Discusses challenges to developmental guidance materials in schools. Explores the issues involved in challenges, the essence of challenge debates, those organizations most involved in challenges, and the typical steps involved in a challenge. Suggests four strategies for protecting student access to effective programs, including policy formulation…

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals determined in "Good News/Good Sports Club v. School District of Ladue" that a public school district could not prohibit a parent-led Christian club from using school premises for its meetings. Discusses the majority and dissenting opinions and the implications of this decision for public schools. (72…

A 1992 conference on the status of minorities in higher education is summarized. Issues addressed include speech codes on college campuses, sexual harassment and power, minority scholarships, equal access to higher education under the law, and the need to redress both current inequities and the cumulative effect of discrimination in education.…

Describes a 1988 survey of Canadian public libraries that was conducted to investigate intellectual freedom and censorship pressures and practices. Relevant institutional policies are examined, age restrictions are discussed, collection challenges are described, the libraries' responses to such pressures are studied, and further research is…

A Foxfire teacher confronts her skepticism of education before interviewing Maxine Greene, author of the book, "The Dialectic of Freedom." Greene, who is optimistic about education and its role in promoting personal freedom, discusses schools in a changing society, educational reform, critical thinking, the importance of the arts in…

It is argued that, when law schools hire minority group members as faculty, it is because they hold mainstream views and uphold existing class preferences, not because they represent a diverse population. This is seen as a way of ignoring the lessons of history, not learning from them. (MSE)

Describes the changes that have taken place in librarianship in the former Soviet Union. The discussion covers the advantages and disadvantages of centralized planning, the reorganization of library systems in Russia and the Ukraine, the effects of democratization on organization and librarian attitudes, and the remnants of Russification in…

Three articles assess increased availability of information about individuals and corporations. The first discusses databases that provide information on individuals--e.g., court records, real estate transactions, motor vehicles records, and credit information. The second compares databases that provide corporate information, and the third…

Presents the opinion of the Supreme Court on the Hazelwood School District versus Kuhlmeier case delivered by Justice White. (MG)

Presents the dissent of Justice Brennan, with whom Justice Marshall and Justice Blackmun join, dissenting, in the Hazelwood School District versus Kuhlmeier case. (MG)

Examines works by Deloria, Mathews, Forbes, Allen, and Vizenor concerning how American Indians can face challenges of asserting sovereignty and the place of traditional culture in the struggle. Argues that Indian intellectuals should pursue critical analysis of the dominant society and understanding of the Indian experience in wider contexts. (SV)

This review of academic freedom in U.S. universities focuses on the role of the American Association of University Professors, which originally linked academic freedom and tenure but now views equality of genders, races, and cultures and the normality of homosexuality as the only real values, whereas truth is seen as illusory, even exploitative.…

With a recent court decision, defamation joins plagiarism, copyright infringement, and scientific fraud as grounds for litigation against academic reporters, universities, and other research institutions. Research institutions should maintain high research standards and learn about defamation law, and may need to adopt policies to ensure accurate…

The "Game of Decisions" is presented to encourage students to consider the consequences of banning books and/or ideas. The game involves story writing, creating probability graphs, writing a letter protesting censorship from a chosen historical period, and examining a controversial science issue. Three thesis statements for generating group…

Discussion of hate speech on college campuses focuses on whether the concept of hate speech encompasses expression deserving full First Amendment protection and thus virtual immunity from college regulation. It is argued that the Supreme Court could sustain some form of hate-speech policy on campus based on precedent elsewhere. (MSE)