In June 2023, the Supreme Court held that the admissions systems at the University of North Carolina (UNC) and Harvard University were racially discriminatory, effectively ending affirmative action. Are race-neutral admissions policies at selective K-12 schools next? Bob Kim considers two circuit court cases -- "Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax…

Book banning and censorship is appearing again in states and school districts. The history of book banning goes back as far as recorded time. Columnist Jonathan E. Collins discusses the U.S. court system's history support of the First Amendment and against censorship. He outlines the implications of the most recent book banning incidents and the…

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…

No Child Left Behind and the Every Student Succeeds Act have made accountability central to conversations about education policy. But neither statute articulates a clear vision of what constitutes "quality" or "equity" in education, nor do they include a mechanism to ensure that schools have sufficient resources to pursue that…

Many school practitioners think of poverty as a kind of "culture," characterized by dysfunctional behaviors that can only be corrected by imposing harsh discipline on students. Further, beliefs about poverty are often used to justify racial disparities in disciplinary referrals, achievement, and enrollment in gifted, AP, and honors…

Public funding of private K-12 schooling through vouchers continues to be a contentious issue across the U.S., even though a solid majority of Americans continues to oppose them. The voucher plans run the risk of legal challenge for how they handle the rights of students with disabilities and whether they violate state constitutional provisions…

Presents information on the changing scene of juvenile justice. Includes information on recent court decisions, the disposition of offenders in juvenile court, and recent legislation. (IRT)

Concludes that there are serious problems with the "research" on which Coleman based his conclusions about white flight, that there is only a tenuous connection between Coleman's research results and his antibussing political opinions, and that the episode raises difficult problems concerning the influence of social science on public…

A response to the Young and Bress article also in this issue. (IRT)

Presents criteria that have been clarified by recent court decisions in school finance cases and reform guidelines that have emerged from State action. (Author)

The courts are likely to protect teachers whose nonconventional behaviors are practiced with discretion. The delicate balance between the private rights of teachers and the interests of school officials in protecting the integrity of the educational process is summed up in the teacher's duty to privacy. (Author/IRT)

Because negotiation channels creative energy and uses student ideas for the benefit of the school, it can create an environment more conducive to teaching and learning than the repressive environments that cause petty irritations, repeated disruptions, violence, and vandalism. (Author/IRT)

Recounts the history of the case, its unfolding in court, and the implications of the court's holdings. (IRT)