This special theme issue of the newly titled "Civil Rights Journal" (previously titled "Perspectives"), commemorates the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by presenting a written symposium that offers a wide range of perspectives on civil rights realities and the future of civil rights. Three…

Changes in the preschool education system are provided for by a new federal law in Portugal, Law 5/97, Law for Preschool Education. This law calls for a new role for the State that involves fewer direct services, less bureaucracy, more efficient supervision, and a greater regulating and compensating role. The law requires parents to participate in…

In response to California Legislation that would change the cut-off for the minimum 5-year entrance age from December 2 to September 1, this paper reviews the literature discussing the appropriate age for beginning school. The review includes a brief history of kindergarten and its place in California law; discusses the possible impact of the…

This document is the report of a policy forum on interim alternative educational settings for students with disabilities involved in disciplinary actions. The report summarizes outcomes of discussions on the following topics: (1) purpose and goals of the interim alternative educational setting; (2) components of interim alternative educational…

This paper summarizes recommendations from and actions taken as a result of the 1996 Caribbean Conference on the Rights of the Child. It also presents the tasks for the Second Conference on Early Childhood Education in the Caribbean related to supporting Caribbean early childhood initiatives. Section 1 of the paper considers whether participating…

This module, which may be used as the basis for a workshop or as a special topic unit in an adult basic education or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course, focuses on the problems faced by immigrant women in their work lives and legal provisions to protect employed women. The following items are included: module overview; list of basic,…

This theme issue presents a variety of articles and resources on the application of positive behavioral support (PBS) with children who exhibit behavior problems in home or school settings. The first article discusses the importance of understanding a challenging behavior's purpose, implementing behavior change strategies, and monitoring…

This annual report contains six essays on current issues in higher education and a faculty salary report for 1996-97. The essays include: (1) "Faculty Salaries, 1996-97" (Suzanne B. Clery and John B. Lee), which notes that faculty salaries increased 3.1 percent for the year although the gap between the best- and lowest-paid faculty…

The sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics of all Asian American communities since 1950 have been greatly influenced by federal immigration legislation, and it is not possible to consider the field of Asian American studies without an understanding of the history of immigration legislation. Asian American research may be divided into…

A crucial key to preventing and ending poverty is the system of education and training for employment. The 104th Congress is considering several proposals to reform vocational education, employment training, and welfare. The most sweeping would consolidate all employment training programs and vocational education into a single block grant to each…

This report contains profiles of eight states (Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont) that describe the states' efforts to include youth with disabilities in School-to-Work efforts. Data were gathered on each of the states through written records of state resources and grants, web site information,…

This collection of essays addresses the complicated and divisive issues at the heart of the debate over language diversity and the English Only movement in United States public education. Blending social, political, and legal analyses of the ideologies of language with perspectives on the impact of the English Only movement on education and in…

Britain's new Learning and Skills Bill focuses on learners', not providers', interests. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) opens up funding for voluntary and community bodies, and organizations from outside education, and has a duty to encourage employers to participate in the provision of post-16 education and training. Local education…

Described in this pamphlet are Colorado parents' educational rights under federal and state special education rules and regulations. It addresses: (1) free appropriate public education and the termination of such; (2) required prior notice to parents if there is a proposed change or refusal to change a child's special education program; (3)…

This collection of papers presents the most recent research on Title I federal compensatory education. Building on 35 years of research, development, and practical experience, the book presents evidence of various ways Title I can become a more effective program and instrument for school reform. The nine papers are: (1) "Title I: Its…