The Commonwealth's Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) regulates assisted living facilities in Massachusetts. Prior to active employment, all staff and contracted providers who have direct contact with residents must receive a six-hour orientation. Also, employees must receive on-going training and in-service education to reinforce the…

This resource guide provides an overview of special-education laws and issues related to K-12 education for those interested in starting or currently operating a charter school, for host or sponsoring school districts, and for state departments of education. It is essential that charter-school operators and staff who are in any way responsible for…

To address concerns of an excess of paperwork documenting compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a survey of all 50 state education agencies was conduced that investigated the role of state education agencies in the documentation of special education procedures. The survey listed 19 types of forms related to documentation…

This guide for parents of gifted children answers frequently asked questions, identifies resources, and text of relevant California laws and regulations. Preliminary material includes an introduction and a "Declaration of the Educational Rights of the Gifted Child" by Barbara Clark. Part 1 provides answers to parents' questions…

This report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public with a summarized overview of results from the January 1997 administration of the Social Studies 33 Diploma Examination. The summary is divided into: (1) description of the examination; (2) achievement of standards; (3) provincial averages; (4) multiple-choice…

A study examined the appropriateness of outcome-based regulation for Aboriginal child care in British Columbia (BC). Interviews were conducted with 15 key informants selected from five BC regions. Focus groups held in four BC regions included Aboriginal leaders, Elders, policy makers, provincial licensing officers, frontline workers, and parents…

Asserting that escalating violence against and by children and adolescents is the manifestation of a range of serious and long neglected problems, this report examines the contribution of deadly firearms to the prevalence of violence in American communities, presents statistics on national trends, and describes state actions. Following an…

One of the strongest predictors of quality programming for young children is teacher preparation. This report presents two studies: the first examining state early childhood teacher education requirements; and the second examining state curriculum guidelines for early childhood education. Section 1 of the report details the method and findings of…

This paper describes studies by Fonte (1993), Garrett (1992-93), and Ingram and Tollefson (1996) regarding state funding and control of community colleges. This article compares each of the three studies and contrasts the results. All research was based on questionnaires returned by 44 state directors of community colleges. Garrett concluded that…

This report summarizes information from states that responded to a survey on access to adult education opportunities for youth with disabilities. Information was gathered from 43 states during the months of March and April 1999. Results indicate: (1) 26 of the responding states authorized the use of federal and state public education funds for all…

This audit report of the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville addresses the question of whether the college management has established an effective system of internal control over its revenue, equipment, and student work-study payroll. The audit makes a number of observations and conclusions.…

Argues that sociopathy is the result of broad cultural failure and that social science has not demonstrated either the causes or the cures for sociopathy. Demonstrating social cause is beyond both the financial capacity and the ethical boundaries of society. Cultural and economic equality are potential solutions but society rejects these notions…

This article presents an overview of federal and state laws intended to prevent school violence and examines related decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. School districts' reactions to violence are discussed and a framework is proposed that school districts can use to develop legally correct policies regarding violence. (CR)

Examined current regulations for Family Child Care Homes in the United States and the extent to which the regulations changed between 1981 and 1998. Found progress in number of states with some regulations for large and small facilities, but also an increase in percentage of states that allow exemptions from regulation. (SD)

Decreases over time in pounds of industrial chemical emissions have led to concerns that nonminority, higher-income communities have benefited disproportionately in reductions in risk. Toxic chemical release data, modeled for toxicity and dispersion in square kilometer units across 45 states, are used to test six sets of hypotheses of potential…