Educator violence against students (verbal and physical assaults and the undermining of students' constitutional rights) erodes rather than enhances school safety. Unnecessarily harsh disciplinary practices create a violence-prone climate mirroring U.S. society--the most retributive of Western nations. Democratic classroom practices can help…

In a new urgency to ensure that critical incident plans, communication plans, and parental reunification plans are in place at all institutions responsible for the safety of America's children, the U.S. Courts have stated that preparation is a duty and expectation of those acting in a "locos parental" role. As public schools adopt rapid…

Scratch the surface of a successful school and you will find a web of interactions that is the root of its success. Who is it that envisions, inspires, cajoles, and rallies all the various players in and around a school toward any improvement goal? Often it's a superintendent, a principal, a professor, a special teacher, or a parent. In a word,…

Middle school transitions can cause a decline in academic achievement and motivation in learning for many students. Low income underrepresented students are especially vulnerable to this transition. Parental involvement also tends to decrease during the middle school years. This qualitative study examined the elementary to middle school transition…

The annual report on the State of Higher Education in New Mexico has been enhanced to include more analysis as well as data. Compared to previous years, higher education in New Mexico is educating more New Mexicans and a broader spectrum of New Mexicans than ever before. Of particular importance given the mission to educate all of the citizens of…

In the last twenty years, courts throughout the country have entertained claims relating to disparities in school funding. Early school finance suits sought to equalize "inputs" in terms of per pupil or overall expenditures. More recently, the advent of rigorous state accountability plans and the federal No Child Left Behind Act has…

This paper provides an in-depth review and analysis of literature on dropping out from school, and focuses on children who have gained access, but fail to complete a basic education cycle. The main discussion is around why and how children drop out from school. Here drop out is not presented as a distinct event, but rather a process where a range…

This document, presented in question and answer format, provides guidance about legal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) concerning the misconduct of students with disabilities and corrects the misunderstanding that students with disabilities are exempt from discipline under current law. It discusses recent…

"Pursuit of Excellence" is a plan developed through the cooperation of many stakeholders to guide the improvement efforts of the Detroit (Michigan) public schools in 1994-95. The first goal, to guarantee student success, includes objectives for achievement and results on achievement tests and objectives for accreditation, attendance, and…

This document presents a set of child safety curriculum guidelines intended to help prevent child victimization and to promote safer living and learning environments for children and adolescents across America. These guidelines were developed to help educators, law enforcement personnel, and members of other youth-serving agencies teach children…

The Massachusetts Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth prepared its first annual report on various issues of concern to homosexual youth. The Commission seeks to work on prevention of youth suicide, violence prevention, and prevention of problems faced by young homosexuals in schools and the family. The Commission sought information from a series…

The Classroom Management and Discipline Program, initiated to assist Texas school districts in improving school discipline and dropout prevention, is a statewide university/school/community partnership. Program goals are to: provide training and technical assistance to help districts maintain and improve discipline; reduce dropout rates, school…

This manual is intended to help teachers, administrators, and local school boards develop and institute effective safety education as a part of all vocational instruction in the public schools of Idaho. This guide is organized in 13 sections that cover the following topics: introduction to safety education, legislation, levels of responsibility,…

Accidents and injuries involving students, employees, or others using school facilities or equipment can result in lengthy and costly litigation. A proven way to reduce potential accidents and injuries is to work to eliminate the circumstances in which accidents occur. It is important to identify risks; the areas with the highest accident…

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that schools prepare or adapt a biosafety manual, and that instructors develop a list of safety procedures applicable to their own lab and distribute it to each student. In this way, safety issues will be brought to each student's attention. This document is an example of such a manual. It contains…