(2005). Guidelines for Inclusion: Ensuring Access to Education for All. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) These guidelines were created by UNESCO to assist countries in making National Plans for Education more inclusive, recognizing that there was a lack of guidelines to assist in this important process. This document thus provides guidelines and concepts for rendering National Education Plans / Education for All (EFA) more inclusive, with the objective of ensuring access and quality education for ALL learners. It is intended to systematize how excluded children are planned for in education. It begins with a brief introduction, which provides a historical perspective on the origins of inclusion and describes the shift from integration towards inclusion. It is then divided into three main parts. The first provides a theoretical framework. It defines inclusion, explains how it is founded in a human rights approach and how it relates to factors such as quality and cost-effectiveness. The second part looks at more practical changes at the school level. It outlines the key elements in the… [PDF]
(1998). Free Appropriate Public Education: The Law and Children with Disabilities. Fifth Edition. This book examines schools' legal responsibility for providing equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities under the 1997 reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). First, an introduction to the American legal system and federal policy on disability is provided. Next, the six principles of special education law are analyzed: (1) zero reject, or the right of every child to be included in a free, appropriate, publicly supported educational system; (2) nondiscriminatory testing, placement, and classification; (3) individualized and appropriate education; (4) least restrictive appropriate educational placement; (5) procedural due process; and (6) parent participation and shared decision making. Methods of enforcing the law, through case law techniques and statutory techniques, are then discussed. The book also presents common objections to the six legal principles and answers those objections. It presents the pre-1997 provision of IDEA so that…
(2002). The Legal Aspects of Educational Planning and Administration. Fundamentals of Educational Planning. The purpose of this monograph, which is aimed at educational planners, is to explain the essential aspects of the relationship between planning and law. It is intended to illustrate the role of law in the planning and administration of school systems and thus familiarize education specialists with the tools needed to understand legal administration rules for school systems. It presents its points using the French situation as a model, which is representative of a sociopolitical system where law plays an exceptional role in the field of education, including higher education, reflected both in the sheer amount of legislation and its judicial interpretation and in the influence the legislation exerts. Several topical themes–including decentralization, decision-making procedures, administrative organization, contractual procedures, and conflict resolution–are discussed in detail. Chapter titles reveal the monograph's primary areas of focus: (1) "Preliminary Definitions: Planning,…
(1993). Judicial Intervention, the Balancing of Interests and Administrative Decision-Making: Using the "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms" as a Vehicle for Parental Participation in Settling Disputes Regarding Programme. Canadian Journal of Special Education, v9 n1 p73-90. This paper analyzes the Canadian case of "Elwood v. Halifax County Bedford School District" in the context of special education rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Implications suggest the willingness of the judiciary to intervene in educational decision making and the use of the charter to shape educational policy. (DB)…
(1973). Suing the Schools for Fraud: Issues and Legal Strategies. Transcript of a Conference: Fraud in the Schools. On November 20, 1972, a complaint was filed by Suzanne Martinez of the Youth Law Center against the San Francisco Unified School District and others on behalf of an 18-year-old plaintiff, identified as Peter W. Doe. Peter Doe had graduated with average grades, had never encountered serious disciplinary problems, and had maintained a regular attendance. Reading specialists who examined the plaintiff after his graduation from high school indicated that he was reading at the fifth grade level. The plaintiff later subscribed to reading tutoring and made significant progress. The complaint presented nine legal grounds of school district liability in the four general areas of negligence, misrepresentation, breach of statutory duties, and constitutional deprivation of right to education. At the conference recorded here, Ms. Martinez and a number of educational experts discussed the case and its implications for the future of litigation in this area. (Author/JF)… [PDF]
(2006). Addressing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Student Overrepresentation in Special Education: Guidelines for Parents. NCCREST Practitioner Brief. Online Submission This brief, also available in Spanish, defines the concept of overrpresentation, identifies possible causes for the problem, and offers a variety of ways that parents and families can help prevent or decrease overrpresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in special education programs. (Contains 2 tables.) [This brief was produced by the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCREST).]… [PDF]
(2006). AASHE Digest. A Review of Campus Sustainability 2005. Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education This paper includes almost 250 stories about higher education institutions that are leading the way to a sustainable future. It is organized into 8 chapters covering: Institutional Change; Education & Outreach; Social Responsibility; Green Building; Energy & Climate; Food & Agriculture; Transportation; Waste, Water, Procurement, and Landscaping. [Funding for this paper was provided by Woodard & Curran and Powersmiths.]… [PDF]
(2006). Using Policy to Drive Organizational Change. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, n112 p73-83 Win. This chapter addresses recent changes in public policy and organizational practices that affect LGBTQ individuals and the role that organizational policy can play in establishing and maintaining respectful and inclusive workplaces…. [Direct]
(2006). Learning from the Past: Supporting Teaching through the "Facing the Past" History Project in South Africa. Prospects: Quarterly Review of Comparative Education, v36 n3 p295-317 Sep. This article presents an innovative professional development project, "Facing the Past-Transforming Our Future," developed collaboratively by the Western Cape Educational Department, the Cape Town Holocaust Centre (CTHC), and the US-based teacher professional development organization Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO). "Facing the Past" was designed to support teachers in the introduction of the new South African history curriculum and, in particular, the 9th grade history requirement to teach human rights issues during and after the Second World War. Two major components of the 9th grade content framework are Nazi Germany and the Holocaust and apartheid South Africa. The South Africa programme mirrored FHAO's approach by creating teaching resources linked with the history curriculum and by providing sustained trainings, workshops, and ongoing classroom support. While meeting both the content and skill requirements of the new history standards, "Facing the… [Direct]
(2011). 30th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," 2008. Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, US Department of Education This is the 30th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2008. Section 664(d) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as reauthorized in 2004, requires that the Department of Education report annually on the progress made toward the provision of a free appropriate public education to all children with disabilities and the provision of early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. The "30th Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 2008" describes our nation's progress: (1) in providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for all children with disabilities; (2) in assuring that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected; (3) in assisting states and localities in providing for the education of all children with disabilities; and (4) in assessing the effectiveness of efforts… [PDF]
(2008). Adolescent Development of Trust. CIRCLE Working Paper 61. Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) The purpose of this project was to gain a better understanding of dimensions of trust and inter-relationships between those dimensions during the adolescent years. Drawing from survey data collected at the beginning and end of a semester in eighty middle- and high-school social studies classes, relationships were assessed between: social trust, trust in elected officials, trust in the responsiveness of government to ordinary people, trust in the American promise, and trustworthiness of the media. The study was designed as a randomized evaluation of a civics curriculum called Student Voices in the Campaign, with data gathered from two waves of surveys with 1,670 students ages 12-19 during the fall of 2004. Students from ethnic minority backgrounds were less likely than their ethnic majority peers to trust elected officials or people in general or to believe that the government was interested in ordinary people. However, ethnic minority students were not less likely to believe in the… [PDF]
(1995). Guidelines for Postsecondary Institutions for Implementation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as Amended. Revised Edition. This publication is designed to provide guidance, clarification of intent, and suggested implementation processes and procedures for officials of postsecondary educational institutions concerning the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), as Amended in 1988 and 1993. FERPA's purpose is to ensure certain student rights concerning their educational records such as their right to inspection and review, to make amendments, and to some control over the disclosure of information on the record. Chapter 1 provides background and further specifics on FERPA. Chapter 2 defines key terms. Chapter 3 describes compliance requirements. Chapter 4 suggests procedures and strategies for compliance. Chapter 5 discusses particular issues. Chapter 6 provides short answers to the most frequently asked questions about FERPA. Chapter 7 contains cases, mostly taken from actual situations, to test readers' knowledge and strengthen their understanding of FERPA. The resolution to each case…
(1994). The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993: Applications in Higher Education. This pamphlet explores how universities must integrate the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) with existing institutional leave policies and how universities can harmonize the requirements of the FMLA with other federal mandates, particularly the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). First, basic FMLA concepts are discussed, including eligibility for FMLA leave, notice requirements, medical justification, intermittent leave, relationship of paid to unpaid leave, benefits before and after leave, reinstatement to employment, and enforcement procedures. Next, a series of hypothetical situations is analyzed to highlight practical problems in applying the FMLA to higher education. Finally, several special issues relating to implementation of the FMLA in higher education are raised, including unionized employees, academic year work schedules, "key employee" exceptions, substitutions of paid leave for unpaid FMLA leave, deductions from compensation of salaried employees…
(1996). Human Rights and School Change: The Newham Story. This report describes the desegregation of the education service in the London (England) Borough of Newham from 1984 to 1996, involving closure of most of the education authority's special schools and units and plans for all children with disabilities to be in mainstream schools by 1999. The report reviews the early days of local council policy making, the necessary consultations and compromises, how those seeking change responded to concerns, the building of the mainstream support network, staff development, and pupil achievement. Difficulties during the reorganization are noted as are the significant contributions of parents and people with disabilities. The report stresses the following key points: the policy commitment of the Newham Council, the reduction of children in segregated special education from 913 to 206, compromises, the need to change schools rather than fit children into the existing system, the improved academic achievement of Newham's children during this period,…
(1997). Official English and English Plus: An Update. ERIC Digest. This digest provides an overview of the opposing sides in the Official English debate–Official English and English Plus. Proponents of Official English seek to make English the official language of the United States through passage of a constitutional amendment. The movement is spearheaded by two groups, U.S. English and English First. Official English supporters are concerned that bilingual ballots are contradictory to citizenship laws and make non-English speakers prey to bloc voting. They believe that bilingual education advocates preservation of native language and cultures at the expense of learning English. Although the Senate convened hearings on official English in 1984, and the House did in 1988, an English language amendment has never come to a congressional vote. In 1991, proponents took a different approach and launched a statutory form of official English. This Language of Government bill has appeared in several versions, and one of these bills passed the House but not… [PDF]