If Socrates returned, he would find inculcation a ubiquitous feature of U.S. education. Students and teachers who dissent from the community's wisdom are still denied their voice. The ideal of genuine Socratic inquiry remains an elite proposition. The First Amendment, which should protect students' right to question long held assumptions and…

Intended to make the First Amendment relevant to young people by addressing issues that speak directly to their lives, this guide assists teachers in using "Talk about Freedom," a series of eight educational print advertisements (ads) for teenagers, in the classroom. The eight print ads presented in the guide address: (1) censorship of…

Suggests five guidelines that can be used by teachers and local school district policy committees to accommodate the religious diversity of students while meeting the five historic goals of public schools. Points out emerging issues facing those concerned about religion and First Amendment rights of students and parents. (LS)

School board censorship of library books and of curriculum materials and methodology can infringe on fundamental constitutional rights, according to this seventh chapter in a book on school law. In the last decade, cases in federal courts have tended to support the authority of school boards to control library materials. However, board authority…

This Missouri law-related education (LRE) guidebook for judges visiting classrooms and class visits to courtrooms is premised upon the belief that partnerships between judges and teachers will foster civic competence in students, help students avoid legal problems, enhance higher level skills such as analytical thinking, and increase students'…

This serial issue concerns itself with several conflicts between individual rights and allegedly wrongful acts that the Supreme Court has not considered previously. The articles on these topics illuminate the constitutional issues of equal protection, due process, and freedom of expression. Specific issues addressed include: (1) equal educational…

Two articles in this instructional newsletter elucidate rulings by the United States Supreme Court, Circuit Court of Appeals, and District Courts affecting state sponsored school prayer: (1) "First Amendment Prayer Pendulum"; (2) "First Amendment. Rosenberger v University of Virginia." The newsletter provides the facts of the…