In the past, parents of children with disabilities have spearheaded several policies for individuals with disabilities. However, little is known about their experiences with legislators. To address this gap, focus groups and surveys about legislative advocacy were conducted with 127 parents of individuals with disabilities across four states. The…

Many districts struggle to access the cybersecurity expertise or other resources needed to secure their networks and data appropriately. This isn't because mitigation strategies don't exist. Often, the barrage of suggestions and warnings directed at school IT leaders are too overwhelming to navigate, are not properly scoped for educational…

The College of the Holy Cross offers a universal first-year program called Montserrat, in which first-year students participate in a living-learning experience anchored by a yearlong seminar course. The seminar courses are part of a thematic cluster of four to eight courses; students in the cluster live together in a common dormitory and…

This hearing serves as a first in a set of hearings focusing on early learning. In his opening statement, Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, strongly encouraged members of this committee on both sides of the aisle to hold roundtables and have discussions on early learning in their local…

Academic freedom is the freedom to inquire--to study, learn, teach, express, and debate ideas. Academic freedom is essential to education in a democracy, a professional responsibility of teachers, and the fundamental purpose for social education. These ideas occur in the traditional education literature. Academic freedom is not just a professional…

At least four large urban school districts plan to spend a significant amount of their federal economic-stimulus money to support or improve programs for English-language learners, a fast-growing group in U.S. schools. The districts--Boston, New York City, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Seattle--have had varying degrees of success serving such students.…

Reports on the Massachusetts Youth Service Board which administers the state's juvenile correctional system. (DS)

The handbook is intended to help parents of handicapped children understand and use Massachusetts' laws and federal legislation to obtain their children's rights to education, training, medical services, and tax and social security benefits. Guidelines regarding education concern such topics as the Bartley-Daly Law; class placement; home tutoring;…

The report examines the use by two state governments of mediation to resolve disputes between schools and parents of handicapped children. Officials, parents, educators, and legal personnel from California and Massachusetts were interviewed, mediations were observed, mediation agreements examined, and statistics reviewed. A typical case…

Lobbying is defined as the function of citizens to express their views and to gain the support of legislators for proposed laws. This guide, for Massachusetts students, is designed to take students step by step through the lobbying process and to suggest strategies and resources to use in their own lobbying efforts. The guide contains the…

The paper explores recent legal and programmatic changes in the education of the handicapped in Massachusetts. A first section highlights some aspects of the law, including court interpretations of the meaning of "appropriate education" and examples of state legal standards that are different than federal standards. Also addressed are…

The University Student Senate of the City University of New York proposed in 1974 to examine student participation in collective bargaining and the impact of student participation on educational quality. This report indicates where students have participated in collective bargaining; in what capacity they have participated; what the results have…

Presented is the final report of the Massachusetts Commission on Legal and Civil Rights of the Developmentally Disabled formed to investigate the civil rights problems of developmentally disabled citizens and to recommend and take action to correct the problems. It is noted that the report deals with the following areas: self-determination and…

The guide provides information on training materials, programs, and organizations for preparing educators to work with handicapped children. Entries include a brief description, cost, and contact address for materials on the following topics: adapted physical education, administration, affective development, early childhood education,…