(2005). Supreme Court Roundup. Social Education, v69 n6 p298 Oct. Reactions to the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and debate over the president's replacement nomination, Judge John Roberts, Jr., of the D.C. Circuit, dominated this summer's Supreme Court recess. Subsequently, after Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's death on September 3, 2005, President Bush nominated Roberts for the chief justice slot. In the 2004-2005 term, O'Connor provided the deciding vote in many of the 13 capital cases the Court decided, and her opinions have been described as a kind of "bridge" over the wide gulf between the Court's left and right factions in this area. In this article, the author reviews some of the landmark cases handled by the Supreme Court under the jurisprudence of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The author also provides his views on some of the Supreme Court's decisions. (Contains 21 notes)….
(2004). Self-Concept and Social Integration: The Dutch Case as an Example. Theory and Research in Education, v2 n2 p161-175. This article evaluates the credo "integration while maintaining one's identity" with the help of psychological arguments. First, it explores the requirements of being a good citizen in a liberal democracy. Following Rawls, we state that justice is the cardinal liberal virtue and that this virtue includes having the disposition to respect the rights of all citizens equally. It then investigates psychological theories about identity and the relation between culture and identity. We focus on the distinction between collectivistic cultures and an interdependent self-concept on the one hand and individualistic cultures and an independent self-concept on the other. We come to the conclusion that the development into a good citizen of a liberal democracy cannot be combined with the full preservation of an interdependent self-concept. Further, we argue that the state has the right and the duty to offer civic education to all pupils, even if this means that the development of an… [Direct]
(2002). A Reckoning. Academic Questions, v16 n1 p32-38 Dec. In this article, the author states that because people are willing to kill us just for being Americans, we ought at least to know what being American is. Yet many of our students have been taught painfully little about our nation's history, purposes, or achievements. In America's original founding narrative, faith and reason work together. Both point to liberty as the bright red thread of human history. The author contends that Americans today have lost this intellectual synthesis. It lies broken in fragments upon the ground, like a great mosaic that has fallen from what was once a towering arch above us. That is why the relativism around us has mushroomed. We can no longer defend the truths our founders took to be self-evident, since we have given up the ground our founders stood upon. The author calls for a reckoning as the new century has begun. He states that four lessons were learned during the horrors of the century past, and two of them are especially important for our… [Direct]
(2002). Freedom versus Equality in Campaign Finance Reform. Social Studies, v93 n3 p124-129 May-Jun. From the beginning of the U.S., the political values of freedom and equality have received top billing. However, these core values can come into conflict in the making of public policy. For example, affirmative action can provide substantive equality in the form of a job or college admission to some at the expense of others' freedom. The same tension exists in some approaches to campaign finance regulation. One reform is to "level the playing field" by reducing the ability of wealthy citizens to contribute money to candidates and the ability of corporations and unions to contribute large sums to political parties. Giving poorer citizens a louder voice by silencing the voices of those with more money places the value of equality in opposition to the value of freedom. In this article, the authors discuss ways for resolving the conflict between freedom and equality in campaign finance reform. Debate over new campaign finance regulations has prominently occupied members of… [Direct]
(2004). Comprehensive Re-Organisation: Debating Single-Sex and Mixed Education in Wiltshire 1967-1985. Journal of Educational Administration and History, v36 n2 p159-169 Sep. Comprehensive re-organisation largely swept away single-sex secondary education in the state maintained sector in England and Wales. Literature suggests this occurred with little discussion. Single-sex versus mixed education was debated as part of Wiltshire education committee's re-organisation of the Trowbridge and Salisbury girls' high schools as mixed comprehensive schools. At Trowbridge, the headmistress raised questions that led the local authority to poll parents' views on single-sex versus mixed education. In Salisbury, two families appealed to the European Commission on Human Rights on the grounds that they had been denied freedom of choice to send their children to the city's single-sex grammar schools. In both cases, power relations of policy-making located debate about single-sex education secondary to other considerations and worked to erase the issue from the historical record. At Trowbridge, this was to the detriment of single-sex education, whereas at Salisbury it… [Direct]
(2003). Linguistic Human Rights in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Indigenous Languages in Kenya. Language, Culture and Curriculum, v16 n2 p155-164. With reference to Kenya, the paper shows that although linguistic rights have been eloquently articulated in various charters and declarations, their implementation has been problematic. In Africa this has led to an imbalance of status between the former colonial languages and the indigenous ones. This imbalance is evident in the educational systems and in media practice. This state of affairs is attributed to lack of clear-cut democratic language policies, lack of programmes of policy implementation, negative attitudes towards indigenous languages and the complex language situation that obtains in many African countries. It is recommended that a guiding vision and a plan of action for implementing linguistic rights are necessary if linguistic justice is to prevail in Africa…. [Direct]
(2004). Secondary Education and Emancipation: Secondary Schools for Freed Slaves in the American South, 1862-1875. Paedagogica Historica: International Journal of the History of Education, v40 n1-2 p157-181 Apr. Slavery in the United States denied education to the enslaved. Yet within fifteen years of the beginning of the American Civil War and the freeing of four million American slaves, the freed people and their supporters elaborated a full system of universal education in the South, including over 120 secondary and higher institutions. Historians have overlooked black secondary education as a distinctive part of early black schooling. This article documents the competing ends of black secondary education during Reconstruction, the forms of secondary education that emerged during that period, and the curriculum and pedagogy of the schools. An appendix lists the schools of secondary and higher grade known to have been in operation by 1876…. [Direct]
(1993). The Principal's Legal Handbook. The principal is faced with myriad legal issues on a daily basis, making it imperative that he or she keep abreast with developing legal issues. The first of four sections, \Students and the Law,\ surveys federal statutes and landmark Supreme Court decisions pertaining to the rights of students. It addresses legal issues regarding search and seizure, freedom of expression, dress codes, student discipline and due process, academic sanctions, and child abuse. Section 2, \Special Education and the Law,\ reviews legal issues involving disabled students, their parents, and schools in light of decisions of the Court and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Among issues addressed are eligibility and appropriate education; individualized education plans; transition for individuals with disabilities; discipline; related services, including school health services, physical and psychological therapy, transportation, and assistive technologies; infectious diseases; and barrier-free…
(1988). Teaching the Bill of Rights. ERIC Digest. This ERIC Digest on teaching about the Bill of Rights in the schools examines the status, the deficiencies, and means to improve citizenship education. Currently, the Bill of Rights is taught at least four times during the elementary and secondary grades. Constitutional rights and liberties are stressed in K-12 curriculum goals for social studies guides published by local school districts, state departments of education, and the National Assessment for Educational Progress. A thorough understanding of the Bill of Rights is necessary for responsible citizenship, but a variety of surveys of U.S. adults and high school students revealed that they are not retaining important knowledge, values, and attitudes about constitutional rights and liberties. The deficiencies that were noted in these surveys are: (1) ignorance of the content and meaning of the Bill of Rights; (2) civic intolerance in application of constitutional liberties and rights; (3) misunderstanding of the federal… [PDF]
(1981). Human Rights and Citizenship: A Community Resource Manual. Foreign Area Materials Center Occasional Publication 27. Human Rights Week (December 10-17) has been proclaimed by the U.S. President for a number of years because Bill of Rights Day (December 15) and Human Rights Day (December 10) are observed within a week's period. This comprehensive survey of resources for the study of human rights contains books, films, filmstrips, organizations, and learning activities. Section 1 provides contact groups for obtaining pamphlets and posters for publicizing Human Rights Week. Section 2 presents over 30 non-governmental and governmental U.S.-based organizations that may provide material and publications in the international human rights field. People and groups in the community who may be used as resources are described in section 3. Section 4 describes an exhibit relating human rights and gives instructions for setting up the exhibit. Section 5 outlines learning strategies that may be used in a classroom setting or in a community group. Section 6 is an annotated bibliography of the 10 most wanted books… [PDF]
(1981). Middle School Guide for Teaching about Human Rights. This is a middle school guide for teaching about human rights prepared for use in the Detroit, Michigan public schools. The guide presents a number of overall goals and specific objectives in the area of human rights. Each objective is paired with corresponding classroom activities and resource materials. Topics of study include equality of race, the interdependence of people, the need for mutual understanding, the role of the government in human rights, the impact of apathy in fostering inhumane conditions, the ways in which racism, sexism, and genocide develop, and the destructive effects of myths and stereotypes. (APM)…
(1979). Justice and Reverse Discrimination. Defining reverse discrimination as hiring or admissions decisions based on normally irrelevant criteria, this book develops principles of rights, compensation, and equal opportunity applicable to the reverse discrimination issue. The introduction defines the issue and discusses deductive and inductive methodology as applied to reverse discrimination. Part Two (Awarding Positions by Competence) examines desirable positions, rejection of alternative rules, and qualifications. Part Three (Compensation and the Past) studies the principle of compensation, group liability, individual competency, and the various levels of discrimination and compensation. Part Four (Equal Opportunity and the Future) examines utility and rights, and affirmative action. Among the conclusions are: those most competent for positions acquire the rights to those positions; hiring by competence was held preferable to such alternatives as random lotteries for fulfilling positions; strong reverse discrimination is…
(1964). THE NEGRO IN AMERICAN HISTORY. THE STATED PURPOSE OF THIS CURRICULUM BULLETIN IS TO PROVIDE AN ACCOUNT OF THE NEGRO AS A PARTICIPANT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES TO AID TEACHERS IN RECOGNIZING AND RESPONDING TO OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SCHOOL CURRICULUMS FOR GIVING INSTRUCTION ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MINORITY GROUPS TO AMERICAN LIFE. IT SPECIFICALLY DEALS WITH SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL FORCES WITHIN THE NEGRO COMMUNITY AND THEIR IMPACT ON NATIONAL AND WORLD EVENTS, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE HISTORY OF NEGROES IN NEW YORK CITY. INFORMATION BASED ON THE CURRENT SCHOLARLY CONSENSUS IS OFFERED ON SLAVERY IN THE OLD WORLD, THE AFRICAN BACKGROUND OF SLAVERY, THE SLAVE TRADE, AND THE NEGRO IN LATIN AMERICA. THE BULK OF THE BULLETIN IS DEVOTED TO A HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN NEGRO FROM 1619 TO THE PRESENT. A BIBLIOGRAPHY LISTS GENERAL WORKS AND STUDIES RELEVANT TO EACH CHAPTER OF THE BULLETIN. THIS DOCUMENT IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK, PUBLICATIONS SALES OFFICE, 110 LIVINGSTON ST.,… [PDF]
(1978). Human Rights: Respecting Our Differences, Teachers' Manual [And] Human Rights: Respecting Our Differences, Students' Manual. This unit on human rights designed for secondary students in Alberta, Canada includes both student and teacher manuals. Eleven chapters in the student manual examine what human rights are, the causes and effects of prejudice and discrimination, relevant laws, and social action. Each chapter includes readings followed by discussion questions and learning activities. Subjects discussed include male/female stereotyping, theories and consequences of prejudice, natives and other ethnic groups, the Individual Rights Protection Act of Alberta, the individual's rights and society, and social action. A separate section is devoted to the Hutterities, a minority group in Alberta who are often victims of prejudice. Learning activities include choosing a tenant for your house from six applicants, selecting advertisements which display sexual stereotyping, and examining cartoon stereotypes. Pre- and post opinion surveys are included in the student manual. The teachers' manual provides the…
(1975). Freedom of Religion. American Issues in Perspective: A Documentary Approach. The historical development of First Amendment freedoms and recent events refining their interpretation, particularly in regard to religious freedom, are presented in this first of a series of three books on the Bill of Rights. The book contains primary sources dealing with freedom of conscience and religious liberty from the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries with brief descriptive analyses and student study questions. Chapter one is an introduction to the issue of religious freedom. Chapters two and three describe the development of religious freedom up through the time of the writing of the Constitution. Chapters four and five examine how religious institutions and doctrines responded to new economic and social needs of society in the 19th and 20th centuries. Chapters six and seven provide selections from court cases in the 20th century defining religious expression and the relationship between the church and state. Other books in the series include \Freedom of Assembly and…