This collection of eight articles focuses primarily on the nature and extent of legal involvement in secondary school dissent and discipline. In the first article, the problem of school decentralization is viewed in terms of the conflicts which it creates. Another article presents the relevant legal decisions which aid in clarifying just what is included in the concept of constitutionally protected free speech. In three related articles, the following areas are dealt with: (1) the significance of the Tinker vs. Des Moines Schools decision (the black arm-band case) in expanding the applicability of constitutional free speech guarantees to the public school setting; (2) three constitutional theories under which the validity of public school regulations of students' hair styles may be attacked; and (3) the test of reasonableness as applied to long hair bans in public schools. In contrast to the dominant current focus, a lengthy article concerns itself with the non-constitutional limits of the power of school boards to make rules governing student conduct and status. A few major trends of judicial involvement in public education are discussed in the somewhat summary-type concluding article. (TL)