Discusses the debate over proper balance between a school board's authority to prescribe a uniform curriculum and parent's First Amendment right to free exercise of religion, citing a recent Tennessee case which determined that uniform use of objectionable texts is not crucial for a sound education. (WTH)

Presents R. Scarce's account of his jailing for refusal to divulge to the authorities information gathered for his doctoral research. Revealing the information would have been a violation of the American Sociological Association's Code of Ethics. Concludes with 13 concerns and suggestions for protecting scholarly research from legal intrusion.…

Recounts an incident where a sociologist heard stories challenging violations concerning toxic chemicals. Lawyers advised that corroborating these stories would obligate the sociologist to inform the authorities, thereby jeopardizing his sources. Discusses the ineffectuality of the American Sociological Associations' code of ethics and legal…

Lists guidelines to help department administrators reduce their liability and strengthen their position when faced with grievances or lawsuits. (AEA)

This report reviews the seven times that the courts have considered the question of whether school boards can remove books from school libraries. Because the first and the three most recent cases upheld the rights of boards, while the other three cases were won by plaintiffs who had filed their cases against the boards, the differences in the…

Examines issues of institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and theology in the intellectual life of the Catholic university in the context of "Ex Corde Ecclesiae," the Papal constitution on higher education. Concludes that the church's mandate need not be problematic for American Catholic colleges and universities. (Author/MSE)

Basic areas of academic freedom, questions for clarification of rights and responsibilities, questionnaires for assessing the health of academic freedom in individual schools, and a procedure for combating an attack on academic freedom are provided in this teacher's guide. (DE)

Identifies significant issues raised by cases involving censorship efforts in junior and senior high school libraries and examines manner in which they have been resolved by judicial opinion. Discussion covers academic freedom for library professionals, students' right of access to library holdings, and shelf-tenure concept for library materials.…

Reviews court rulings on academic sovereignty, discrimination and equal protection, and contractual relationships between students and schools. Offers guidance to help faculty prepare for student legal pressures by clarifying the roles of the student and the college. (DMM)

A 1998 court decision ruled that a recent Virginia law requiring official approval for state employees to put materials with "sexually explicit content" on the Internet was unconstitutional. However, the extent to which the First Amendment will protect academic freedom in cyberspace in this case and for other issues is not clear. (MSE)

Asserts that infringements on the freedom to research and teach detracts from effective teaching and unbiased research. Suggests that some sociologists permit infringements out of confusion over possible outcomes and fear of being punished for noncompliance. (CFR)

Analysis of a Supreme Court case, in which university use of academic freedom as a basis for protecting confidential peer-review documents was rejected, explores the general development and this application of academic freedom doctrine. Individual academic freedom is distinguished from institutional autonomy in protection of the free exchange of…

To improve instruction, teachers need to be brought together to work on common instructional concerns in a professional environment. To create it, supervisors need to provide more opportunities for teachers to make choices, discuss their work, observe each other, and help beginning teachers ease into their responsibilities. (Author/DCS)

Explores issues raised by "Ex Corde Ecclesiae," the Papal constitution on higher education, from the perspective of Brigham Young University, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church). Pertinent exemptions to laws concerning employment discrimination, contracts, academic freedom, and accreditation are…

This publication summarizes proceedings of a working group session convened to discuss ways to encourage efforts of colleges and universities to increase the sense of community on their campuses. It is noted that the sense of community has been diluted over the years due to the great diversity of students, both racial and cultural, that now…