Teacher improvement programs must comply with federal and state constitutional requirements for due process, equal protection, and freedom of speech, as well as state and federal laws covering collective bargaining, civil rights, and the authority to institute improvement programs. This booklet explores these legal considerations, focusing on authority, conflicts with existing law, and processes for ensuring fairness and equity. The first chapter covers the delegation of authority and limitations of authority for policy-making, noting the roles played by state legislatures, state boards of education, and local educational agencies. The second chapter looks at the law on tenure and collective bargaining, pointing out that laws and regulations governing teacher improvement plans must conform to the existing laws or these laws must be changed. Chapter 3 considers due process requirements and the elements in the adversarial process. Federal and state civil rights laws protecting teachers from discriminatory treatment are the subject of the fourth chapter. Notes discuss the relevance of specific court cases to the topics addressed in the text. (PGD)