Criticism of "political correctness" on college campuses is no longer an internal debate about curriculum. Journalists and politicians have entered the debate, and the entire enterprise of the university, including healthy skepticism, has come under attack. The challenge is to make the university a place where different communities are…

Explains "forum analysis" and analyzes its application in a sample of free speech cases and assesses its application in a limited range of relevant cases. Contains a selective listing of 38 public-forum cases relevant to schools or colleges. Concludes that education needs a new, more speech protective restatement of the public-forum…

Summarizes a case involving a Denver high school teacher's naming, in a government class, of a student observed in a public sexual rendezvous. The teacher lost on all fronts, because his speech was considered school-sponsored and did not meet the school district's pedagogical interests, based on the 1988 "Hazelwood" decision limiting…

Discusses tension between claims of the university intellectual elite and ordinary members (students and teachers) and explores ways in which the tension is developed and resolved, arguing that it is a necessary condition for supporting and maintaining democracy within the university. (SM)

In "Hazelwood," regarding school-sponsored newspapers, the Supreme Court granted broad discretion to school authorities under the First Amendment. Following a brief overview of changes in First Amendment law governing student expression rights since the 1960s is followed by an analysis of the impact of recent developments on the free…

Explores students' need for team experiences, advantages of teams to learning and to course management, methods of team and project management practiced in industry, and adaptation of industry's methods to projects focusing on freedom of expression. Describes the usefulness and lasting value of resulting student work. Suggests unusual ways to…

Litigation concerning higher education tenure decisions has helped define the boundaries of institutional discretion. Examines the ways courts have treated claims of substantive and procedural impropriety. Advises institutions to have available good-faith reasons for their actions, either in applying tenure standards or in deviating from…

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is considering a rule that would prohibit federal candidates from holding political events on private college campuses. Explains the proposal's origins and content, and argues against the measure, explaining both its redundancy and internal inconsistencies. Suggests a less intrusive method to accomplish FEC's…

Summarizes two cases involving grade-school children presenting religious materials in the classroom: "Duran v. Nitsche" and "DeNooyer v. Livonia Public Schools." Advises teachers that parents who send their children to public schools have the right under the Establishment Clause to expect instruction that is free from…

Compares historiography and its relationship to government in the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) before and after German reunification. Acknowledges bias in some West German views of history, and calls for dialog among historical researchers from all viewpoints. (CFR)

Two middle-school students unsuccessfully challenged a Phoenix school's mandatory school uniform policy. The attorney representing the district interpreted the appellate court's decision as providing assurance for public schools that such policies are constitutional, provided they are content-neutral, not aimed at suppressing any particular…

The Supreme Court's decision in Agostini v. Felton (1997) upheld the delivery of Title 1 services in religiously affiliated nonpublic schools, overruling two previous 1985 decisions holding that providing publicly funded programs in religious schools violated the Establishment Clause. "Agostini" reflects an emerging judicial perspective…

Discusses a complicated appellate-court case upholding a Milwaukee high-school junior's expulsion for advocating computer hacking in a student newspaper. The decision is noteworthy for signaling a growing technology-related litigation trend, conflating the advocacy/incitement issue, and showing courts' decreasing tolerance for perceived threats to…

University administrators are challenged to develop policies that protect the educational atmosphere for marginalized groups while also protecting freedom of speech. The appropriate administrative response to outrageous or hateful speech on campus may be constructive speech and action, not discipline of speakers. This article summarizes relevant…

Describes censorship and discusses its history. Argues that using "politically correct" language is censorship. Discusses censorship in books for young readers, silent censorship, and solutions. Argues that the best protection against censorship is to read. Lists characteristics of censorship; describes a summer workshop in which…