How Legislation and Litigation Shape School Choice

Since its appearance on the educational landscape, school choice has engendered considerable controversy. Those controversies are captured in two forms of "law" -- legislation and litigation. Government legislation at all levels codifies the results of political struggles around school choice and defines choices available to parents. Those unhappy with the results have brought litigation to determine whether the policies are consistent with constitutional provisions and other existing laws. This policy brief examines the relationships between various forms of school choice and the legal authority that both binds and bounds them. As the discussion will show, both the development of and legal challenges to school choice in its various forms can be traced to a tension between the legal principle that parents should be able to direct the upbringing of their children and the legal principle of parens patriae (the government is the ultimate guardian), which forms the foundation for compulsory education in the United States. As such, school choice legislation and litigation go to the very heart of public education and the societal values it reflect

Cost-effectiveness of physical fitness training for stroke survivors

Background Physical fitness is impaired after stroke, yet fitness training after stroke reduces disability. Several international guidelines recommend that fitness training be incorporated as part of stroke rehabilitation. However, information about cost-effectiveness is limited. Methods A decision tree model was used to estimate the cost-effectiveness of a fitness programme for stroke survivors vs. relaxation (control group). This was based on a published randomised controlled trial, from which evidence about quality of life was used to estimate Quality Adjusted Life Years. Costs were based on the cost of the provision of group fitness classes within local community centres and a cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year was calculated. Results The results of the base case analysis found an incremental cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year of £2,343. Conclusions Physical fitness sessions after stroke are a cost-effective intervention for stroke survivors. This information will help make the case for the development of new services

Conscious Use of Race as a Voluntary Means to Educational Ends in Elementary and Secondary Education: A Legal Argument Derived From Recent Judicial Decisions

This paper provides an in-depth examination of the ten recent court decisions concerning race-based student selection processes. As these cases will illustrate, school districts face increasing demands to justify any race-conscious selection process. The significance of meeting the demands and the implications for what appears to be an evolving legal theory is national in scope and broad in application. Some have even argued that some of these cases mark a departure away from the Court\u27s thinking in Brown v. the Board of Education. It should also be noted that each of the cases mentioned above occurred in the context of some form of school choice, which heightens the significance of the research and the implications of its findings

Admiralty Law - Are Seamen Still The Wards of Admiralty ? Sutton v. Earles: Ninth Circuit Extends Loss of Society Damages To Non-dependent Parents of Non-seamen In Maritime Wrongful Death Action

This comment compares the Ninth Circuit\u27s holding with the approaches other courts have taken regarding loss of society damages and the dependency rule for awarding such recovery in maritime wrongful death actions. This comment concludes that, although the Ninth Circuit\u27s decision was an empathetic attempt at developing the law of maritime damages, the holding\u27s glaring conflict with the spirit of the maritime remedial statutory scheme is exemplary of a growing problem in maritime law. Specifically, as judges struggle to keep the rules of admiralty current with common law developments outside the maritime context, the separation of judge-made doctrine from Congressional policy widens within admiralty jurisdiction, thereby creating new and greater anomalies in admiralty uniformity, more uncertainty for admiralty practitioners, and unfair results for some maritime tort victims

Admiralty Law - Are Seamen Still The Wards of Admiralty ? Sutton v. Earles: Ninth Circuit Extends Loss of Society Damages To Non-dependent Parents of Non-seamen In Maritime Wrongful Death Action

This comment compares the Ninth Circuit\u27s holding with the approaches other courts have taken regarding loss of society damages and the dependency rule for awarding such recovery in maritime wrongful death actions. This comment concludes that, although the Ninth Circuit\u27s decision was an empathetic attempt at developing the law of maritime damages, the holding\u27s glaring conflict with the spirit of the maritime remedial statutory scheme is exemplary of a growing problem in maritime law. Specifically, as judges struggle to keep the rules of admiralty current with common law developments outside the maritime context, the separation of judge-made doctrine from Congressional policy widens within admiralty jurisdiction, thereby creating new and greater anomalies in admiralty uniformity, more uncertainty for admiralty practitioners, and unfair results for some maritime tort victims

Space Station crew safety alternatives study. Volume 5: Space Station safety plan

The Space Station Safety Plan has been prepared as an adjunct to the subject contract final report, suggesting the tasks and implementation procedures to ensure that threats are addressed and resolution strategy options identified and incorporated into the space station program. The safety program's approach is to realize minimum risk exposure without levying undue design and operational constraints. Safety objectives and risk acceptances are discussed