The last several years have seen renewed debate over the role that race plays in higher education--a debate over "affirmative action." The report first considers "affirmative action" in its original sense: the "mandatory" race-conscious measures that the federal courts have imposed on "de jure" segregated…

Under Federal law, State and local educational agencies (hereinafter "districts") are required to provide all children with equal access to public education at the elementary and secondary level. Thie Dear Colleague letter was written to remind school districts of the Federal obligation to provide equal educational opportunities to all…

A report from Washington on federal appropriation, legislation, and court litigation. (MLF)

Discusses the U.S. Supreme Court decision in "Halderman v. Pennhurst State School and Hospital," involving the rights of and treatment provided for residents in a Pennsylvania institution for the severely retarded, under the federal Rehabilitation Act, the Developmentally Disabled Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, and a state law. (RW)

A new bill specifically states that an entire institution is covered by antidiscrimination laws if it receives any federal support. The bill was designed to counteract the effects of a 1984 Supreme Court decision involving Grove City College, and it applies to sex, age, disability, and racial discrimination laws. (MSE)

By deciding some cases and refusing others, the United States Supreme Court has begun to provide answers to some of the legal questions concerning the interpretation of two federal statutes: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-142). The first of these statutes…

Reviews major issues arising in federal courts as a result of administrative and individual attempts to enforce the congressional mandate against sex discrimination. Evaluates the extent to which judicial decisions promote or impede progress. Available from School of Law, Washburn University of Topeka, Topeka, KS 66621. (Author/IRT)

On May 1, 1972, the Public Education Association held an Educational Forum on Title I, Elementary Secondary Education Act in an attempt to pinpoint and, if possible, clarify some of the major problems and issues, particularly as they relate to New York City. In a decentralized school system, for example, which agency is the Local Educational…

The sex discrimination case of Geraldine Cannon in applying to medical schools is reviewed and related; earlier cases are examined. The standards set by the courts in these cases are discussed, and the roles of federal agencies and the courts are examined. (MSE)

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) continues to focus its energies on some of the significant challenges facing the U.S. Department of Education. It completed implementation and end-to-end testing of its internal systems for Y2K compliance, though it could not ensure compliance of its trading partners. The OIG advised the Department as it…

Five bills were discussed at this hearing: (1) S. 1050, which would allow the court to accept voluntary services and gifts and bequests; (2) H. R. 153, which would make certain technical amendments and modify various provisions relating to the court's operations and administration; (3) S. 868, which would improve educational benefits for active…

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA) of 1974 impose an affirmative obligation on the states to rectify the language deficiencies of non-English-speaking students but do not specify a particular remedy, leaving it to State and local educational authorities to determine which programs, methods,…

This paper explored the question of the applicability of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 to public broadcasting. Basically, those provisions require recipients of federal grants to use those funds in a non-discriminatory manner such that the benefit of the programs funded by the…

Until recently the federal courts (Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka) and Congressional action (Civil Rights Act of 1964, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972) have spurred efforts to bring race and sex equity to the schools. (LC)