Recognizing the influence of religion on people's worldview and daily lives, we wondered if elementary and secondary social studies preservice teachers knew enough about religions not only to be culturally responsive in a classroom but also whether they knew enough to teach about these religions within the appropriate curriculum. We used questions…

History has placed the stamp of approval on the publication of the Pentagon Papers, the top-secret history of the Vietnam War. If WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange is another Daniel Ellsberg, then it is possible the website's disclosures will be viewed over time as similarly in the public interest. A classroom discussion on the release of…

This paper provides a comparative snapshot of the current state of the law in the US and UK with respect to potential liability of university and college students for use (and misuse) of social networking sites. It reviews the limited case law on this topic, highlights the differences in the two nations' laws of defamation and the various possible…

A study examined the current United States Supreme Court's treatment of the legal concept of freedom of expression by exploring its decisions and opinions on a quantitative basis. The individual votes and the opinions or legal rationales of the justices were recorded for the 43 First Amendment cases decided by the court between the 1981…

The Law Division of the proceedings contains the following 8 papers: "Trademarks and the First Amendment: The Anatomy of a Conflict" (Retha J. Martin); "Exit Polls and Other Bad Habits: An Analysis of First Amendment Considerations Concerning Policy Recommendations to Control or Prohibit Media Election Forecasts" (Niels…

Presents the results of a survey that shows the difference between how school administrators and school newspaper advisors view First Amendment issues. Finds that advisers are fully supportive of presenting possibly controversial material whereas administrators are primarily concerned with maintaining a safe environment. (PA)

Presents a lesson where secondary students learn about First Amendment rights. Expounds that the students conduct and analyze a survey on First Amendment rights and then compare their results with those from the national survey conducted by the Freedom Forum. Includes a student handout on conducting a survey and also the survey itself. (CMK)

Argues that the Library Bill of Rights aims to codify First Amendment doctrine and the interests of librarians but falls short. Law allows distinctions between government and private action and reaffirms the discretion of decision makers. The Library Bill of Rights, as shown in discussion of several court decisions, is often far more rigid.…

Reports on a survey of high school newspaper advisers' attitudes toward student press rights and the adviser's role, indicating that most support a free and independent press, but, unlike college advisers, high school advisers were neutral concerning faculty/administration control where a potentially damaging article was concerned. (HTH)

The vital, sometimes controversial contribution of private schools to American education is documented by data gathered from 1976 to 1979. Although the totals reported are estimates because many values had to be statistically imputed, many patterns emerge. The proportion of private schools to all schools has varied only slightly since 1932.…

Placing the debate in the United States over amending the Constitution to permit state-sanctioned school prayer in global perspective, this report analyzes the results of a survey of the school prayer policies of 72 countries. The report concludes that the vast majority of the major countries of the world, including Western Europe, Central…