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) Legislative Sessions Constrained by…

This article offers a case study of the militarization of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). First, we portray the landscape of militarization of education through the example of Chicago Public Schools. Second, we situate the militarization of schools within the current charter school movement. Third, we explain the impact of militarization on…

According to the 26th annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup Poll, the growth of fighting/violence/gangs and poor discipline are the most serious problems facing today's schools. Parents rate their community schools highly but assign only passing grades to the nation's schools. Most favor character education and President Clinton's education initiatives…

This article discusses how representations of individual discipline and risk-taking in mass media inform the broader public discourses about public education and the public sector generally. Such representations and narratives about individual discipline and risk-taking often function in mass media as moral imperatives of consumer culture. Such…

School violence is an increasingly serious problem, especially in big cities and public schools. This publication surveys popular methods of violence prevention and divides them into three classes: school-management measures, environmental modification, and educational and curriculum-based measures. The review also considers structural conditions…