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Similar to Dickens's "Tale of Two Cities", this research study is about a tale of two schools. The first type of school is a dysfunctional school. Dysfunctional schools are schools in a state of chaos (Shipengrower & Conway, 1998). The second school is that of order. The researchers refer to this school as a functional school. In 2003, the functional school in this research project scored a 100% pass rate in the Senior Certificate Examination (SCE), whereas the dysfunctional school scored 57.35%. Dysfunctional schools, known as "failing schools" are usually found in the poorest neighborhood, where children are mostly Black or immigrants who are not proficient in English. One of the casualties of the apartheid era has been the diminishing authority of the school principal. The aim of this research is to investigate the role of the leader in managing a functional school situated in a dysfunctional environment in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The research study is also directed at predicting the characteristics of dysfunctional/functional schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa.

The extent to which educational institutions and their teachers in the USA, England, and Australia should bear legal responsibility in damages for ineffective classroom teaching is the subject of this article. At the heart of the controversy regarding educational malpractice is the issue of remedies. Federal and state courts in the USA have resisted awarding damages where such an award would appear to sound in educational malpractice. However, although courts in Australia have yet to declare with any degree of certainty, they appear positioned to follow the English approach that ostensibly acknowledges a school's duty of care to provide effective education for all children. (Contains 97 notes.)

In this article we explore the increasing complexity of plagiarism litigation in the USA and Australia. Plagiarism has always been a serious academic issue and academic staff and students have wrestled with its definition and appropriate penalties for some time. However, the advent of the Internet and more freely accessible information resources, along with busy lives and pressures to succeed, may be leading to more frequent incidents of plagiarism. Alternatively, the same information resources and software packages may mean that we are now more able to identify when plagiarism occurs. The following discussion explores not just the traditional issues that have arisen with respect to plagiarism, but also the extended contexts in which plagiarism discussion is taking place in courtrooms, not university staffrooms. We consider issues in common in the two nations, as well as the wider academic community, and distinctive areas of litigation that have arisen in the USA and Australia. (Contains 163 notes.)

Although the systems of public schools differ among Australia, South Africa and the USA, all three countries recognize that religion plays a significant role in determining values. All three countries have written constitutions but only South Africa and the USA have a Bill of Rights that protects persons' exercise of religious beliefs. In Australia, the place of religion in education has largely been shaped by state legislatures, administrative regulations and interpretations of the national constitution. In the USA, the long tradition of religious values being represented in public education has been severely restricted over the past 60 years, resulting in artificial judicial lines being drawn between private religious expression and government expression. However, even private expression can be prohibited if it interferes with the educational mission of a school. South Africa had a long tradition of Christian religious practices in government schools under apartheid. However, the post-apartheid 1996 Constitution and 1996 South African Schools Act still give these schools considerable latitude in investing religious values into the educational process. In Australia, values, religion and education have always been a preoccupation of those providing education, although the blurring of public and private education in Australia has resulted in a different direction for the role of religion than in the USA. (Contains 157 notes.)

The opportunity for and expectation of parents' involvement in the education of their children is a staple of the American educational system. The absence of parent participation in their children's education has been decried by educators as a contributing factor to a range of problems in schools, from poor academic performance to disciplinary infractions. Although parent involvement is generally viewed as being synchronistic with and supportive of the education provided their children in schools, such involvement can constitute legal challenges to school decisions considered detrimental to their children's best interests. School officials need to have a working knowledge of the rights of children and parents, but in today's social environment with a high divorce rate, school officials need to know more than that; they must have confidence that a person purporting to act on behalf of a child not only is legally authorized to do so but also represents the best interest of the child. This article examines the different approaches taken in two countries, the United States and South Africa, with regard to the rights of students in schools. In the United States, although a tradition of using a best-interest standard exists for certain kinds of decisions involving children, the emphasis in school-related matters has been on rights of parents grounded in the U.S. Constitution and in federal and state statutes to make educational decisions for their children. On the other hand, the drafters of the 1996 constitution in South Africa have enshrined the best interest of the child by including a constitutional provision specifying that the best-interest standard shall be the one used in addressing all matters pertaining to the child. The authors discuss how these two approaches differ and how they have influenced decision making regarding students in schools. A short summary of the different approaches in the United States and South Africa is presented. (Contains 116 notes.)

SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth (SEARCH) was initiated in 2000 as a multicenter study to address major gaps in the understanding of childhood diabetes in the United States. An active registry of youth diagnosed with diabetes at age <20 years since 2002 assessed prevalence, annual incidence, and trends by age, race/ethnicity, sex, and diabetes type. An observational cohort nested within the population‐based registry was established to assess the natural history and risk factors for acute and chronic diabetes‐related complications, as well as the quality of care and quality of life of children and adolescents with diabetes from diagnosis into young adulthood. SEARCH findings have contributed to a better understanding of the complex and heterogeneous nature of youth‐onset diabetes. Continued surveillance of the burden and risk of type 1 and type 2 diabetes is important to track and monitor incidence and prevalence within the population. SEARCH reported evidence of early diabetes complications highlighting that continuing the long‐term follow‐up of youth with diabetes is necessary to further our understanding of its natural history and to develop the most appropriate approaches to primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of diabetes and its complications. This review summarizes two decades of research and suggests avenues for further work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess graduate and undergraduate international respiratory therapy students' perceptions of the impact of their international educational experience on their life experience and development. METHODS: Data were collected through a validated descriptive survey. Four main dimensions of development were assessed: professional respiratory therapist (RT) role, global understanding, personal development, and intellectual development. RESULTS: The sample size was 62. Just over half of the subjects held a graduate degree in respiratory therapy, and 47% held an undergraduate degree in respiratory therapy. Female participants accounted for 13% of participants. The dimensions of development that were the most affected for RT undergraduate students were professional RT role and global understanding, whereas personal development was the most impacted area of development for graduate RT students. The time spent abroad for education had a positive correlation with the students' perceptions of development of their professional RT role (rs = 0.43, P = .001), personal development (rs = 0.26, P = .047), and overall survey development score (rs = 0.28, P = .036). Former graduates had a significantly higher perception of development of their professional practice (P = .035) and cultural interaction (P = .03) than did current students. CONCLUSIONS: International education has a large overall positive impact on students' life experience and development. The study findings support the value of promoting international education in RT programs due to its role in advancing students' development and the internationalization of RT education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares the cost of several types of workfare and income maintenance programs, using data from the 1967 Survey of Economic opportunity and from cost studies of training and day care programs. During the 1960s, rapidly rising welfare rolls in the U.S. coexisted with affluence and decreasing rates of unemployment. As a result of these trends, there has been increasing emphasis in some quarters on helping welfare families attain self-sufficiency or, in other words, substituting workfare for welfare. Recent statistics indicate that 23 percent of the recipients in federally subsidized public assistance programs are aged, blind, or disabled. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) accounts for the remaining 77 percent, but in 1971 only 19 percent of AFDC families included a father living at home, and some of those fathers were not able-bodied.

The article focuses on contract disputes concerning the U.S. school employees. Topics discussed include an award of special damages being affirmed by Supreme Court of South Carolina in favor of charter school teacher who was dismissed wrongfully, a school board's motion for summary judgment granted by federal trial court in Kansas in response to claim by school principal regarding contract nonrenewal and conditions for claiming of unemployment compensation benefits.

The article focuses on laws concerning dismissal, demotion, discipline and nonrenewal of the U.S. school employees. Topics discussed include allegations of a former public school carpenter being dismissed by Supreme Court of Nebraska , who was fired because of his reporting of his board's demolition, claims of a probationary teacher in New York regarding her dismissal being based on racial animus and suit by suspended employees regarding Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).

The article discusses substantive constitutional rights in the U.S. First and Fourteenth amendments relevant to employees of public and non-public of the U.S K-12 schools. Topics discussed include job performance of an Illinois psychologist resulting from his criticism of proposed cuts to special education funding, judgment in favor of school employees in lieu of a suit claiming their failure for intervention on behalf of African American students and suits concerning formation of associations.

The article focuses on litigations concerning discrimination in employment in public and non-public schools in the U.S. Topics discussed include employment statutes consisting of Civil Rights Act and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), failure of a African American football coach in Georgia who was fired for recruiting violations in his race discrimination claim against his school board and gender discrimination claim by a African American women who compted for the job of superintendent.

The article discusses cases involving employees in public and nonpublic K-12 schools in the U.S. It outlines the sections with the largest number of cases in 2013 which includes dismissal, nonrenewal, demotion, discipline and contract disputes of employees. It notes the increase of discrimination claims under state or federal statutes on the basis of race, color, religion and sex.

The article investigates the diminished rights of parents to seek reimbursement under the Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA) for unilateral placement of their children in private schools, as ruled by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. It addresses the early parental reimbursement ground rules and the IDEA amendments affecting reimbursements. It discusses the effect of the balancing-of-equities process on reimbursements and the role of federal district courts in managing the process.

Accounting for approximately 10% of blindness in the USA, uveitis refers to a group of heterogeneous diseases that share the features of intraocular inflammation but whose etiologies include idiopathic autoimmune disease, infections, rheumatologic diseases and masquerade syndromes. Correct diagnosis with timely and appropriate therapy is key to reducing disease-associated morbidity. The multitude of possible causes can create diagnostic challenges, but a successful approach includes a targeted history of the illness and associated symptoms, detailed ocular evaluation and specific laboratory investigations. The purpose of this article is to aid in the initial evaluation and decision-making strategy for uveitis according to the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature Working Group classification scheme and to provide a brief look at the anticipated future for diagnostic tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a study on the population trend of Ring-billed Gulls over four decades in the North American Great Lakes and its connecting waterways. The study examined data gathered from four censuses, records colony distribution and occupancy patterns, and evaluated other factors pertinent to variations in nest counts at specific colonies. The four censuses used in this research were conducted by the Canadian Wildlife Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 1976 to 2009.

Chapter 1 of the book "The Yearbook of Education Law 2010," edited by Charles J. Russo is presented. It reviews nearly 160 cases of public and non-public K-12 school employees in the U.S. It notes that most of the cases focus on nonrenewal, discipline, dismissal, and contract disputes about employees. However, it does not include cases involving procedural matters.

The article highlights the main points of the Serve America Act in the U.S. and the role of volunteering in the Act. The Serve America Act is an amendment to the National Service Act of 1990 and is implemented through the Corporation for National and Community Service under the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) appointed by the President. The provisions of the Act are discussed. The Act aims to recruit and utilize adult volunteers to provide services to elementary and secondary students and to designate disadvantaged students who will receive such service.

The article explains the application of Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and tort theories as part of solving barriers blocking care for handicapped U.S. students. It discusses the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on the case Cedar Rapids Community School District v Garret F. case. It offers guidelines for educational policy to protect students with disabilities within the context of the IDEA provisions.

Background: Pyrethroid insecticides are the most commonly used residential insecticides in the United States. Objectives: Our objective was to assess human exposure via biomonitoring to pyrethroid insecticides in a representative sample of the general U.S. population ≥ 6 years of age. Methods: By using isotope-dilution high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray chemical ionization/tandem mass spectrometry, we measured five urinary metabolites of pyrethroid insecticides in 5,046 samples collected as a part of the 199 –2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Univariate, multivariate, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed using SUDAAN and SAS software, incorporating the appropriate sample weights into the analyses. Multivariate analyses included age, sex, race/ethnicity, creatinine, fasting status, and urine collection time as covariates. Results: We detected 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3PBA), a metabolite common to many pyrethroid insecticides, in more than 70% of the samples. The least-squares geometric mean (LSGM) concentration (corrected for covariates) of 3PBA and the frequency of detection increased from 1999–2000 (0.292 ng/mL) to 2001–2002 (0.318 ng/mL) but not significantly. Non-Hispanic blacks had significantly higher LSGM 3PBA concentrations than did non-Hispanic whites and Mexican Americans in the 2001–2002 survey period and in the combined 4-year survey periods but not in the 1999–2000 survey period. Children had significantly higher LSGM concentrations of 3PBA than did adolescents in both NHANES periods and than adults in NHANES 1999–2000. Cis- and trans-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid were highly correlated with each other and with 3PBA, suggesting that urinary 3PBA was derived primarily from exposure to permethrin, cypermethrin, or their degradates. Conclusions: Pyrethroid insecticide exposure in the U.S. population is widespread, and the presence of its metabolites in the urine of U.S. residents indicates that children may have higher exposures than adolescents and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We note the geomorphological and meteorological processes at Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, as analogs for those at Ontario Lacus on Titan. Although Ontario is ∼50× larger, the planforms of the two features are nearly identical, both are extremely flat, and are in environments where infrequent rainfall occurs against a climate, where evaporation exceeds precipitation. While the famous moving rocks on the Racetrack Playa may be exceptional on the Earth, the lower gravity and thicker atmosphere may render wind-induced rock transport comparatively common on Titan. Nearby Bonnie Claire Playa also provides field insights into the interpretation of remote sensing data from Titan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on laws concerning laws of the U.S. school employees tenure. Topics discussed include Florida's statutory requirement regarding evaluation of teachers based on students' performance, further reviews of an order sought by school board in New York regarding reinstating of a teacher with back pay, an order regarding termination of the employment of a teacher involve in physically abuse of children being affirmed by appellate court in New York.

Insecticide applications to control tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) (Hemiptera: Miridae), during cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., bud formation are common throughout the Midsouth of the United States. Cultivation practices and the pest complex have changed since action thresholds were established for this pest. A trial was conducted at 33 locations over 3 yr throughout the Midsouth to evaluate tarnished plant bug damage to cotton during the prebloom period. There was no consistent yield response to action thresholds, but average tarnished plant bug density and average square loss were both significant factors impacting lint yield. Based on the yield responses and application frequency of the various action thresholds, the best economic scenario occurred when tarnished plant bug density during the prebloom period averaged eight per 100 sweeps and square retention averaged 90%. The action thresholds required to achieve these averages are expected to be higher than these levels because pest pressure is not normally constant during the prebloom period. When insecticides are required, an application interval shorter than one week may be needed to obtain satisfactory control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the effect of plagiarism in the U.S. especially in educational institutions. According to the article, the laws affecting plagiarism cases are the Lanham Act, a U.S. legislation which prohibits trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising, and the Copyright Act, which lists the basic rights of copyright holders. It is stated that multiple variation of plagiarism litigation has revealed the increased responsibility of producers of new knowledge by acknowledging the authors of the materials they have used or read.

Chapter 1 of the book "The Yearbook of Education Law 2007" is presented. It presents more than 100 cases involving school employees from both public and private K-12 schools in U.S., along previous cases where the U.S. Supreme Court provided significant precedential guidance for lower courts. Majority of employee cases discussed, concerns employee dismissal, demotion, discipline, nonrenewal of contracts as well as school board compliance with local and state polices.

Chapter 1 of the magazine "The Yearbook of Educational Law 2006" is presented. It reviews more than 150 cases involving employees in public and non-public K-12 schools in the U.S. This year, the Supreme Court did not render any decisions dealing with K-12 employment issues. However, this chapter adduces previous Supreme Court cases where they cater significant case law for lower courts. Other significant information relative to the matter are presented.

The article discusses the role of parents' involvement in their children's learning in the U.S. educational system. Several problems were the result of poor participation of parents to support children in their academic tasks. School officials are obliged to have full knowledge on the rights of children in order to promote the best interests of their students.

Explores a type of expressive work where there is a question if the author's contribution is sufficient, to determine how much creativity and of what type is required to sustain a copyright in the United States. Discussion of the Feist Publications Inc. case against Rural Telephone Service Co. as a scientific basis of creativity; Exposure of the source of misapplication of the law; Refocus of the jurisprudence on its purpose to make it consistent with the reality of thought and ingenuity in the human brain.

In Elk Grove Unified School District v Newdow ( Elk Grove ),1 the Supreme Court, in an 8–0 judgment,2 with three concurrences, upheld the words ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance. In light of the uproar caused by Elk Grove , this article is divided into three parts. After reviewing the history of the Pledge the second section examines the litigation involving the pledge, including Elk Grove in this regard. The article concludes with brief reflections on the meaning of Elk Grove . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses employees in the U.S. Claims against discrimination on employment under state or federal statues; Rights enshrined in the constitution intended for the welfare of labor; Observance of due process for any violation committed by an employee.

This investigation describes the illness beliefs of veterans regarding their Gulf War-related health concerns and investigates the relationship of these illness beliefs to physical and mental health functioning. Gulf War veterans (N = 583) presenting for evaluation at a Veteran's Affairs and Department of Defense facility completed self-report measures of symptom-related beliefs, psychosocial distress, and functional status. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the extent that symptom-related beliefs impacted symptom-reporting and functional status independent of demographic factors and psychiatric illness. Several beliefs predicted physical symptom reporting and functional impairment in physical health and mental health domains after controlling for demographic variables and psychiatric illness. Gulf War veterans' illness beliefs may impact clinical outcomes. Discussing illness beliefs and providing accurate information is an important component of medical care for Gulf War veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many social scientists believe that supporting entrepreneurship development within low-income communities is a viable development strategy to combat poverty. Some even suggest that if economic development is to be effective, new businesses in low income areas must be started through local initiatives, and that entrepreneurship is critical to the maintenance of a healthy economy. Underpinned by recent scholarship and grass-roots movements that suggest that presence of smaller scale, locally-controlled enterprises can help determine whether communities prosper or decline, this paper explores the links between entrepreneurship and rural development. Using a theory of change framework (Oldsman and Hallberg 2002), the authors examine the USDA 1890 Entrepreneurial Outreach Initiative (USDA 2004) and its use as a local, community-based strategy to spur economic growth and development in rural communities across the South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines how U.S. courts have addressed the religious speech claims of individual students, student groups and community organizations. Range of religious claims before public schools; Discussion on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District; Issues on student religious access in public schools.

The article presents information on legal developments in the U.S. as of December 1, 2003. Affirmative action entered the American legal and educational consciousness in Regents of University of California v. Bakke, a dispute over the constitutionality of a medical school's race based admissions policy. In this case, the Supreme Court considered a challenge to a medical school program filed by a white applicant who was denied admission under an affirmative action program which set aside 16 seats out of 100 openings for specified minority groups, defined as African, Mexican, Asian and Native-Americans. The white male was initially excluded, and later ordered admitted by the Supreme Court of California, even though his qualifications were substantially equivalent to those who were admitted in his place. In a plurality opinion, the court held that while the program was illegal and the white student should have been admitted, the consideration of race per se was not constitutionally forbidden in admission decisions.

Discusses about 190 cases involving employees in public and nonpublic K-12 schools in the U.S. Two broad groups in federal nondiscrimination statutes; Cases presented concerning interesting procedural problems in employment; Discrimination of employees in terms of religion.

Examines various drug testing approaches utilized by school districts to address the proliferation of drug use among students in the U.S. Information on various suspicionless drug testing; Examination of the legal challenges that have resulted from the approach; Discussion on legal issues related to the design and implementation of a drug testing policy.

With the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision of Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 2002), upholding the vouchers portion of an Ohio-based scholarship program, interest in vouchers is at an all-time high. Will the availability of voucher programs create an exodus of students from public schools? Will private schools open their doors and classrooms to respond to the increasing need? Several problems remain before voucher programs can become widespread, and even then some private and religious schools may opt not to participate. This article discusses the autonomy of religious schools, summarizes relevant court cases, and explores three possible reasons some private and religious schools may not be willing to accept vouchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a critical summary of the current state of the voucher question as it relates to Catholic schools. After an in-depth look at the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of the Cleveland program (Zelman v. Simmons-Harris), the authors conclude that while voucher programs might he part of an overall solution for educating the urban poor, they will have limited impact on Catholic schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 19-20 June 1979 a cyclone moved through the central United States. This cyclone contained a squall line associated with a cold front aloft (CFA), which caused significant damage. The fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University-NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) was used to diagnose the role of the cold pool in the maintenance of the squall line. A control simulation with "full physics" was run, at 18- and 3.6-km grid spacing. Both simulations produced a squall line that was similar in location, orientation, and speed to the observed squall line, and displayed several characteristics that differed from the "leading line-trailing stratiform" paradigm for midlatitude squall lines. Sensitivity test simulations were run for both grid spacings, with diabatic cooling due to evaporation and melting of precipitation withheld to prevent the formation of a cold pool. These simulations produced a squall line similar to that in the control simulation, in terms of the location, orientation, and movement of the squall line. The simulations showed that the CFA provided the primary lifting responsible for the maintenance and movement of the simulated squall line by means of the hydrostatic surface pressure pattern it induced. The cold pool did not play a critical role in the maintenance of the simulated CFA squall line, but it did retard the progression of the synoptic-scale trough that trailed the simulated squall line, thereby increasing the forward tilt of the Pacific cold front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that the United States Supreme Court has upheld the voucher portion of the Ohio Pilot Project Scholarship Program. Legal history of vouchers; Cleveland voucher program; Jurisprudence of the court.

Discusses the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in 'Owasso Independent School District No. I-011 vs. Falvo' that the practice of peer-grading, whereby teachers allow students to grade classmates' papers, does not transform them into educational records covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Case history; Overview of the act; Implications of the case for educators in Great Britain who may permit peer-grading.

Describes the building of the legal foundation for an effective public health system in the U.S. Improvement of the system's capacity in the context of evolving health challenges; Factors affecting the delivery of essential public health services; Provision of public health services to state residents.

Discusses the role of pediatricians in responding to bioterrorist attacks in the U.S. Agents associated with acute respiratory distress and fever, including anthrax and plague; Influenza-like illness, including tularemia; Acute rashes with fever, including smallpox; Neurological and blistering syndromes; Detection of potential cases of bioterrorism by the Laboratory Response Network.

Examines the history of litigation involving values orientation in U.S. public schools. Judicial tension in religion litigation; Role of religion in public schools; Right of parents to direct children's education.