The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Students Are Speaking." Contents include: (1) Books Are for Learning, Not…

Over the past year, sweeping local and state-wide policies framed as bans against "CRT" are being propagated to restrict how race and racism can be taught in K-12 schools across the nation. As a result, schools are increasingly becoming a place where teachers face interpersonal and professional risk for teaching about US racial…

The so-called Culture Wars have made the issue of religious tolerance in schools more confusing than ever. Where once free speech trumped nearly every concern in these wars in the public schools, there is now great concern about whether messages put out are politically correct. The preoccupation teachers now have with avoiding speech or themes…

Describes the passing of intellectual and academic freedom in Chilean universities after the coup of September 11, 1972. (PG)

This report provides board policy samples and other policy resources on academic freedom. The intent in providing policy samples is to encourage thinking in policy terms and to provide working papers that can be edited, modified, or adapted to meet local requirements. Topics covered in the samples include (1) textbook/supplementary materials…

Discusses the academic freedom case of history professor Grant Cooper at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. (PG)

Appraises developments at censured institutions for the year preceding February 15, 1974. Included are: Alabama State University, Texas A&M University, Amarillo College, Broward Community College, Indiana State University, Detroit Institute of Technology, University of Florida, Grambling College, Marshall University and 29 other institutions. (PG)

The University Centers for Rational Alternatives (UCRA) constitutes lobbies for rational thought and academic freedom in the university community. (Author/PG)

Reviews the 1974 statement on academic freedom of the National Council for the Social Studies and offers a rationale for maintaining academic freedom. Reviews recent censorship threats, the "climate of restriction" which pervades textbooks and teaching, and teachers' reasons for self-censorship. (JDH)

Individuals and groups are exerting increasing pressures on American schools to restrict student access to important and worthwhile books. The success of these attempts at censorship has resulted in teachers being reprimanded, books being removed from libraries and classrooms, and subsequent attacks being expanded to include areas much larger than…

Part of the acceptance speech of the 1985 National Council for the Social Studies Teacher of the Year, this article describes the censorship experience of this honored social studies teacher. The incident involved the showing of a videotape version of the feature film entitled "The Seduction of Joe Tynan." (JDH)

Democracy can exist only in a climate in which teachers are free to teach and students are free to learn, a climate conducive to open inquiry and responsible discussion of any and all questions related to the ethical and cultural welfare of mankind. The right of an individual to read rests on the fundamental democratic assumption that an educated…

Arguing that censorship is not simply an attempt to control what is taught in the schools but also an infringement on the legal learning rights of students, this collection of essays offers insights into how censorship can come about, its impacts and repercussions, and the ways it might be fought. The collection stresses action rather than…

Teachers are facing political pressure from both the left and the right regarding their right to choose appropriate instructional materials. The experiences of several teachers who have been involved in censorship arguments are reported. A checklist of items concerning school policies and public relations activities to counter censorship is…