Character Citizenship

The thesis of this article is that public schools have both the legal authority and the educational responsibility to provide schooling for character and citizenship. We will begin with a review of constitutional principles expressed in selected Supreme Court cases; we will end with some observations about such schooling from an educational perspective

Racial and Ethnic Preferences in College Admissions: How Much is Too Much?

Two 2003 Supreme Court decisions - Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger-considered challenges to the use of racial preferences in the admissions policies of two different colleges at the University of Michigan. Taken together, these two Equal Protection Clause decisions stand for the propositions that the educational benefits resulting from a diverse student body can be a compelling government interest and that race and ethnicity can be used as a plus to promote that interest, but not to the extent that such a preference insulates minority applicants from competition with other applicants and ensures the admission of nearly every minority applicant who is minimally qualified

Racial and Ethnic Preferences in College Admissions: How Much is Too Much?

Two 2003 Supreme Court decisions - Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger-considered challenges to the use of racial preferences in the admissions policies of two different colleges at the University of Michigan. Taken together, these two Equal Protection Clause decisions stand for the propositions that the educational benefits resulting from a diverse student body can be a compelling government interest and that race and ethnicity can be used as a plus to promote that interest, but not to the extent that such a preference insulates minority applicants from competition with other applicants and ensures the admission of nearly every minority applicant who is minimally qualified

Federal Legal Protections for Educators with Disabilities

Educators are generally aware that federal law protects persons with disabilities from unjustified discrimination, but they may not be familiar with the details of how these protections come into play when decisions are made about an individual’s educational or employment opportunities

Mitigating Pavement Edge Drop off

The objective of this research was to investigate and document practices currently being used by the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) districts and other State DOTs to mitigate pavement edge drop off. The NDOR has developed (or borrowed) and is currently incorporating into its standard practices several procedures that significantly decrease the incidence and magnitude of pavement edge-drop off. As these practices become more fully integrated into highway reconstruction projects, pavement edge drop off is expected to decrease dramatically. Localized areas of pavement edge drop off along paved lanes with bare or vegetated shoulders were noted as posing particular problems for NDOR maintenance personnel. Several commercial systems for artificially reinforcing soil beneath vegetated or aggregate shoulders were investigated. Suggestions for follow-on research and field studies involving various mitigation procedures are included in the recommendations

Local Control of Education

The theory of educational control holds that schools are best served by local boards of education. In practice, however, these local boards are subject to numerous constraints, especially at the state level, and often at the federal level. The social, political, legal and judicial climate has great bearing on what school boards mayor may not do, and how they mayor may not do it. In Nebraska, equitable allocation of resources and recognition of the value of local control can help school districts better achieve the state\u27s educational goals

Local Control of Education

The theory of educational control holds that schools are best served by local boards of education. In practice, however, these local boards are subject to numerous constraints, especially at the state level, and often at the federal level. The social, political, legal and judicial climate has great bearing on what school boards mayor may not do, and how they mayor may not do it. In Nebraska, equitable allocation of resources and recognition of the value of local control can help school districts better achieve the state\u27s educational goals

Single-Sex Schools and Classroom: Is Separate but Comparable Legally Permissible?

Most public schools in the United States have been coeducational, based at least in part on a general belief that single-sex schools and classrooms were legally impermissible. Now the issue of single-sex education has been raised again by the No Child Left Behind Act of2001, which provides that federal funds may be made available to local education agencies for an array of innovative assistance programs, including programs to provide same-gender schools and classrooms. An analysis of applicable law, coupled with a review of the merits of single-sex schooling, suggests that separate but comparable single-sex public school education might be legally permissible

Fishing for ecosystem services

Ecosystems are commonly exploited and manipulated to maximize certain human benefits. Such changes can degrade systems, leading to cascading negative effects that may be initially undetected, yet ultimately result in a reduction, or complete loss, of certain valuable ecosystem services. Ecosystembased management is intended to maintain ecosystem quality and minimize the risk of irreversible change to natural assemblages of species and to ecosystem processes while obtaining and maintaining long-term socioeconomic benefits. We discuss policy decisions in fishery management related to commonly manipulated environments with a focus on influences to ecosystem services. By focusing on broader scales, managing for ecosystem services, and taking a more proactive approach, we expect sustainable, quality fisheries that are resilient to future disturbances. To that end, we contend that: (1) management always involves tradeoffs; (2) explicit management of fisheries for ecosystem services could facilitate a transition from reactive to proactive management; and (3) adaptive co-management is a process that could enhance management for ecosystem services. We propose adaptive co-management with an ecosystem service framework where actions are implemented within ecosystem boundaries, rather than political boundaries, through strong interjurisdictional relationships

Fishing for ecosystem services

Ecosystems are commonly exploited and manipulated to maximize certain human benefits. Such changes can degrade systems, leading to cascading negative effects that may be initially undetected, yet ultimately result in a reduction, or complete loss, of certain valuable ecosystem services. Ecosystembased management is intended to maintain ecosystem quality and minimize the risk of irreversible change to natural assemblages of species and to ecosystem processes while obtaining and maintaining long-term socioeconomic benefits. We discuss policy decisions in fishery management related to commonly manipulated environments with a focus on influences to ecosystem services. By focusing on broader scales, managing for ecosystem services, and taking a more proactive approach, we expect sustainable, quality fisheries that are resilient to future disturbances. To that end, we contend that: (1) management always involves tradeoffs; (2) explicit management of fisheries for ecosystem services could facilitate a transition from reactive to proactive management; and (3) adaptive co-management is a process that could enhance management for ecosystem services. We propose adaptive co-management with an ecosystem service framework where actions are implemented within ecosystem boundaries, rather than political boundaries, through strong interjurisdictional relationships