Law And American Education

During the mid-to-late 20th Century, education law emerged as a distinct area of practice and scholarship in the United States. Attorneys began to develop specialties representing school districts, students, parents, and teachers, while law schools and colleges of education started to offer courses about the legal regulation of K-12 public schools. The statutory and common law governing schools grew rapidly, and developed in a manner that often treated public schools differently from other governmental entities. Now, law schools and colleges of education regularly offer an education law course. Many states' school administrator certificates require some familiarity with education law. The scholarly field of education law is rich and deep. Attorneys play a key role in education policy, as do state and federal legislatures and regulatory agencies. The issues range from school funding to supporting English learners; from racial equality to teachers' labor laws; from student privacy to school choice. Addressing those issues and more, The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Education Law provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of K-12 education law in the United States. A number of foundational chapters present a synthesis of general areas of law for those who seek an introduction. Dozens of other chapters build on those foundations, diving into various topics in a nuanced, yet accessible, way, creating value for those who seek to deepen or reframe their knowledge about a specific issue. Throughout the volume and especially in the last section, the authors also look to the future and thus help shape the direction of the field.

This third edition expands coverage on such topics as the law and students with disabilities, confidentiality, sexual harassment, student searches and tuition vouchers. It also includes some new topics such as bullying, copyright law, and the law and the internet. Both public and nonpublic school educators are aware that courts, over the last several decades, have played an increasingly significant role in defining school policy. Decisions in such areas as school desegregation, prayer, public school financing, student rights, collective bargaining, students with disabilities, sexual harassment and other personnel issues attest to the extent and importance of judicial influence. It is important, therefore, that teachers and administrators have a least a rudimentary knowledge and understanding of school law and how it affect their day-to-day classroom activities. There is a sizable body of school law with which educators should be familiar if they wish to conduct themselves in a legally acceptable manner. Those educators who “fly by the seat of their pants” may be in difficulty if sufficient thought is not given to the legal implications of their decisions and conduct. This text provides introductory material for those educators interested in K-12 educational issues, and who have little or no background or knowledge in school law. This book takes a case brief approach to the study of school law. Case briefs are the means by which students of the law summarize cases to facilitate learning and analysis. This book’s purpose is to provide those who are involved and interested in education with a rudimentary knowledge base for making educationally sound decisions within the legal framework of our nation. Having such knowledge may preclude, or at least minimize, an educator’s exposure to liability. On the other hand, this book is not intended to scare educators into inaction. Many of the most effective learning activities carry with them a certain degree of risk. Field trips and laboratory experiments come immediately to mind. The knowledge obtained from this book is not intended to end the taking of field trips and the conducting of laboratory experiments. It is intended to be a guide to conducting these valuable activities in a responsible manner that will minimize the educator’s exposure to liability.

Alexander and Alexander’s best-selling AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOL LAW sets the standard for books in educational law, an increasingly vital area of expertise for today’s school and district administrators. Now in its Eighth Edition, this combined textbook/casebook provides an authoritative and comprehensive view of the law that governs the public school system of the United States, including common law, statutes, and constitutional laws as they affect students, teachers, and administrators. Featuring civil and criminal cases selected from hundreds of jurisdictions and newly updated to reflect the latest legal trends and precedents, the book reviews key laws and relevant court decisions. The case method offers ample opportunity for discussions aimed at discovering and exposing the underlying rules and reasoning, and the text actively encourages readers to relate factual situations to the law while anticipating similar experiences they may have as practicing teachers and administrators. Written in an engaging and accessible style, AMERICAN PUBLIC SCHOOL LAW, Eighth Edition, explains even complex points of law clearly and effectively for non-lawyers, and the authors maintain a diligent focus on the unique needs of professional educators preparing for successful careers in administration. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

Educators working with Palestini's textbook Law and American Education: a Case Brief Approach will find this comprehensive pedagogical tool useful. It contains the full briefs for the cases excerpted in the text, as well as diacritical and pedagogical suggestions. In addition to chapter-by-chapter methodology, the manual also contains a sample syllabus, sample examinations, and a supplement on the controversial issue of sexual harassment. This is an excellent companion for educators with no background in school law.

Provides introductory material for educators interested in K-12 educational issues who have no background in school law. Reviews sources of law and the structure of the judicial system, then deals with issues important to nonpublic schools, the extent of the state's and local school system's authority on educational policy, and how the law affects students and teachers is areas such as dress codes, suspension, pregnancy, drug testing, and political activities of teachers. Case chapters examine the Brown desegregation issue and legal attacks on school finance formulae. Lacks a subject index. c. Book News Inc.

This readable introduction to American public education law is designed to assist practicing educators, college and graduate students, parents, and the public in acting on everyday legal issues such as student expression, church/state separation, student and teacher discipline, curriculum, legislating and lobbying, parent associations, discrimination, special education, No Child Left Behind, student privacy, and more. Unique features include practical situations, the «Facts and Find» research method, and the «Cascade» approach to understanding the American legal system.

The 19th century saw dramatic changes in the legal education system in the United States. Before the Civil War, lawyers learned their trade primarily through apprenticeship and self-directed study. By the end of the 19th century, the modern legal education system which was developed primarily by Dean Christopher Langdell at Harvard was in place: a bachelor's degree was required for admission to the new model law school, and a law degree was promoted as the best preparation for admission to the bar. William P. LaPiana provides an in-depth study of the intellectual history of the transformation of American legal education during this period. In the process, he offers a revisionist portrait of Langdell, the Dean of Harvard Law School from 1870 to 1900, and the earliest proponent for the modern method of legal education, as well as portraying for the first time the opposition to the changes at Harvard.

This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will contunue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online.