The court decision in Bishop vs. Aronov, that public universities may suppress a professor's classroom comments on his personal religious beliefs, is discussed, focusing on the conflict between a professor's right to express personal religious beliefs and a university's right to take action to limit that expression. (Author/MSE)

The most frequently cited causes for teacher dismissal are immorality, incompetence, and insubordination. The discussion in this chapter concerning these three causes encompasses the general judicial principles found in teacher dismissal cases. The discussion of dismissal for immorality focuses on three controversial areas of litigation: sexual…

A questionnaire survey was conducted to examine academic freedom as perceived by faculty members at Dowling College (New York) and by administrators in general. Topics covered in this study include: elements of academic freedom, the faculty and academic freedom, relationship of the Board of Trustees to the faculty, relationship of the…

Describes how a last issue of the school newspaper carrying senior class wills offended some faculty members and how the issue of censorship was raised and dealt with. (CRH)

Preservice teachers get their first teaching position hoping to take the first step toward becoming professional educators and expecting support from experienced colleagues and administrators, who often serve as their mentors. In this article, the authors present the story of Kristine (a pseudonym), who works at a middle school in a large U.S.…

At least 17 university faculty members have been the direct objects of unfavorable public commentary by the conservative organization Accuracy in Academia, Inc (AIA). Two case studies that have received much attention involve two political science professors: Dr. Terry Anderson of Texas A & M University, and Dr. Mark Reader of Arizona State…

Describes teachers' understanding of individualized instruction by presenting data collected from interviews with seven elementary school instructors. Finds a positive relationship between teachers' understanding of individualized instruction and their moral development as measured by the Defining Issues Test. Provides a number of interpretations…

A study was conducted to see if differences in attitudes and definitions exist between faculty and administrators toward the concept of academic freedom. The purpose was to gain a better understanding of their attitudes toward, and the perceptions of, academic freedom and compare those perceptions to the academic freedom general taxonomy. Academic…

This paper reports on a study that focused on teacher participation in decision making, part of a larger study that looked at management styles in Czech basic schools. There was particular interest in areas of school functioning that went beyond the level of common teachers' work in the classroom. Questionnaires were submitted to school heads and…

This paper reports on a study to determine what management styles are being used at Czech schools and the possible reasons for these styles. The study also looked at participatory management in Czech schools and the possible hindrances to its wider adoption and development. Five basic questions were formulated: What management style is typically…

This paper is part of a collection of 54 papers from the 48th annual conference of the Education Law Association held in November 2002. It discusses teachers' rights to private and public speech. Specifically, it examines the rights of special-education teachers and other special-education professionals to advocate, privately or publicly, on…

This report, based on a conference of international lecturers and academics and organized by Education International, notes that the number of college students has significantly increased over the last 2 decades while spending on almost every aspect of higher education has declined over the same time period. It warns that standards could plummet…

This booklet examines the issue of trust within the context of school improvement. Specifically, it looks at teacher-teacher and teacher-principal relationships. Drawing on existing research and the experiences of individual schools, it offers a summary of current literature and identifies specific steps that educators can take to increase the…