Decisions made by federal and state courts during 1983 concerning education are reported in this compilation of eight independently authored chapters. The first chapter focuses on governance, examining the organizational and authority relationships among state and local boards of education and the general public. The chapter on employees considers litigation affecting the employment, dismissal, and tenuring of public employees, including issues of discrimination and civil rights. Cases dealing with collective bargaining, the third major topic, raised questions about the scope of bargaining, grievances, job actions, and some constitutional issues, but broke little new ground. The fourth chapter, on pupils, looks at student rights, procedures for accommodating handicapped students, and new trends in discrimination cases. Claims of negligence account for the bulk of the litigation reported in the chapter on torts. Public support of private education, challenges to state aid programs, and problems surrounding school taxes prompted litigation reported in the section on finance. The discussion of property-related cases touches on the authority to use school property and the relations between school districts and outside agents building or maintaining school property. The eighth chapter concentrates on the rights of students and faculty members in institutions of higher education. (PGD)