remedies, and the concept of Educator…

Proposed National Collegiate Athletic Association rules changes concern Presidents' Commission grouping, academic standards and transfer, financial aid, amateurism, championships and extra events, drug testing, administrative regulation, financial audits, coaches' outside compensation, voting privileges, membership and classification, enforcement,…

The Department of Education, in its report, "The Search for Successful Secondary Schools," presents six "common sense" attributes found among 571 winning schools in competition: (1) good principals, (2) discipline, (3) good teachers, (4) high expectations and high standards, (5) parent and community involvement, and (6) ethos.…

This report--part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002-- discusses student drug testing in Texas public schools. It contains the results of a 2001 study of student drug-testing policies in all 1,056 Texas public-school districts. In response to the Supreme Court's June…

This digest presents a brief review of recent Fourth Amendment decisions that affect the rights of students and the parameters of schools' authority to maintain a crime-free environment. Although Federal decisions apply nationwide and do mark the boundaries of permissible state and local action, state and local laws and regulations must always be…

Although there are no simple solutions for how to turn around a school with serious discipline problems, schoolwide approaches have been effective, according to this report. The report examines research on schoolwide approaches to discipline and discusses the characteristics of programs that promote a culture of safety and support, improved…

A teacher draws upon personal experiences to argue that successful classroom discipline is the product of teaching competence and style rather than the result of behaviorist classroom management techniques. Emphasis is on keeping children involved in learning activities. (PP)

Using 1976-77 data on truants aged 14 and under in Sheffield, England, this study examined characteristics of poor attenders and compared the effects on subsequent school attendance of three intervention strategies: calling parents before a school attendance board; prosecuting parents in magistrates court; or taking action through juvenile court.…

Described a naturalistic study of an Early Learning Lab which yielded examples of classroom management strategies that allowed young children to create their own solutions to help them feel empowered when accomplishing a task, while gaining self-confidence and a sense of identity from the experience. (Author/SD)

Zero-tolerance policies have had no appreciable effect on reducing violence, have had an adverse effect on African American students, and are receiving mixed reactions in the courts. Effective solutions are seen as improving overall school climate to guide school operations related to student discipline. (Contains 13 references.) (MLF)