The legal aspects of pupil transportation are examined, including the liability of various factions for transportation decisions and the duty of school districts to provide adequate transportation. Discussed are court decisions dealing with such complex topics as transportation of special education students, transportation for purpose of…

An analysis of the impact of state government regulation on higher education in California is presented. Two assumptions are explained on which the analysis is based; i.e., that the mission of higher education is teaching, scholarship, and service to the community and that public higher education is rightfully under the authority of the governor…

Synthesizes previous theories of the state politics of education and proposes a reconstructed model based on the theories of Tonnies and Weber to explain educational governance changes. Data from 22 states are used to test the proposed model. (JW)

Since the 1970s, the Mexican-descent population of Guadalupe, California, has spearheaded a drive for local political representation. This paper examines their struggles and challenges the misconception of Mexican campesino immigrants as politically apathetic in their new homeland. From 1960 to 1990, the percentage of Guadalupe's population that…

The study reported in this paper looked at the manner in which education in Canada is being financially supported and the potential consequences this support will have for the future. For the most part, Canadian provinces have in-place funding mechanisms that put them in sole control of finances; local fiscal autonomy has all but disappeared.…

This article is an update and expansion of "Can We Still Sing Christmas Carols in Public Schools?" published in MEJ in November 1976. It is a report of a survey to determine whether any significant new guidelines were being developed on the issue of using sacred music in schools. (Editor/KC)

The "Electronic School," a supplement to "The American School Board Journal," provides network news and contains six articles about closing the gap between technology haves and have-nots, library automation, putting Title 1 funds to use for technology purchases, funding from education foundations, using e-mail for board business, and cooperation…

Public school uniforms are a recent development. Legal trends suggest that the courts are willing to defer to school authorities regarding dress codes--provided a clear link is established between the dress regulations and furtherance of the educational mission. Lists a range of options for a dress-code policy and how each of the available options…

Starting from a survey of research literature and court cases, researchers conducted a study of South Carolina school districts' policies and procedures concerning reductions in force (RIFs). The literature review indicated some of the conditions necessitating RIFs (such as state financial problems), methods of avoiding RIFs, and criteria for RIF…

This document proposes a model for the administrative involvement necessary to the negotiation of effective labor contracts in the schools. A historical analysis of laws, statutes, and significant court cases provides insight into the present scope, complexity, and limitations of collective bargaining in the schools of Washington State. Trends in…

While the number of cases dealing with school property issues was significantly lower than in previous years, a significant number of cases involving the detachment and attachment of land to school districts arose. Eight of the eleven cases dealing with land detachment come from Illinois. The cases concerned requests from parents that their…

The dissertation summarized here assessed the priority of selected educational goals as perceived by certain representative groups in a school district and determined the degree to which the respective groups' expectations were being met. The six groups studied were students, teachers, lay citizens, administrators, citizen advisory committee…

The Center for the Study of Evaluation's project, Evaluation and School Districts, used questionnaires to survey the heads of evaluation offices in metropolitan public school systems. This paper presents the preliminary findings of the survey. Most school systems have established a centralized program evaluation unit organized around three…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of 50 of the nation's best school superintendents to gain insight into their success. Researchers used a self-designed instrument, containing 38 quantifiable items in 5 sections: (1) the superintendent's background; (2) the superintendent's school district; (3) the superintendent's role;…

State departments of health and education were asked to describe state laws, regulations, legal opinions, and guidelines concerning the dispensation of prescription medications to students in school. State laws and policies dealing with liability risks, persons who can give medicines, and drug management procedures are reported. (PP)