Background: In June 2002, the State of Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) passed Public Act 02-119, An Act Concerning Bullying Behavior in Schools and Concerning the Pledge of Allegiance. Section 1 mandated that each local and regional board of education (school district) develop a policy to address bullying in its schools. Conn. Gen. Statute…

Designed to provide educators with guidance for the lawful reproduction of computer software, this document contains suggested guidelines, sample forms, and several short articles concerning software copyright and license agreements. The initial policy statement calls for educators to provide software developers (or their agents) with a…

Most institutions aren't aware of their valuable intellectual property, and some believe they have intellectual property when they don't, which can lead to expensive lawsuits or licensing fees. "Intellectual property" generally consists of copyrights, trademarks, and patents. Most familiar is copyright, the statutory protection mechanism for…

American education is accused of having no clearcut aims. In order to rectify this situation, each school system should engage a "philosopher-in-residence" to make school personnel aware of basic American aims, and to show which specific school programs may be utilized to implement those aims. (Author)

Reviewed all district tobacco policies in New York state, developing a policy rubric to assess five policy components (policy development/oversight/communication, purpose and goals, tobacco-free environment, tobacco use prevention education, and assistance to overcome addiction). School policies were evaluated for compliance with state and federal…

Becoming familiar with the school district will help parents become active and involved partners in their child's education. Research has demonstrated that family involvement in children's education can boost their academic success. Knowing about the following areas, which are discussed in this information sheet, can help parental involvement at…

This paper discusses the implementation of Nunavut compulsory school attendance policy as part of the Nunavut Education Act (2002). Using a bottom-up approach to policy implementation in the literature and the author's six years teaching experience in Nunavut, the paper argues that the compulsory school attendance policy may not achieve its…

Two kinds of jurisdictions are compared and contrasted to help identify what is--and is not--distinctive to dimensions of the political process. Areas where research is needed are identified. (PN)

The author discusses how to create good policies about technology use among school districts. Disagreements over technology use policies have at their core two disparate sets of priorities--one held by the technical staff and one by educators. The author argues that open dialogue and clear understanding about technology are essential for its…

This case study focuses on the legal aspects of school district grading policies. Given parental and student challenges to assigned grades, a school district and its employees must be prepared to respond appropriately to substantive and procedural claims. Moreover, when these claims cannot be resolved at the building level, administrative reviews,…

The content of teacher rating scales was investigated in a recently completed survey of the nation's 60 largest school districts. Of the 53 responding districts, 50 indicated that they are currently using some type of rating scale to measure teacher performance. Districts reported the purpose and type of scale being used, the frequency of rating,…

School systems need channels for communication allowing teachers to give their thoughts on policies to administrators. (DCS)

Respondents (n=297) to a national survey of school districts concerning homework policies found that 35.2% of school districts surveyed had a policy on homework, with 64.4% of those policies including modifications for students with disabilities. Findings on frequency and amount of homework assigned, as well as home-school communication…

Summarizes some of the main findings and conclusions of a recent National Foundation for Educational Research-sponsored project that was aimed at exploring the various facets of college-based careers guidance within school district-maintained further and higher education establishments throughout England and Wales. (CT)