Since the 1960s, school rules and regulations concerning apparel and hair have been the subject of litigation in the federal courts. Most of this litigation involves students’ assertions that their clothing and hairstyle choices are forms of expression that are protected by the First Amendment. In some cases, students have argued that school dress and grooming codes discriminate against them based on their gender or their racial or ethnic identity. I Got Dress Coded explores court...

Teachers and Their Unions: Labor Relations in Uncertain Times explores the decade of uncertainty in public education following the Great Recession by first laying a foundation that describes the development of teachers and public education and the rise of teacher unions. The selection of the industrial labor model at the outset of public sector collective bargaining set the table for challenges to its fit with education. The theme of teacher as member of a union and teacher as a p...

Teachers stand at the intersection of educational goals, directing students down the road to success or to the byways of diminished opportunities. They are the most important school variable effecting student achievement. Consequently, placing and retaining only qualified and effective teachers in our nation’s classrooms is a critical responsibility of school leaders.Effective supervision and evaluation requires that the school leader possess the knowledge of effective instruction,...

Nearly 50 years ago a California court heard a complaint from a recent high school graduate who alleged that he could not read at a level that would allow him to apply for, let alone hold, a meaningful job. He asserted that the public school district was negligent and that his prospects for a productive life were diminished by their negligence. The court disagreed and educational malpractice was cast outside the schoolhouse gate and an educational malpractice wall was erected.In su...

School uniform polices, often associated with private schools, are increasingly being adopted in public schools; but not without controversy. The often asserted reasons for mandating uniforms include improved student behavior, better attendance, less competition over clothing, and improved student learning because students would not be distracted by who was wearing what and could focus on their studies. Wishful thinking or empirically tested hypotheses? However, opponents assert that a man...

Do American professional public school teachers have the same rights to a private life as other citizens? This is an astute and incisive analysis of every teacher's dual life – as responsible exemplars to society's youth and as their own professional and private selves. Using historical and legal analysis to capture the tension between these two guises, it explores the balance between the weight of expectation from teachers' communities on one hand and the need for autonom...

Students’ early morning decisions about what to wear to school have led many school districts into legal issues and policy challenges. Confederate belt buckles, exposed bellies, sagging pants, political statements, and social commentary have all been banned from schools, and these bans have often resulted in litigation by students who claim their constitutional right to free speech has been violated.Student Dress Codes and the First Amendment: Legal Challenges and Policy Issues exp...

Collective bargaining in the public schools of the nation has its legal roots in the industrial labor model fashioned in the 1930s out of labor strife between union organizers and private businesses. This industrial union labor model was transplanted almost wholesale into the public sector over fifty years ago when teachers, fire and police personnel were granted the legislative right to collectively bargain their wages, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment in most states. What...

Educators at the Bargaining Table provides a roadmap for understanding the path of bargaining for those who have not sat at the table. For those beginning bargainers and experienced at the ebb and flow of table talk, this book provides signposts and practical applications for bargaining. There is something for all educators, teachers and administrators, early career and experienced educators to learn and apply from this book.