Principals are the chief teachers of law in their schools. However, many principals would say that teaching law is not in their job description and that they do not need another responsibility, but intentional or not, most principals already teach law--in staff meetings; in teacher conferences; in informal conversations; and when they develop,…

The purpose of this national survey is to determine secondary school principals' knowledge of the rights of students and teachers, how often principals are legally threatened and sued, how they adjust their behaviors in response, and how they obtain and disseminate legal information. Survey results show that a majority of principals are uninformed…

This article examines how preservice and in-service teachers can be prepared to understand and implement school law. First, we report on research findings about what teachers know, do not know, and want to know about education law and where they get their information. Second, we identify the current norms, practices, and implications of preservice…

In this article, David Schimmel and Matthew Militello document the legal knowledge and training of teachers based on a survey of more than thirteen hundred K-12 respondents in seventeen states. The findings from this study suggest that most educators (1) are uninformed or misinformed about student and teacher rights; (2) have taken no course in…

This book is about teachers and the laws that affect them. New to this sixth edition are new court cases and a chapter that highlights likely controversies in the coming years, including school choice, high-stakes testing, control of the Internet, and gang clothing. The book is divided into two parts. Part I, "The Legal Aspects of Teaching,"…