College education has become a prerequisite in today's globalized, knowledge based, and technology controlled economy. A college education not only benefits the individual, it also has numerous advantages for society. Research shows that college graduates are less likely to be involved with crime, more likely to be home owners, more likely to be…

Several systemic factors contribute to the lack of stability and educational opportunities for students in foster care, including lack of transportation to the school of origin (or the schools they enrolled in when they first entered foster care), difficulty enrolling in new schools and transferring credits between school districts, gaps in…

This dissertation examines state-level efforts to mandate the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, especially following 9/11. Despite longstanding Supreme Court precedent declaring mandatory flag salutes unconstitutional, various state legislatures sought to institute or strengthen pledge mandates irrespective of students' civil liberties.…

The law on gifted students tends to take a back seat to the law on students with disabilities. One major reason is that gifted education lacks a specific legal mandate at the federal level, in comparison with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the twin civil rights acts, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities…

Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), in 1975, to support states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families. Since the passage of Public Law 94-142, significant…

This comprehensive overview of state and federal legislation concerning gifted education demonstrates that the primary source of law relating to gifted students is at the state level. Several administrative appeal decisions have been made in Pennsylvania. Litigation to expand entitlement based on federal law has been less successful than…

Intended for parents, the guide defines what is meant by an "exceptional" child, considers the educational opportunities open to the exceptional student, and offers suggestions on how parents can ensure that their child receives those opportunities. Sections provide the following information: definitions of various exceptionalities…

This manual is designed to help Pennsylvania parents of children with disabilities learn how the special education system works in Pennsylvania and how they can make it work for their child. This revision of the manual incorporates changes made to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1997 and the regulations issued in 1999 to…

This article reports on the controversy over the "academic bill of rights" that is being pushed by conservative activist David Horowitz of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture. A committee in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a resolution in July that reflects the concerns of this "bill," which has been…

This manual, an update of the 1979 publication, "Pennsylvania Guidelines for Student Discipline," is intended for use by Pennsylvania school districts as they review or revise their student discipline codes. It presents a structure for responses to student misconduct, which lists student misbehaviors by type and assigns appropriate…

The document reports on a study to design a model to meet the impact of the Pennsylvania Right to Education Consent Decree (particularly as it relates to the mentally retarded) through the following steps--a review of the literature, a review of existing information, a survey to determine the amount of impact in selected areas, and construction of…