The objective of this edited volume is to shed light upon K-12 perspectives of various school stakeholders in the current unique context of increasing political polarization and heightened teacher and student activism. It is grounded in academic freedom case law and the majority of opinion of the Supreme Court in the Tinker v. Des Moines…

In many countries, often at great personal cost, teachers and education support staff are at the forefront of the struggle for basic trade union and human rights. This book acknowledges their contributions. It also draws inspiration and hope from their efforts to show that a commitment to the interests of every child, to quality education, and to…

The relationship between the principal and the law has never been easy to define. This book provides basic information on the current status of law, risk, and site-based management as they relate to the legal rights and responsibilities of principals. Twenty-one chapters are included in five sections. The first section discusses the school and the…

This book describes teachers' work in urban New York City (New York) schools during a time of intense school reform in the 1920s. Teachers and schools coped with an ever-growing and diverse student body. Extensive interviews of teachers from this era shows the complexity of teachers' work, their problems with reform implementation, and the…

This work provides sample letters, charts, timelines, and checklists, to help principals adequately prepare for possible teacher dismissal. Chapter 1, "Describing the Marginal Teacher," lists traits common to marginal teachers. Chapter 2, "Establishing the Teacher Evaluation Process," presents a monthly timeline for assessing…

The purpose of this book is to answer questions regarding Illinois statutes, case law, and an administrative rules in force as of January 1, 1998. The book is designed for the lay men and women serving on school boards and in other official capacities, but it also answers legal questions commonly raised by teachers, parents, students, and others…

Educational supervision has historically sought to improve the quality of teaching. This book is a text for undergraduate and graduate students who are engaged in the study of issues in educational supervision; it is a compendium of informed commentaries on current issues written by prominent scholars in the field. The first part (12 chapters)…

The goal of this book is to provide comprehensive and practical knowledge of relevant legal issues that affect the administration of public schools. It will allow educators to effectively perform their duties within the boundaries of constitutional, statutory, and case law. It is also designed to be easy to understand for those with little or no…

Intended as a practical legal guide for Texas educators and lawyers, this book contains three major sections dealing with several chapters on various school law topics, each prepared by Texas attorneys. Section 1, "School Boards and Superintendents," includes chapters on school board members authority and relationship with staff, the…

Few laws enacted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly have been more profoundly felt than Act 195 of 1970, which granted teachers and other public employees the right to bargain and to strike. In July 1992, after years of disruptive teacher strikes, a school strike reform bill was passed in the form of Act 88. This resource book presents a…

This book discusses personal safety issues of concern to teachers, offers common sense rules, and provides information about crime and violence. Chapter 1, "Recognizing the Problem," discusses characteristics of violent schools, myths about school crime, teachers' right to know, denial and under-reporting, and discovering problem sources. Chapter…

This book analyzes the unionization of elementary and secondary school teachers in a variety of nations. Following the acknowledgments, foreword by Charles T. Kerchner, and introduction, 16 articles are presented from different countries on international labor relations in education. Each chapter contains an overview and exploration of the…

It is important that teachers and administrators have at least a rudimentary knowledge and understanding of school law and how it affects their day-to-day classroom activities, since the courts have played an increasingly significant role in defining school policy. Decisions in school desegregation, prayer, public school financing, student rights,…

Although the law has been the vehicle for launching school-reform efforts, little attention has been paid to the ways in which legal mechanisms enable or constrain effective school reform; however, law-based school reforms (lawsuits, regulations, statutes, and collective-bargaining provisions) have not changed the fundamental character of the…

This book was designed to serve as a legal resource for secondary and elementary school teachers and prospective teachers. Specifically, the book helps teachers become aware of their legal rights and responsibilities in order to avoid violating others' constitutional and statutorial rights in the classroom, and to assert their personal and…