Education Law Commons^™

Effects Of The Illinois Budget Crisis On Home-Based Childcare Businesses, Okeycha Pettigrew

All Capstone Projects

There are over 800,000 children in Illinois that need to be placed in early learning programs. Many programs are closing due to the lack of financial support from government programs that provide financial assistance to parents who cannot afford to pay for childcare. The budget crisis that Illinois is currently experiencing has caused a decrease in funding early childhood education, and has cut many programs that are beneficial to home-based childcare businesses. What is happening to the children and the families that depend on childcare assistance? How does that affect the economy? What will happen to the communities that need …

Going Beyond Exams In Educating A Nation, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Today’s the start of the new school year for thousands of students in Singapore: A new beginning, especially for those transitioning from primary to secondary schools. School is such a significant part of our lives, especially in today’s knowledge-based economy.

Documenting Dreams: Undocumented Students In Washington State, M. Elena Calderon Sandoval

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"This research explores immigration policies that have provided access to higher education to undocumented students through the lens of sociocultural identity theory and cultural identification theory. These theories are fundamental in understanding the construction of identity for undocumented students as a result of their interactions with policies and higher education institutions. Pertinent Washington State legislation includes House Bill 1079, which allows for undocumented students to pay in-state tuition, the Real Hope Act that provides financial aid for undocumented students. Federal policy includes the Executive Order Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which allows undocumented students who meet certain requirements to apply …

Evolution Of A Nation After A Dictatorship: How Law, Politics And Society Of The 1973 Dictatorship In Uruguay And Of The Subsequent Return Of Democracy In 1985, Potentially Helped Evolve The Nation Of Today., Jonathan A. Fein Proaño

Master's Theses

In 1973, Uruguay’s president authored a coup d’état with the military and changed the history and fabric of Uruguay. Once democracy returned to Uruguay in 1985, it was a chance to see if an evolution of the law, politics and society would occur. This thesis aims to analyze and understand the patterns of change and de-evolution or evolution that happened during the dictatorship and then over the last 30 years. I break down the process of changes that happened legally and politically, how the dictatorship and its leaders used law to destroy rule of law, and how society changed.

This …

New State Laws Reflect The Rethinking Of Excessive Mandated Standardized Testing In America's Public Schools, Renalia Smith Dubose

Florida A & M University Law Review

The largest standardized testing cheating scandal in American history has caused many to question the practice of excessive standardized testing in America’s public education system. In the spring of 2013, thirty-five educators in Atlanta, Georgia, including the former superintendent, principals, teachers, and testing coordinators were indicted for cheating on statewide-standardized tests. The situation in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, triggered a conversation about excessive mandated standardized testing in America’s public schools and caused public outcry against the negative impact of standardized testing. As a result, new state laws are being passed throughout the United States to not only end the rapid …

Understanding The History Of Institutionalization: Making Connections To De-Institutionalization And The Olmstead Act For Persons With Intellectual Disabilities In The State Of Illinois, Nancy A. Cheeseman

Dissertations

What is the historical connection between deinstitutionalization and the Olmstead decision? The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze policy within a historical perspective the connections between institutional care, deinstitutionalization, the Olmstead decision, and the effect on persons with intellectual disabilities lived experience, in the state of Illinois.

The data collected include, the transcripts of interviews with four participants, artifacts from policy documents and historical papers accessed from the Disability Museum online journals. The creation of a table for use in coding themes as associated with 5 (out of 18) core concepts for disability policy.

The Olmstead decision …

The Key To Equality: Why We Must Prioritize Summer Learning To Narrow The Socioeconomic Achievement Gap, Simon Leefatt

Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Courtroom To Classroom: Judicial Policymaking And Affirmative Action, Dylan Britton Saul

Political Science Honors Projects

The judicial branch, by exercising judicial review, can replace public policies with ones of their own creation. To test the hypothesis that judicial policymaking is desirable only when courts possess high capacity and necessity, I propose an original model incorporating six variables: generalism, bi-polarity, minimalism, legitimization, structural impediments, and public support. Applying the model to a comparative case study of court-sanctioned affirmative action policies in higher education and K-12 public schools, I find that a lack of structural impediments and bi-polarity limits the desirability of judicial race-based remedies in education. Courts must restrain themselves when engaging in such policymaking.

2015 Legislative Summary, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The 90th General Assembly opened its Regular Session on January 12 and recessed on April 9. Meetings of the House and Senate education committees were usually standing room only for discussions of a broad range of bills on early childhood, K-12, and higher education issues. The purpose of this policy brief is to review the K-12 bills that garnered the most attention and have been signed into law by firstterm Governor Asa Hutchinson. These highlights are organized into several categories as shown in This Brief

Grading Arkansas’ Schools, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Report Cards for Arkansas schools released by the Arkansas Department of Education contain valuable information for stakeholders. As in past years, the report cards outline student demographics and academic achievement, as well as rates of attendance, graduation, dropout, grade inflation and college remediation. Report cards also contain information on teacher quality and school environment indicators. There are a few new pieces of information provided this year, specifically a school rating which assigns a letter grade to schools.

Broadband Access In Arkansas Schools, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

With the computer-based Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) test, the Arkansas Digital Learning Act, and Governor Hutchinson’s efforts to increase participation in computer science courses, the Arkansas Legislature is discussing actions to take in order to close the “digital divide” in the state. This brief will explore the technological requirements of providing the recommended bandwidth to schools, the barriers to the provision of that service, and potential steps for the Arkansas Department of Education to take in order to ensure that every Arkansas student has fast, consistent access to the Internet to support their learning.

Peace Building Through Education Reforms Case Study: Objectives And Philosophy Of Jordanian Educational System, Megan Mckeown

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In the field of peacebuilding, education reform is the most tangible way to propel forward and build positive change. Access to schooling is not the only factor that will eradicate structural violence and inequality in our world. This can be seen with violence and inequality increasing even though educational enrollment has reached upwards of 90% in developing areas. We must begin a movement to learn from educational systems already in place, to pinpoint their strengths and expand on them, discover possible themes to change, and suggest diverse avenues to overcome obstacles for achieving social justice and peace. The ensuing research …

The Limits Of Federal Disability Law: State Educational Voucher Programs, Wendy Hensel

Faculty Publications By Year

The U.S. Department of Justice is currently investigating the state of Wisconsin with respect to its administration of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), which provides low-income students with public money to attend private schools. Faced with complaints of disability discrimination by private schools accepting voucher students, DOJ has ordered Wisconsin to oversee and police these schools to ensure compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which applies to states and their agencies, and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which applies to recipients of federal funding. Although conditioning its directive on the state's coverage under these …

Creation Of The Achievement School District: House Bill 1733, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Education leaders throughout the country are working to identify successful strategies for turning persistently low performing schools into successful schools. One strategy undertaken in Louisiana, Michigan, and Tennessee is the creation of a unique school district for the most academically distressed schools. In this brief, we review the programs in other states and examine House Bill 1733, which proposes the creation of such a district in Arkansas for schools or districts in academic distress

The Waivers Sought By Arkansas Charters: Should They Be Extended To All?, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Should traditional public school districts be allowed to use the same waivers as nearby charter schools? Perhaps the flexibility afforded to charters might be helpful for all schools by allowing them to become nimble, responsive organizations, less governed by inertia and more guided by innovation. House Bill 1377 proposes such an extension of waivers. In this brief, we examine the most common waivers that charter schools request to assess what types of waivers could be available to traditional public schools if House Bill 1377 were signed into law.

Restructuring The Modern Education System In The United States: A Look At The Value Of Compulsory Education Laws, Chelsea Lauren Chicosky

Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Public School Choice Act Of 2013, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The Public School Choice Act of 2013 (Act 1227) allows students to transfer to a nonresident district. Previous school choice law restrictions based on race, were removed in the new law. As a result, concerns have been raised about the possible negative impacts of choice on districts’ racial balance. This brief addresses these concerns by examining the impact of the Public School Choice Act of 2013 on district enrollment and racial integration.

Quality Counts 2015, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

In an attempt to gauge the educational progress of the nation and each state, Education Week has published state report cards since 1997 in its annual Quality Counts series. The 19 th annual report - Quality Counts 2015 - was released in January. Overall, Arkansas received an grade of C– and was ranked 36th among the 50 states. This policy brief examines Arkansas’ rank in each category of the report as well as the quality of the report itself.

Legal Research Using Technological Tools: Librarians' View, Lauren M. Collins, Susan Silver, Whitney Curtis

Law Faculty Contributions to Books

The technology revolution has impacted every aspect of our daily lives. It is hard to imagine a world without smartphones and the Internet. Where and how we access information has changed dramatically over the last decade. Gone are the days of traveling to the library check out books and read printed journal articles. No longer simply storehouses of print information, libraries but now serve as starting points for searching online information that can be be accessed anywhere, any time and on any device. Library research that used to take hours or days can now be done in minutes. Online materials …

School-Based Supports For Trans Youth In Ontario, Charlie E. C. Davis

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Trans youth are some of the most marginalized youths in schools. In 2012, the Ontario Government passed two legislations, one of which was the Accepting Schools Act, strengthening supports for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) students in schools. The other was Toby’s Act, an amendment to the Ontario Human Rights Code including protection from discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and gender expression. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how these two acts have created a political context supporting trans youth in schools. A comprehensive mixed-methods approach was used to examine provincial trends of trans-specific …

Website Blocked: Filtering Technology In Schools And School Libraries, Jennifer M. Overaa

School of Information Student Research Journal

This paper investigates the impact of filtering software in K-12 schools and school libraries. The Children's Internet Protection Act, or CIPA, requires that public schools and school libraries use filtering technology in order to receive discounted rates on technology. As a result, nearly all public elementary and secondary schools today use filtering technology. While the provisions of CIPA narrowly define the content to be blocked, filters are often set to block much more than is required. Filtering technology is often ineffective, and many unobjectionable sites end up being blocked, including Web 2.0 sites and tools needed to educate students in …

Transportation Funding In Arkansas’ Schools, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

In a report to the Arkansas Joint Senate and House Education Committee meeting in September 2014, Picus Odden & Associates recommended that the Legislature change the state’s transportation funding system. Currently, transportation funding is distributed from the state to districts on a per pupil basis as a part of the unrestricted foundation formula. In doing so, the system does not account for the variation in costs of transportation for districts across the state; therefore, Picus Odden & Associates recommended that the state’s transportation funding structure be changed. The purpose of this policy brief is to highlight transportation funding in Arkansas …

National And State Research On Pre-Kindergarten, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Across the nation, over 1.3 million threeand four-year olds attend state funded pre-K programs in 40 states (and Washington D.C.).1 In Arkansas, over 25,000 three- and four-year olds are enrolled in state-funded programs. Since 2008, approximately $111 million a year of state funding has been spent on preKindergarten in Arkansas. 2 In the 2014 election season, the topic of pre-K and state funding for pre-K has been debated in a number of state races, including Arkansas. Therefore, the purpose of this policy brief is to describe pre-K in Arkansas and summarize the existing research examining the impact of pre-K.

Charter School Facilities Funding, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

The equity and adequacy of facilities funding for charter schools (as well as traditional public schools (TPS)) is a topic of hot debate in Arkansas and across the country. Proponents of charters argue that charter schools are burdened due to a lack of facilities funding. Other argue that there are great needs in our TPS districts as well, and that these needs should be met first. This brief describes what facilities funding is currently available to charter schools in Arkansas and what other states are doing that we could possibly leverage here in the Natural State.

Next Generation Science Standards, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

This policy brief provides an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), voluntary state science standards that are intended to improve the quality of science instruction in the U.S. The brief discusses the history of science standards, the development of the NGSS and its current status, arguments for and against the standards, and the status of the NGSS in Arkansas.

Schools Of Innovation, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Act 601, passed in April 2013, allows for schools to apply to become “schools of innovation.” Accepted schools receive flexibility from certain regulations in order to facilitate the use of innovative approaches to teaching and learning. In this policy brief, we discuss the history of Act 601, similar models in other states and their results, the application and approval process, the 2014-15 schools of innovation, and the role of the Office of Innovation for Education in supporting schools of innovation.

2013-14 Arkansas Test Results, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

In late July, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) released the 2013- 14 test score results. The following brief highlights the results of these tests, compares achievement scores over time, and provides a glimpse of regional achievement results for the following exams:  Benchmark Exam (Grades 3-8)  End-of-Course Exam (Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, and Grade 11 Literacy).  Iowa Test of Basic Skills (Grades 1-9)

Executive Action In The Face Of Congressional Inaction: Education Waivers Circumventing The Legislative Process, Courtney K. Morgan

Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal

No abstract provided.

New Jersey's Opportunity Scholarship Act: A Step In The Right Direction, Joseph W. Catuzzi

Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Career Readiness: Arkansas And Beyond, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

This policy brief explores how career and technical education is being approached in Arkansas and elsewhere. New career and college readiness initiatives have been undertaken in a variety of settings, including the academy model that is highlighted in this brief. Additionally, the brief will explore career readiness from an international and national perspective and discuss the rationale for why career readiness matters for a considerable number of students in the public schools and workforce development programs across Arkansas.