Addressed to teachers, administrators, resource and referral workers, and substitutes, this booklet offers advice about finding and retaining good substitute child care workers. Sections concern (1) causes of the "crisis" in substitute care, including the expansion of child care, provider turnover, shortage of elementary school teachers,…

The practitioner advising a school board in connection with a reduction in force can appreciate that the board has great flexibility in implementing its decision. As long as the board's actions are not arbitrary, capricious, or pretextual, and they afford minimal due process protections to tenured teachers, the board's decisions will withstand…

The First Amendment free speech right is one of the most frequently asserted constitutional challenges to dismissal or discipline of a school district employee. In any employee's claim of violation of free speech right by a public employer, a threefold process of review should be made: (1) Was the conduct in question constitutionally protected in…

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)

This article reviews recent threats to academic freedom and examines the tendencies which either undermine or bolster the individual's willingness to exercise that freedom. Concludes that those who would curtail academic freedom are receiving support from a conservative federal judiciary and a national administration that identifies closely with…

Cites examples of private attacks and governmental restrictions on academic freedom. Contends that teachers must explicitly teach the importance of free inquiry in an open society; and that school districts must have written procedures in place for dealing with complaints. (JDH)

The relationship between faculty union mandatory membership provisions in a collective bargaining agreement and the rights of faculty protected by tenure and academic freedom are examined, and college options and considerations in negotiating contracts under collective bargaining laws are discussed. (MSE)

Using a specific case, this article reviews some common areas of contract and tort law applicable to principals and employment practices in public and private schools. The question/answer format treats contract validity, negligent misrepresentation, and constitutionality issues involved in a case based on unfulfilled hiring promises. Includes four…

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Boston University faculty are managerial employees with authority to veto curriculum and personnel decisions and are not entitled by law to collective bargaining, reinforcing the Supreme Court's similar 1980 ruling on Yeshiva University faculty rights. (MSE)

Garland Independent School District (Texas) has a clear-cut policy of free choice regarding union membership and has placed firm restrictions on union activities during shool hours. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld these restrictions but struck down a superintendent's claim that teachers' private communications violated district…

A review of court decisions about teacher testing programs shows that tests must be equitable and fair, must not be used to discriminate by race or sex, and that adequate notice to teachers is required. (MLF)

Reviews court decisions related to the limited constitutional rights of tenured faculty members in State-supported institutions of higher education who face dismissal based on institutional necessity. Considers court opinions on what qualifies as "financial exigency" and "bona fide dismissal," and describes actions taken by the…

In Australia, teachers' accountability has grown less centralized and less bureaucratized as teachers have become more knowledgeable and better trained. Opposing forces are currently battling over whether to increase monitoring. In as multidimensional an administrative field as Australian schooling, a complex, changing monitoring system must…

A statement by Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure of the American Association of University Professors on the organization "Accuracy in Academia" is presented. External monitoring of in-class statements presents the prospect that words uttered will be distorted or taken out of context and have a chilling effect. (MLW)

Accuracy in Academia (AIA) is seen as a threat to academic freedom. Its activity is opposed by the American Association of University Professors for the following reasons: *AIA monitors will inhibit academic freedom, quality of academic performance should be judged through peer evaluation, and AIA has a narrow mindset. (MLW)