When first conceived, charter schools were envisioned as local projects initiated by parents and/or groups of teachers seeking to improve the educational performance of students. In the past two decades, the phenomenon has expanded to more than 5% of all U.S. public schools and almost 3% of all students (Center for Education Reform [CER], 2009).…

In the wake of institutionalized homophobia afflicting public schools, the nation faces a unique opportunity to acknowledge and transform the assumption that all people are or should be heterosexual and gender-conforming. In this article, the author examines how people, as a nation, can reform schools to be more inclusive of diverse student…

This teacher's guide is intended to move beyond the confusion and conflict that has surrounded religion in public schools since the early days of the common school movement. For most of American public school history, extremes have shaped much of the debate. On one end of the spectrum are those who advocate promotion of religion (usually their…

A number of recent studies represent a growing consensus among many religious and educational groups about the constitutional and educational role of religion in the public schools. This pamphlet is designed to build on these agreements and to encourage communities to find common ground when they are divided. The pamphlet presents 15 questions and…

Describes the panic that typically arises when the First Amendment is invoked in charges of sexual harassment in schools. Contends that sexism is a fundamental part of school culture, that school administrators apply free speech rights differently to males and females in schools, and that the Constitution applies to girls too. (24 footnotes) (MLF)

Noting that recent Supreme Court decisions (including Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier and Bethel School District No. 403 v. Fraser) moved markedly away from protecting students' First Amendment rights, this paper examined justifications for granting public school students freedom of expression. Rather than looking at where students' First…