An academician explores major issues in higher education labor law during the 1990s: union organizing by graduate teaching assistants, bargaining and workload issues, developments concerning grievance arbitration, and rights of individual faculty members within unions. Issues likely to arise in the next decade include alternatives to tenure,…

Describes factors affecting the life-span achievement of 15 highly accomplished African-American women. Participants perceived that civil-rights and affirmative-action polices opened doors if they were already qualified. Findings suggest cultural strengths plus high ability enabled simultaneous acknowledgment of discrimination and application of…

Specialized library collections and services are often not geared toward Indian nationals in Canada. Public libraries should serve ethnic minorities by providing staff with language abilities and sharing materials through interlibrary loan. Appendixes include a geographic overview of Canadian public library acts, sample initiatives for…

Federal law provides for special educational services for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and for all children with disabilities. Questions arise regarding special educational services for parochial school children. A brief introduction to the two major federal programs for compensatory and special education is followed by an analysis of…

This overview of telecommunications in Arizona discusses library telecommunications; state library activities; the Arizona State Public Information Network; higher education projects; community outreach; business and economic development; state telecommunications policy; the paradigm shift in the public's use of telecommunications; community…

Summarizes the major provisions of the Improving America's Education Act (IASA): (1) higher standards for all children; (2) a focus on teaching and learning; (3) flexibility to stimulate local school-based and district initiatives, coupled with the responsibility for student performance; (4) links among schools, parents, and communities; and (5)…

Postsecondary education in Australia has undergone major structural change in recent years, accompanied by increased awareness of and policy response to the needs of students with disabilities. The nature of these changes, legislative background, and policy initiatives directed at improving successful participation of these students are described.…

The current obsession with standardizing curricula and measuring output may further reduce teacher agency and marginalize segments of our society that are already cheated by the system. Enormous discrepancies exist among public-school facilities, resources, and teachers. Multicultural education will suffer unless legislatures address these…

This article describes changes taking place in Israeli special education. It discusses the goals of special education, diagnosis and placement, special education procedures, criticism of the special education law, and the current status of special education in Israel. The movement towards increased inclusion is highlighted. (Contains 7…

Addresses issues relating to the inclusion and exclusion of young children with disabilities in regular early childhood settings. Analyzes statements from parents, early childhood educators, and support staff as representing a number of discourses that are the context within which disability and provisions for children with disabilities are…

Discusses the various definitions of home education and how the term can give rise to misinterpretations. Covers recent changes to legislation and policy relating to home education in some European countries, such as France and Ireland. Argues that governments should conduct well reasoned, objective research before considering measures to limit…

Education leadership is possibly the most important single determinant of an effective learning environment. Change leaders must understand procedures and processes that create the conditions necessary for organizational improvement. Building principals must be able to assess and evaluate the impact and perceptions of their leadership styles.…

There is nothing like tracking down 2,000 state policies to reinforce one's understanding that states do not approach problems or policy in the same way. Education policies in California fill 17 volumes. Alaska's consist of one short chapter of a codebook that also covers elections, guardianships, and trusts. States such as Texas select textbooks…

When it comes to the legal fight over special education that they have waged for the past seven years, Jocelyn S. and Martin P. Schaffer and their Maryland school district don't agree on much. But the two sides do see eye to eye on this: With the U.S Supreme Court's decision to review the Schaffers' case, the dispute suddenly has the potential to…

The "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) Act has made schools accountable for assuring adequate yearly progress of students. Therefore, it has become critical to identify school-level variables that can be controlled to affect student achievement, especially given that, thus far, most school reform efforts have failed to significantly affect…