This literature review includes a broad review of LGBTQ+ civil rights law and evolving cases, population research and limitations of data collection, student survey findings on school climate and safety, education best practices at the classroom, district and state level, and student perspectives from youth across the country, including members of…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. This issue is the "50th Anniversary Edition." Contents include: (1) IDRA Milestones Across Five Decades to…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Education Policy." Contents include: (1) Exciting Advances for Emergent…

Technology, when used appropriately, can empower learning, engage and motivate students, and help make learning interactive. Students can benefit from educational technology because it can personalize instruction and adapt to their strengths and weaknesses. Today's digital tools and resources support and enhance learning at home and in the…

Educational opportunities and outcomes for California's Latino students have improved over the last half century. Even so, Latino students continue to face barriers in opportunity that make it harder for them to achieve college, career, and future success. The goal of this report is to describe what Latino students currently experience in…

For decades, for-profit educational provision has been merely tolerated, often grudgingly. In the world of charter schooling, for-profit providers are lambasted and sometimes prohibited. In higher education, for-profit institutions have grown rapidly, enrolling millions of nontraditional students and earning enmity, suspicion, and now…

On November 14, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in "Schaffer v. Weast." This special education decision concerned which party bears the burden of persuasion when parents challenge a school district's Individualized Education Program (IEP) in a due process hearing. In this article, we define burden of persuasion and…

Too often, parents of children with disabilities come with negative expectations about the intentions of the teachers and administrators who are proposing an education plan for their son or daughter. In preparation, they arm themselves with advocates, lawyers, and a myriad of outside evaluations in preparation for the "battle" ahead. In…

This article reports a U.S. Supreme Court decision last week which supports the parents of a Massachusetts student who claimed that school officials failed to respond adequately to sexual harassment of their daughter--then in kindergarten--by a 3rd grade boy on her bus. The parents sued the district under both Title IX and Section 1983. In the…

The article reviews the judicial history of Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, from 1975 to 1989. Topics addressed by the courts have included law definition, attorneys' fees, tuition recovery, related services, exclusion from school, benefit as a standard, and state versus federal standards. (DB)

This handbook provides an overview of federal and Colorado special education laws and special education issues that affect charter schools. An introduction reviews the history of charter schools and both the school choice movement and special education in Colorado. The first major section provides a history of special education statutory and case…

This document traces the evolution of federal protection of the educational rights of language-minority students, beginning with the enactment of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the first steps of the (then) Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) to ensure local school district compliance through its Office of Civil Rights…

This handbook was written for parents, law enforcement officers, attorneys, and government officials who deal directly with cases of parental kidnapping. It provides a guide through the criminal and civil justice systems and a summary of the laws on parental kidnapping. Actions that parents can take and laws that may help them when their children…

This theme issue provides guidance on school district compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in the inclusion of students with disabilities. It provides a summary and analysis of four recent decisions in federal appellate courts, which all affirmed the right of students with significant disabilities to attend…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Enlightened Public Policy and includes: (1) The Status of School Finance Equity in Texas (Albert Cortez); and (2) Disciplinary…