Reciprocity Revisited: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska have inaugurated the nation’s second regional teaching credential. Licensed teachers in the states who have graduated from an accredited teachertraining program are eligible for the one-time, nonrenewable credential; holders may teach for up to two years in a participating state while they meet its licensing requirements. A similar credential was put in place earlier this year in the Northeast.
Tell Me Why: The Montana Supreme Court has ruled that nontenured teachers have a right to be told by school districts why they will not be rehired. The districts, however, do not have to justify their decisions, the court says.
Reentry Program: The Peace Corps plans to establish, in at least 10 cities next year, a program to allow returning volunteers to teach in schools while earning master’s degrees in education.
Bargaining Rights: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that teachers at schools run by the Defense Department have the right to bargain collectively on salary issues.
Making Amends: The New Jersey Supreme Court in June declared the state’s school-finance system unconstitutional and ordered the state to bring spending in its poorest city school systems up to the level of its wealthiest districts. The legislature has until the beginning of the 1991-92 school year to put a new system in place.
Help From The Competition: Nintendo Company Ltd., the Japanese video-game maker whose products are in one in five American homes, has donated $3 million to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for research into ways to make video games more educational while keeping them fun.
