Institutional research (IR) offices on campus are not all alike, any more than campuses are all alike. They may differ in their reporting line, range of responsibilities, level in the campus hierarchy, and work emphasis. Institutions differ in complexity (number and level of programs, colleges, and schools), size of the student body, affiliation,…

The primary purpose of this study is to determine a preliminary national percentage of students who are "504-only." The survey data reveal that 504-only students represent 1.2% of the public school population. There is a significant difference in the 504-only percentage with regard to school level, with middle and high schools having a…

This study examined whether instructional policies at the local level are becoming standardized as a result of state and federal accountability initiatives. A stratified random sample of 21 Virginia school districts was used, and the policies reviewed covered seven topics: class size, student grouping, homework, remedial instruction programs,…

Given the intense efforts to change federal legislation, it is surprising that relatively little research has examined how postsecondary institutions respond to organizational pressures and local contexts. These "boundary activities" determine actual practice (Birnbaum, 1991) and may be the only way to remedy the exclusion of undocumented…

Public education is one of the central tasks of a democratic society, and the buildings that house this important task not only shape the way one teaches, but provide icons and symbols for the values people hold common as a society. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this context has placed school buildings squarely in a position of debate and innovation…

The U.S. Department of Education is conducting several activities to address privacy and security issues related to education data. Earlier this year a contractor for the Department convened a group of privacy and security experts and produced a report with recommendations to the Department on ways they can address emerging challenges in…

In this article, the authors briefly examine the legal requirements for assessing students' eligibility for special education services. They then analyze the major changes regarding assessment for eligibility determination in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) passed in 2004 and the regulations implementing the…

This issue brief details shortcomings of the current Title I comparability provision and provides recommendations for how to improve it. The paper includes a detailed examination of the inequities within school districts, the loopholes in the law that allow these inequities, the repercussions of unequal distribution of resources, and…

The Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, reviews the Reagan administration's efforts on behalf of handicapped persons. The government's commitment to the principle of nondiscrimination is discussed along with such actions as designation of the "National Decade of Disabled Persons," the…

Implementation of the curriculum-centered, standards-based federally mandated reform, No Child Left Behind, has placed pressure on teachers, particularly those working in schools comprised of highly diverse and impoverished students, to have their students attain predetermined levels on high stakes, standardized tests. When schools have not met…

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is the single largest federal investment in K-12 education, supplying over $12.7 billion annually in funding to the states. Although not all schools are identified as Title I schools, all public schools are subject to certain accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act…

A regulation issued by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires facilities-based Internet services providers who operate their own equipment, including colleges, to make their Internet systems compliant with a statute known as the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (Calea) by April 2007. However, the FCC does not…

This publication presents changes and modifications for 2007-2008 to the "International Rules for Precollege Science Research: Guidelines for Science and Engineering Fairs." It is written to guide fair directors, teachers, scientists, parents, and adult volunteers as they pursue their work of encouraging students to explore and investigate their…

The commitment of the Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, in the U.S. Department of Justice, to the enforcement of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is described. Recent federal initiatives under this act to advance the rights of disabled people in terms of employment, the rights of handicapped infants, and the enforcement of…

By October 1992, all U.S. government agencies and any companies wanting to do business with them must use the metric system. In addition, competing in foreign markets makes training in the metric system essential. (SK)