Education Commons^™

Evolving Legal Issues In Education: Introduction To The Special Edition, David L. Stader, Jeanne Surface, Kathryn I. Matthew

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The articles in this edition of The Clearing House include some of the challenges currently facing public schools and institutions of higher education. Restrooms have become a bio-political battleground attempting to bring order and equilibrium to what is maleness, and what is femaleness. The rights of transgender students have brought disequilibrium to traditional gender mapping in public places. R. Stewart Mayers tells the story of GG v. Gloucester County School Board in his analysis of Title IX arguments. Paul Watkins and Edward Moreno review the challenges school districts face when transgender students request access to restrooms facilities that correspond to …

Living Education Law In 2017: How Facebook, Prayer, Toilets, And Guns Impact Today's Teachers, Gretchen Oltman J.D., Ph.D, Jeanne Surface

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Survival for public school teachers goes beyond curriculum design, discipline and other skills. School law is critical for teachers to face the areas of challenge that are currently present. There are two types of common legal mistakes made by teachers: a) failing to take disciplinary action when they should, and b) unintentionally violating students rights. Social media, religion, the rights of transgender students and the possibility of teachers right to carry a weapon are all within the realm of rapidly changing public school law. Teachers should stay well-informed, so they are ready to protect students and their own constitutional freedoms.

Low-Fee Private Schools In West Africa: Case Studies From Burkina Faso And Ghana, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Every year billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. However, only 10% of this training results in the transfer of knowledge, skills, or behaviors learned in the training to the work place. Ideally, learning transfer produces effective and continued application by learners of the knowledge and skills they gained through their learning activities. Some studies suggest that technology usage can serve as an effective post-learning intervention to enhance the transfer of learning. Currently, there is a limited body of research examining the factors that hinder and promote learning transfer in professional development, particularly the …

Update On Student Vaccinations, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

State inoculation laws—which are designed to reduce or eliminate the risk of infection from the most common communicable diseases—typically grant students with medical concerns exemptions from having to receive vaccines or vaccine components. Moreover, as reflected in the cases discussed below, most states allow nonmedical exemptions for religious reasons and philosophical beliefs (National Vaccine Information Center 2016).

As reviewed in the next section, disputes over vaccinations generated a fair amount of litigation. In these cases, parents challenged vaccination laws as violating their constitutional rights to be free from government interference or to freedom of religion.

Problem-Solving Tips For School Business Officials, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

School business officials must be able to analyze problems and develop effective solutions. Arriving at solutions involves identifying the relative importance of the problem, what is known additional information is required, who is involved, what’s at risk, and the ultimate goal.

Most problems are easily resolved based on policy, experience, and knowledge of school business. However, some problems are more complex. School business officials don’t always have all the information they need, aren’t familiar with the personnel involved, or are faced with conflicting priorities.

A handbook on data-based decision making (Kowalski 2009) offers a basic format involving three steps:

1. …

Meeting The Needs Of Students With Disabilities, Charles J. Russo, Allan G. Osborne Jr.

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2005) requires states, through local school boards, to provide students with disabilities with a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment consistent with the content of their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). As important as it is to educate students with disabilities, the cost of serving these children is much higher than that of their peers in regular education.

Most recently, the Tenth Circuit upheld Rowley’s “some educational benefit” standard in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1 (2015). In Endrew F., the panel affirmed that a school board in …

Learning Transfer: The Missing Link To Learning Among School Leaders In Burkina Faso And Ghana, Corinne Brion, Paula A. Cordeiro

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Every year, billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. However, only 10% of this training results in the transfer of knowledge, skills, or behaviors learned in the training to the work place. Ideally, learning transfer produces effective and continued application by learners of the knowledge and skills they gained through their learning activities. Currently, there is a limited body of research examining the factors that hinder and promote learning transfer in professional development, particularly the professional development of school leaders in developing countries. This qualitative exploratory study sought to address the gap in the …

Faculty Perceptions Regarding The Inclusion Of Military-Connected Children Into Educator Preparation Curriculum, Brianna Conway, Connie L. Schaffer

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The current study researched university faculty members’ knowledge and perceptions regarding military-connected children in the public-school setting. Faculty members from seven departments at a local university participated in the study. Faculty members completed a short survey regarding general knowledge of military-connected children and their families, as well as their inclusion of information about this population of students into their curriculum. Results suggest faculty members at the university received little to no educational training regarding military-connected children in their pre-service education. Furthermore, many faculty members at the university did not include information on military-connected families in their coursework, but were open …