This digest examines schools' dress-code policies and discusses the legal considerations and research findings about the effects of such changes. Most revisions to dress codes involve the use of uniforms, typically as a way to curb school violence and create a positive learning environment. A recent survey of secondary school principals found that…

Background: Policies set at the state, district, and school levels can support and enhance a healthy and safe school environment. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the School Health Policies and Programs Study every 6 years. In 2006, computer-assisted telephone interviews or self-administered mail questionnaires were…

This study investigated state policy, court litigation, and accreditation standards with respect to the use of time-out as a behavior management strategy in special education programs. The study's emphasis was on existing standards concerning the use of locked time-out rooms and student supervision requirements during the application of time-out.…

This inquiry attempts to identify and examine some educational consequences of legal intervention in the schooling process. This examination is not intended as a defense of the status quo; it is intended to challenge the practice of casting educational problems into legal form. (Author/AM)

Under Scottish law, schoolteachers may administer corporal chastisement in moderation as a disciplinary measure. The United Kingdom government is committed to a policy aimed at abolishing corporal punishment in Scottish schools, but they take the view that the policy is best implemented by consensus rather than by legislation. (RM)

Education names and classifies individuals. This result seems unavoidable. For example, some students will graduate, and some will not. Those who graduate will be "graduates"; those who do not graduate will be labeled otherwise. The only way to avoid such labeling is to fail to make distinctions of any kind. Yet education is rife with…

This paper discusses the suspension and expulsion of unruly handicapped students by examining previous court litigation, identifying the legal issues involved, and reviewing Texas State Board of Education policy. Although sensitive and knowledgeable of the special learning and emotional needs of handicapped students, the conclusion favors recent…

This study sought to ascertain the extent to which professional reading teachers participate in the decision-making processes that affect various aspects of their programs. Questionnaires were returned by 74 high school teachers (59%) and 67 college teachers (53%). Responses indicated that a much higher percent of both high school and college…

Describes how the Education Department of Victoria, Australia, formulated policies to: (1) integrate disabled and/or disruptive students into regular schools, and (2) revise suspension regulations and limit the proliferation of off-site facilities for disruptive students. To avoid marginalizing disruptive students, educators must look beyond…

This paper points out contradictions in a British government report titled "Discipline in Schools" (the Elton Report), and highlights undesirable consequences of recent legal and administrative changes in education. The paper argues that the needs of pupils with emotional and behavioral difficulties would be better met using school-based…

This paper examines legislation, court decisions, and state and local policies affecting the use of corporal punishment in schools, and speculates on the particular context presented by small or rural schools. There are no universally applicable federal statutes dealing with corporal punishment in schools. Decisions by the Supreme Court and…

The purpose of these Utah behavioral intervention policies and procedures is to provide state-of-the-art guidelines for educators dealing with the behavior problems of students with disabilities. The standards serve to assure that students have access to effective education procedures and due process, and that school districts minimize their risk…

This book examines the incidence and impact of school suspension and discusses its effectiveness as a disciplinary measure. Basically, this publication is intended to follow up and expand on a 1974 report on the use of school suspension, "Children out of School in America." Data for this current study were drawn from suspension data…

This report discusses the expanding role of Federal judges as educational policymakers. The report discusses court decisions related to interpretations by the Federal Courts of the U.S. Constitution. The report notes that court decisions have covered the following topics: dress codes, flying of the flag, freedom of speech, unwed mothers,…

Discusses community-based programs which have shown promise of enhancing the democratic governance of schools and increasing the school system's resource bases. Describes three types of programs in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kansas City, Missouri: school-community advisory councils, school-business linkages, and government-agency partnerships. (KH)