Describes the problem arising from the Supreme Court's divided opinion in the 1978 higher education affirmative-action case of "Regents of the University of California v. Bakke"; discusses the outcome of several affirmative-action cases since "Bakke"; speculates on future efforts to further student diversity in higher…

Address the need to remedy the disparity in academic achievement of black and white students and examines why this disparity continues to exist in spite of the desegregation decrees issued under "Brown." Reviews how a court decides whether a school district has complied with a desegregation decree. Explains why schools are being released…

Discusses first case to challenge an employer's failure to provide contraceptive coverage to women working in private educational institutions as discriminatory, as well as proposed legislation involving contraceptive coverage. Explores several alternatives legislators must consider when deciding whether to implement such legislation, including…

Discusses Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act in terms of their potential legal remedies for victims of sexual-orientation discrimination. Examines several relevant federal appellate and Supreme Court decisions and the role of homosexual teachers. (PKP)

Argues against corporal punishment in schools; rebuts claims in earlier article regarding level of public approval for corporal punishment, number of times imposed, and its use and acceptance by states and school districts. Uses social-science research and case law to illustrate negative impact of corporal punishment and policymakers' decreasing…

Analyzes recent federal court decision striking down school anti-harassment policy on First Amendment grounds. Discusses freedom of expression rights in public setting as compared to public-school context. Argues decision incorrectly relies on law developed outside public-school context, unjustifiably finds violation of First Amendment, and may…

Discusses two recent court decisions--"Urofsky v. Gilmore" and "Bonnell v. Lorenzo"--that concern the role of faculty within the university. Concludes that as the law now stands, faculty have no special First Amendment right to academic freedom. (Contains 93 references.) (Author/MLF)

Discusses history and purpose of state open-records laws. Surveys how parties make open-records requests, various causes of action, and sanctions for noncompliance. Examines how open-records requests related to district investigations can implicate the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. Attempts to find appropriate balance between public's…

Describes state and federal court cases involving prohibited teacher conduct, including immorality; termination for immoral conduct, especially involving students, related to job performance; and termination for immoral conduct unrelated to job performance. Discusses the need to find a "nexus" between the teacher's conduct outside the…

Examines effectiveness of court challenges to education-finance systems in achieving need-driven educational equity, focusing on California, Kentucky, and Texas. Provides overview of education-finance litigation and goals of finance reform. Describes funding system in each state both pre- and post-litigation; uses statistical measures to discuss…

Discusses several state and federal court cases testing the limits of school district efforts to expand the scope of random student drug-testing since the Supreme Court's 1995 decision in "Vernonia School District 47J v. Action," wherein the Court approved random drug-testing of student athletes in public high schools. (Contains 113…

Argues that educational justice requires that schools and educators take affirmative action to apply the principles of federal and state constitutional provisions, statutes, and cases to cyberspace (Internet) access. Describes demographics of "digital divide." Analyzes developing law of cyberspace and addresses its implications for law,…