Recent Articles

Post-Secondary Grant Opportunity

Karl Romberger
December 22, 2008 17:39

The U.S. Department of Education has been busy recently and here is another announcement of another grant opportunity.  This one is looking for consortia of educational institutions to develop post-secondary partnerships with European Union institutions.  Enjoy.

Special Education Contingency Fund Deadline

Karl Romberger
December 18, 2008 20:09

Schools in Pennsylvania have until January 30, 2009 to apply for special education contingency funds.  The Pennsylvania School Boards Association issued the following statement. The Department of Education is reminding school administrators that applications for special education contingency...

Pennsylvania Open Records Office Forms

Karl Romberger
December 15, 2008 20:30

The following announcement appeared in Saturday's Pennsylvania Bulletin.  Under section 505 of the Right-to-Know Law (65 P. S. § 67.505), the Office of Open Records must create and make available a Uniform Request Form that can be used when making request for records. This form...

Federal grant aimed at preventing high-risk drinking and violence by college students

Karl Romberger
December 15, 2008 15:30

The U.S. Department of Education announced today another grant program, this time for colleges, consortia, etc.  This grant program is aimed at preventing high-risk drinking and violent behavior by college students.  Here is the link.      

U.S. Department of Education invites applications for Charter School grants

Karl Romberger
December 12, 2008 15:37

In yesterday’s Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Education announced  that it was seeking applications for grants to support charter school access to capital.  The program provides grants to enhance charter school access to private-sector credit for facilities projects...

Response To Comments, Fall 2008

Karl Romberger
December 11, 2008 20:39

Its time again to write about some comments. I wrote about the District of Columbia School Chancellor’s efforts to implement performance pay in “Teacher pay and tenure: creating a free agent market.”  Professor Fox added a comment regarding improvement to the...

Lewd, but not too lewd: discipline for off-campus speech probably depends on degree of offensivness

Karl Romberger
December 10, 2008 16:12

The blog has been off for a while, but now guest blogger Tim Gilsbach, starts off with the first a series of new entries.  This one brings to mind Justice Stewart's remark that he knows pornography when he sees it by showing that offensive speech is, apparently, no less subjective.  For...

Leasor Beware: distinctions between design and lease under the Fair Housing Act's statute of limitations

Karl Romberger
August 11, 2008 16:55

A university student, who used a wheelchair because of a neuromuscular condition, filed suit against a university and others asserting that the apartment he leased was not properly accessible. The design for the building at issue was completed in 2000. Student signed a lease in December,...

A Pennsylvania court's view of HIPAA, FERPA, and student records

Karl Romberger
August 05, 2008 20:33

The Pennsylvania Superior Court considered, and rejected, the notion that two federal privacy statutes create privileges against disclosing student records during the course of litigation discovery. But a state law, however, might bar production of such records.The case involved a former...

Teacher pay and tenure: creating a free agent market?

Karl Romberger
July 17, 2008 20:22

I have been known to describe the current situation of public education as not sustainable. The pay and benefits, and job protections, are very generous. Most working schlubs would really like to have that set up. While I also freely admit that I would not be a good teacher in the...