Congressional compromises on the issue of academic freedom and artistic expression in the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) appropriations controversy have already ceded valuable ground. The best protection for democracy is an unregulated market in expression, a fundamental commitment to intellectual freedom. (MSE)

The reasonable accommodation requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 have recently been applied to public schools. Among the rulings were the provision of a sign language interpreter to hearing-impaired parents and the allowance of a service dog onto a school campus. (MLF)

A number of school attorneys claim that some of the Office for Civil Rights rules exceed statutory authority and impermissibly require "affirmative action" by school districts for certain students with disabilities. Explains that this is a technical legal issue and states why this controversy exists. (MLF)

A discussion of federal policy on research integrity and scientific misconduct chronicles the history of federal involvement in accountability in the scientific community, forms of intervention, determination of the boundaries of misconduct, and the rights of whistle blowers. Official definitions and standards are presented. (MSE)

Colleges and universities are generally subject to new penalty excise taxes under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code on charitable and educational organizations. The law and proposed regulations are explained, with specific attention to how the rules apply to colleges and universities and how these institutions can best protect themselves…

Reviews two approaches to educational finance reform: one state-initiated (Indiana's 1993 problem-driven school-funding formula), the other federally initiated (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Applies lessons from these two approaches to current state efforts to reform local public schools. (Contains 16 references.) (PKP)

This paper discusses the cost and purpose of regulation in the higher education sector in the United Kingdom. Higher education is changing fast, facing competition from around the world and offering new economic drive in Britain's regions. Tuition fees bring much needed investment to this growing sector. This means a new challenge for funding…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the late 1980s appeared to pursue its own agenda of broadcast deregulation, notwithstanding congressional pressures. The apparent power shift is evident in a case study of the interactions between Congress and the FCC on the subject of children's television. In the early 1970s, the FCC tended to…

In his paper, "European Needs and Attitudes towards Information Security," Richard I. Polis notes that the needs for security in computer systems, telecommunications, and media are rather uniform throughout Western Europe, and are seen as being significantly different from the needs in the United States. Recognition of these needs is,…

This report surveys the basic research on how children understand and respond to television advertising messages in order to determine whether regulation is necessary. The implications of the research findings for likely marketplace developments in an unregulated environment are discussed, and it is concluded that there is no sound basis to expect…

This excerpt from a newsletter presents an interview with Robert Lee Chartrand, senior specialist in information policy and technology for the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, on issues related to information technology and the U.S. Congress. A brief biography of Mr. Chartrand presents his major professional experience,…

Yale University's on-line examination of accounting and administrative systems is discussed. Program goals are to review financial management systems at the university to identify weaknesses in internal controls, and to fulfill all audit requirements of federal grants and contracts. After outlining the quarterly audit cycle, advantages of the…

"FCC v. Pacifica Foundation," a 1978 case involving a radio broadcast considered to be indecent, was the first United States Supreme Court litigation using the right of privacy, or the right not to hear, as a rationale for broadcast regulation of programing. The issue of pornography best illustrates the judiciary's understanding of the…

Although the federal role in education has expanded over the last ten years, critics have only recently begun to examine what this means to educational policy-making. Theorists, empirical researchers, and policy-makers need to examine a number of questions. (1) Why and how does the national government involve itself in public education? (2) What…

This speech by the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission discusses some of the issues facing the broadcasting industry concerning the First Amendment such as guidelines for the percentage of adult informational programing, the Fairness Doctrine, government censorship, regulation of news programs, and access of the electorate to…