In this personal account, the author recounts navigating a school uniform policy as a new teacher in a large public high school in Baltimore. He loosely situates this telling in the recent history of the public school uniform movement, of which Baltimore was central. Writing in an urgent present tense, the author details the many complexities…

In this testimony, Quinton Roman Nose talks on behalf of the National Indian Education Association about the shocking disparity in the safety of Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools. NIEA advocates for the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Native students, working to ensure that the federal government upholds its…

The decision to leave a successful career and great earning potential to start over as a novice with new surroundings and expectations is not made without consideration of a wide array of variables. Making the transition to higher education was not an easy one and the transition itself has presented various other challenges and joys that I have…

The purpose of this ethnographic study is to examine how a commitment to socially just pedagogies influences the core practices and policies of a school. This article presents a comprehensive description and analysis of two public middle schools committed to teaching for social justice: Urban Promise Academy and San Francisco Community School.…

Describes how formal and informal school policies exacerbate the alienation of minority students and intensify social stratification. Discusses the effects of school sanctions, tracking and leveling, economics, sorting and selection, and dependency on minority students. Recommends six state-mandated changes. (DMM)

The use of seclusion timeout in school settings has again become controversial. For more than 35 years there have been recommendations that states and schools develop policies and procedures regarding the use of seclusion timeout in school settings. Recent lawsuits brought against school districts accusing them of violating student rights through…

Many major studies dealing with high schools agree that schools must press for higher performance standards in basic skills. These studies disagree on the role that vocational education ought to play in public schools. The author offers a checklist of what vocational educators should do to increase their role in shaping new educational policies.…

Directed at students, teachers, and administrators who illegally copy (pirate) software in the elementary and secondary schools, this paper clarifies the copyright law as it applies to software and suggests five reasons why school personnel break the law. Research is cited which indicates that the act of copying software penalizes software…

Drug testing of district employees and students is examined from several perspectives: implications for school policy, legality, administration and protocol, and test reliability and accuracy. Substance abuse has become a major concern for educators, parents, and citizens as illegal drugs are more readily available. It is also pointed out that the…

This article reports the findings of a research project on public and private high schools in the United States. The principal researchers found that Catholic schools and non-Catholic private schools are more effective than public schools in helping students to acquire cognitive skills. (SSH)

Criticizes the report "Public and Private Schools" by Coleman, Hoffer, and Kilgore for failing to consider alternative explanations of school effectiveness and for drawing narrow policy implications. Student body composition and school admissions practices need to be considered in evaluating educational policy alternatives. (RM)

Examines induction and admission practice for refugee school children into Britain's public schools, highlights the educational issues and concerns of newly-arrived refugee families, and discusses what schools can do to make their entry into the school system less problematic. The author explains how good admission and induction practices can…

Child maltreatment, defined as acts of commission or omission that harm a child physically or psychologically, adversely affects millions of children nationwide. Since almost two-thirds of these children are of school age, schools could be among the best resources available to combat child maltreatment. This paper examines the responsibilities and…

Great diversity exists among communities as to how school districts should be managed. The causes and possible solutions to managing this diversity are the focus of the discussion. Goal setting, performance appraising, policy developing and participative developing of the board meeting agenda are several ways to clarify roles and to achieve…

Legal questions related to extracurricular activities include the following: (1) students "right" to participate; (2) kinds of fees or insurance requirements; (3) regulation of contracts and finances; (4) membership policies acceptable in light of Title IX's prohibition on sex discrimination; (5) reduction of risk of tort liability; and…