Believes that teachers should allow their students to bring their own personal knowledge and experiences into the classroom and not replace it with expected "school" knowledge. Argues that educators should advance a heightened sense of emotional and educational commitment and resist the movement toward standardized education. (CMK)

Examines current law on sexual harassment as it applies to higher education, asking what colleges/universities should be doing to review and update policies and procedures, and noting that while sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, not all harassing conduct is necessarily discriminatory. Law and campus harassment policies must…

Argues that terms such as self-determination and sovereignty, which were developed as political tools to influence federal Indian policy several decades ago, now contribute to an ideology that relieves Indian college students and scholars of their responsibilities to Indian communities. Suggests that American Indian Studies programs clarify what…

Contributes to legal scholarship and communication scholarship by examining how increased privatization has posed increasing problems for public access to governmental records when a governmental function has been privatized. Analyzes one state's struggle to determine such disclosure. Suggests that courts turn to a "public function" analysis that…

Schools and districts are most vulnerable to censorship challenges when they fail to establish sound, equitable policies and procedures or to honor those they have. Schools should promote an honest, consistent flow of information; insist on an instructionally sound media-selection rationale; and develop clear policies, procedures, and criteria for…

Focuses on the rationale for campaign finance reform, preventing corruption or the appearance of corruption in the electoral process, and the need for balancing the constitutional rights protected by the First Amendment. Discusses the issues of disclosure, contribution limits, issue advocacy, and soft money. Includes teaching activities and…

Identifies 10 terms on human rights and the law that have been introduced and discussed throughout this issue of "Update on Law-Related Education." Offers students a chance to match each item to its definition by writing the letter of the terms on the line next to the number of the definition. (CMK)

In the United States greater attention is being paid to learning that is more collaborative, actively engaged, and technologically enhanced.

This article focuses on the three kinds of school safety: (1) physical; (2) emotional; and (3) intellectual, and details how to determine if a school is safe. Excellence in schools demands that schools be physically, emotionally, and intellectually safe for students, while "good enough" schools are simply physically safe. Here, the…

What is the state of intellectual freedom and libraries in the early twenty-first-century digital environment? This question is addressed largely in relation to public and school libraries, where more than 90 percent of documented challenges exist and at which most legislative and judicial actions relevant to intellectual freedom and libraries are…

This essay examines Susan Moller Okin's writing on conflicts between religious freedom and sex equality, and her criticism of "political liberal" approaches to these conflicts, which I take to be a part of her lifelong critique of the public-private distinction. I argue that, while Okin ultimately accepted a version of the distinction, she was…

This study examined high school student handbooks for evidence that school administrators consider dress codes as one strategy to address the physical and psychological security of students. "Physical" security refers to freedom from actual harm to the body. "Psychological security refers to freedom from implied threats to personal well-being.…

This paper analyses the data obtained from the findings on Hong Kong, as a part of the IEA second civic study. Because the survey was conducted two years after Hong Kong's return to China, the findings reflect concepts and attitudes toward citizenship among Hong Kong students shortly after the change of sovereignty. The study shows that Hong Kong…

A critical issue facing European school systems and one with broad social implications is how to accommodate the different demands of a growing number of non-Western immigrants, particularly Muslims. "Historically, faith-based schools have provided a route for immigrants, refugees and minorities...to gain a foothold in their new country, yet…

By looking at teacher collaborative structures in an urban public elementary school, this article demonstrates how, in the face of top-down school decisions under the pressures of high-stakes testing and assessment-driven curriculum, teachers can find the power and freedom for creative and effective pedagogy to flourish. We describe how teachers…