Implementing measurement specialists' ideas about content validity with licensure examinations and the problem of court litigation are discussed. Validity issues surfacing when sponsors of national licensure examinations conduct validity investigations are considered. Issues include local versus national focus on content validity, job analysis,…

Examines the merger of Williamsport Area Community College (WACC) and the University of Pennsylvania, necessitated by the city of Williamsport's decision to discontinue its sponsorship of WACC. Considers the principles underlying the merger, legal questions, reactions from within WACC and the surrounding community, and the benefits of the merger.…

Discusses issues affecting the fields of information technology, intellectual property, and education. Four main needs are addressed: (1) new economic mechanisms beyond copyright and patent; (2) new codes of ethics for education; (3) effective representation for creator/producers and users of information; and (4) a forum for the voice of…

Court decisions interpreting effects of Public Law 94-142 on traditional forms of public school discipline are reviewed, concluding that most forms of minor disciplinary remedies remain available to educators so long as they are also used with nonhandicapped students. However, legal problems arise with expulsion and long-term suspensions of…

Introduces the Institute for Scientific Information's (ISI) electronic library project, and discusses the project's technological, economic, and legal issues. Describes computer system requirements that allow ISI's electronic library prototype to provide users with bibliographic information, abstracts, and full images of journals. (JMV)

In a University of Texas-Austin case in which four white applicants to the law school were rejected, a federal judge has upheld the college's right to consider race and ethnicity as admissions factors, but also outlined strict limits on use of affirmative action in assessing applicants, which could pose legal problems for some colleges. (MSE)

Analysis of the Zobrest versus Catalina Foothills School District (1993) case (in which the Supreme Court ruled that using state monies to pay for sign language interpreting services in a parochial school does not violate the Establishment Clause) suggests that, had the Court understood the interpreter's participatory role, it might well have…

Examines the barriers and issues that exist in providing services to high-risk youth, such as runaways and homeless youth, for HIV infection. Ways of removing those barriers by empowering both service providers and youth are offered. Recommendations are also provided for policy development concerning youth and HIV/AIDS. (GR)

Discussion of scientific misconduct, particularly plagiarism, explores the legal issues and compares the processes by which the Office of Research Integrity and the National Science Foundation conduct investigations and evaluate misconduct allegations. Relationships between allegations of plagiarism, copyright infringement, and theft of…

This article discusses the strategy that the University of Maryland pursued in defending the constitutionality of its race-based Benjamin Banneker Scholarship program for black students. It also analyzes the respective decisions of the district court and court of appeals, which recently declared the scholarships unconstitutional. (MDM)

This article examines state court decisions and legislative enactments concerning the applications of public records laws to university presidential searches. It reviews the arguments in support of, and in opposition to, open presidential-search records. Although many administrators favor openness, opponents of open searches argue that they…

Examines relevant case law regarding confidentiality in educational research. Argues that the benefits to society of educational research and the notion of academic freedom provide a rationale for extension of limited legal privilege of confidentiality to educational researchers. Proposes a code defining the nature and extent of research…

The status of Australian law and policy concerning college faculty's intellectual property rights is examined briefly. A number of recent occurrences, some reflecting trends and some discrete events, are used to illustrate the legal and cultural circumstances that frame the discussion about intellectual property and academics. (MSE)

Many business schools are including environmental issues in their curricula and offering elective courses on the environment. The trend is spurred by increasingly strong, complex environmental laws and public concern. However, the United States lags behind other countries in linking environment and economic systems. (MSE)

The trend toward unionization for graduate students employed as teaching assistants by colleges and universities is examined, and the content of union contracts at five major universities is analyzed, looking at provisions for salary, health insurance, salary increases, grievance procedures, and appointment letters. Activism at three other…