There is more and more external control of classroom content and processes. This external control is being vested in legislative and administrative bodies, which are more apt to turn the school over to managerial and industrial needs. Teachers should take organized action to defend their right to control the classroom. (RM)

Court decisions regarding the right of teachers to select instructional materials and methods show teachers have some authority, as do administrators and boards of education. None of the groups has limitless power. Offers guidelines to help prevent misunderstandings and conflicts. (MLF)

The status of Australian law and policy concerning college faculty's intellectual property rights is examined briefly. A number of recent occurrences, some reflecting trends and some discrete events, are used to illustrate the legal and cultural circumstances that frame the discussion about intellectual property and academics. (MSE)

The Iowa Board of Regents requires faculty to present a disclaimer when classroom instructional materials include sexually explicit content and allow students to complete alternative assignments. Some feel the policy strikes a healthy balance between academic freedom and student choice; others see it as giving students undue authority. (MSE)

Presents a hypothetical case to explore the legal issues involved when university students, professors, and the institution itself all assert their right to academic freedom. (EV)

Case law indicates that termination of a teacher's services because of incompetence is justified for reasons including inability to control children, poor classroom planning, and ineffective organizational ability. Courts tend to rely on the judgment of school administration in determining teacher competence when charges are specific, well…

Suggests that the constitution or structure of schools should be democratic to foster democracy. Discusses the value of parents' voices in decision making, but warns of the tendency toward bureaucracy. Argues that structural indexes must be formulated so that they can be transformed into instructional processes by a coupling of…

Reports on a study of 4,000 teachers in the German states that comprised the former Federal Republic of Germany. Finds that the feminization of the teaching profession is not as far advanced as is often assumed. Calls for more research into teacher placement and whether or not it affects teacher effectiveness or morale. (CFR)

The statement of the American Association of University Professors' Special Committee on Distance Education and Intellectual Property addresses the rights and responsibilities of faculty, institutions, and third parties in the current volatile, highly entrepreneurial environment of distance education. A statement on copyrights is included. (MSE)

Reviews some legal and procedural guidelines pertaining to freedom of expression and due process in how teachers and administrators handle student verbal or symbolic threats. Reviews school cases related to freedom of expression, written expression, verbal or written expression off school property, and Internet expression. Offers recommendations…

Survey of 24 midwestern school attorneys, 31 midwestern school administrators, and 22 law professors identified the most important school law cases in 10 categories: students' rights, due process, search and seizure, school attendance, rights of the handicapped, school curriculum, church and state, school desegregation, school finance, and…

Describes classrooms and schools as a culture of power that mirror society's unjust social relations. Investigates the questions: (1) is it ever justified to use power to interrupt power?; and (2) does all silencing subjugate? Outlines arguments for and against censorship of teachers who believe that portraying homosexual lifestyles positively…

Addresses Barbara Applebaum's argument that speech acts reproduce power. Argues that Applebaum's focus on utterances and expressions of belief is too narrow because it leaves out silence, particularly about sexual orientation in school curricula. Describes silence as a speech act that promotes harm just as powerfully as other speech acts. (CAJ)

Court litigation and decisions concerning the conflict between first amendment rights of free speech for United States citizens and the rights of controversial international figures, invited by college faculty to speak on campus, are discussed and compared. (MSE)

Changing the program structure of a higher education institution requires careful attention to existing and developing legal rights, especially in the areas of faculty contracts, student contracts, and program-related decisions. (Author/MSE)