Surveyed the extent to which a sample of academic staff at Monash University in Australia are familiar with general intellectual property concepts and the provisions of their university's intellectual property statute. Found a level of ignorance in this area that may require attention. (EV)

Students sometimes choose violence because it pervades their lives, they can't perceive other options, or don't trust adults to protect them. Teachers should drop get-tough responses and develop a gentle stance toward students and tough situations. Gentle discipline implies a code of conduct based on respect, intentionality, optimism, and trust.…

Explored the relationship between severity of sanction imposed for tobacco policy violation and dropout rates in South Carolina public high schools. Surveys of school principals assessed policies and sanctions. Data were tested for an association between event dropout rate and sanction severity. Results suggest that severe sanctions imposed for…

Asserts that school security requires a variety of methods combined into a single, cohesive solution that addresses five areas: management, building security, violence prevention and intervention, staff training, and crisis management. (EV)

Discusses how colleges are creating offices to handle crimes, near-crimes, human errors, dramas, and assorted foibles on increasingly Internet-connected campuses. (EV)

Discusses faculty retirement policy at colleges and universities, particularly findings from a survey by the American Association of University Professors. Explores defined-contribution plans, terminal leaves, phased retirement programs, and prerequisites that can enhance faculty retirements. Also addresses how trustee boards can help with…

Explores whether trustee boards should establish a naming-rights policy for donators of large gifts. Suggests that the beginning of a comprehensive fundraising campaign is a good time to address such standards, and offers factors to keep in mind when making decisions about naming college facilities after donors. (EV)

Describes the need for a discipline policy that applies equally to students with disabilities and those without. Should include preventive discipline, supportive discipline, and corrective discipline. Provides examples of each. (PKP)

Argues that the disciplinary process on campuses has been too procedural and mirrors an adversarial proceeding that precludes student development. Provides suggestions for a pared-down process allowing for student learning. (Contains 51 references.) (GCP)

Discusses how the American Association of University Professors wants colleges to give scholars who have newborns extra time before tenure reviews. There appears to be a reluctance of the part of faculty to take advantage of such policies, however, because of fear of being stigmatized. (EV)

Though they play the least active role, bystanders are a critical element in bullying. With peers looking on and providing at least tacit support, the bully is no longer acting alone. The bystanders have become allies to the point of magnifying the supposed negative attributes of the target. If the bullying cycle is to be broken, the role of the…

In the past, there were no four-year-olds to be found in infant or primary schools. The statutory school age of five had been established in 1870, after a hurried and confused debate in the House of Commons; one hundred years later, it was a regulation still honoured in practice. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, children started school in the term…

IT is one of the most common (and unsettling) occurrences in today's classrooms--the ringing of a cell phone, often punctuated by some silly tune or sound effect that announces to everyone that a call is coming in. Inevitably, educators say, it happens during an important part of a lecture or discussion, just when a critical point is being made,…

The author discusses how to create good policies about technology use among school districts. Disagreements over technology use policies have at their core two disparate sets of priorities--one held by the technical staff and one by educators. The author argues that open dialogue and clear understanding about technology are essential for its…

This case study focuses on the legal aspects of school district grading policies. Given parental and student challenges to assigned grades, a school district and its employees must be prepared to respond appropriately to substantive and procedural claims. Moreover, when these claims cannot be resolved at the building level, administrative reviews,…