Ongoing or recently completed across the United States are a series of lawsuits via which teacher plaintiffs are contesting how they are being evaluated using value-added models (VAMs) as part of states'/districts' teacher accountability systems. To investigate the empirical and pragmatic matters addressed in court, researchers conducted a case…

Although John Scopes and his famous "Monkey Trial" strongly influenced the ongoing evolution-creationism controversy, relatively little is known about Scopes's post-trial life. Moreover, many questions about his trial remain unanswered (e.g., did he actually teach evolution in Dayton?). This paper answers these questions with new…

This case study is designed for graduate students interested in higher education finances. It presents the challenges that higher education is facing regarding financial exigency elements that have led to responses with a primary focus on mergers. This financial exigency process has also caused increased legal considerations in higher education…

The doctrine of sovereign immunity in Florida has evolved over time as the common law and statutory environment within the state has changed. Public schools and public-school employees enjoy some level of immunity protection under both common law and statutory law. Nonetheless, Florida law creates a duty to provide a safe environment for students…

The work of Urie Bronfenbrenner is a key framework in Family Science, yet there are many areas where it has seldom been applied, including in the processes experienced by divorcing families in Family Court. Acknowledging the paucity of scholarship applying ecological systems theory to these topics, the paper offers instructive interpretations of…

Between 2017 and 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court examined three cases that involved states that tried to limit the use of public money to support religious-affiliated schools. The Supreme Court found a violation of the Free Exercise Clause in all three cases. Although not the focus of the Court's opinions, these cases may have created avenues for…

The legal landscape has significantly impeded LGBTQ+ youth's rights at home and in schools. Learn about introduced and passed laws, the impact experienced by LGBTQ+ students, and how school psychologists can preserve LGBTQ+ mental health in these challenging times.

In this qualitative study, 21 Title IX federal court cases between 2000-2022 were examined. The purpose of this analysis was to explore how the changes in Title IX guidance across President George W. Bush (R), President Barack Obama (D), and President Donald Trump (R) administrations have impacted higher education institutional liability lawsuits.…

The South African higher education sector is annually buffeted with student unrest, ensuing costly vandalism of institutional property and jeopardy of academic progress. This paper explores episodes of vandalism in higher education institutions in South Africa. The literature review is utilised as a qualitative submethodology. 47 journal articles…

On September 1, 2021, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 8 (SB8), prohibiting abortions after six weeks gestation and allowing private citizens to file lawsuits against anyone who either performs or "aids and abets" an abortion after this point. To understand the broad impacts of SB8 on Texas medical students' experiences and…

Quality interpreting in courts and tribunals requires high competence in language and contextual knowledge, as well as interactional management and ethical reasoning skills. But a cohort of the interpreting workforce in Australia -- particularly those from the so-called "new and emerging" language backgrounds -- has been disadvantaged…

The American Library Association reported an "unprecedented spike" in the number of book removal requests in the final months of 2021, and most of these challenges focus on books about people from marginalized communities. Robert Kim asks whether such removals violate the First Amendment and explores how much discretion court have…

Past U.S. Supreme Court rulings have held that schools and school employees must be careful to engage in religious activities while at school that could appear to endorse a particular religion above others or coerce students to engage in religious activities. However, the June 2022 Kennedy v. Bremerton School District opinion suggests that the…

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision on "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization." By voting to uphold Mississippi's law banning most abortions after 15 weeks, the Court overturned "Roe v. Wade," eliminating the federal standard protecting a woman's right to abortion and reversing nearly 50 years of…

This paper explicates how statutes and case law (court cases) can be used as sources for discourse analysis when researching South African education reform through a complexity theory lens. Firstly, the law-making process is built on discourses at different levels. Secondly, discourses are manifested in case law because in order to resolve…