(2017). Art Education: A Civil Right Denied?. Art Education, v70 n4 p9-11. The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution suggests that all speech is constitutionally protected. The right of free speech has been broadly defined by the court system, legislatures, and stakeholders in the field of education. Speech has been defined in many ways, but it is most commonly agreed on that speech, in its purest sense, is a basic form of communication. The visual arts are a unique language or form of speech and, like all languages and forms of communication, require instruction consisting of the opportunity to learn (OTL) and time to acquire, develop, and master the basic knowledge and skills needed to use this unique language. This article discusses how, as a form of speech, the visual arts and what is said through them are protected by the U.S. Constitution as a right among citizens of the United States. In order for the arts to contribute to understanding of the human condition, students must be given guaranteed access to the highest quality of art education… [Direct]
(2018). Social Justice Consciousness and Moral Development: Exploring Differences in Hierarchical Complexity among University Students. ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Wisconsin – Madison. Scholars in the helping professions have become increasingly concerned with how the fruits of their labor can promote social justice (e.g., Vera & Speight, 2003; Swank & Fahs, 2013, North, 2009). At present, there is a lack of theoretical convergence around what social justice consciousness, aptitude, awareness, or orientation actually mean at the level of individual educational outcomes. This dissertation is an attempt to situate moral reasoning ability within the diverse conceptual network of measurable outcomes in social justice education. As such, this mixed-methods study explored the intersection between the complexity of moral reasoning about social justice and several educational outcomes associated with social justice consciousness. Using the clinical method, 32 undergraduate students were presented with hypothetical moral dilemmas involving issues of feminism, multiculturalism, protest, and free speech on a college campus. Participants' performances were evaluated… [Direct]
(2016). Education in Safe and Unsafe Spaces. Philosophical Inquiry in Education, v24 n1 p64-78. Recent student demands within the academy for "safe space" have aroused concern about the constraints they might impose on free speech and academic freedom. There are as many kinds of safety as there are threats to the things that human beings might care about. That is why we need to be very clear about the specific threats of which the intended beneficiaries of safe space are supposed to be relieved. Much of the controversy can be dissolved by distinguishing between "dignity safety," to which everyone has a right, and "intellectual safety" of a kind that is repugnant to the education worth having. Psychological literature on stereotype threat and the interventions that alleviate its adverse effects shed light on how students' equal dignity can be made safe in institutions without compromising liberty. But "intellectual safety" in education can only be conferred at the cost of indulging close-mindedness and allied vices. Tension between… [PDF]
(2011). The Cheerleaders' Mock Execution. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, v14 n4 p1-9 Dec. The fervor of student speech is demonstrated through different mediums and venues in public schools. In this case, a new principal encounters the mores of a community that believes in free speech, specifically student free speech. When a pep rally becomes a venue for hate speech, terroristic threats, and profanity, the student code of conduct could become the principal's best weapon. This case explores case law, codes of conduct, organizational culture and climate, and leadership in the context of a controversial cheerleader sketch at a pep rally. A brief literature review can be found in the teaching notes with suggestions for current and future school administrators…. [Direct]
(2011). Spotlight on Speech Codes 2011: The State of Free Speech on Our Nation's Campuses. Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (NJ1) Each year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) conducts a rigorous survey of restrictions on speech at America's colleges and universities. The survey and accompanying report explore the extent to which schools are meeting their legal and moral obligations to uphold students' and faculty members' rights to freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and private conscience. This year's report examines the restrictions on speech in force at a large sample of American colleges and universities and identifies emergent trends within the data. The report also addresses recent developments regarding free speech in the university setting, drawing from FIRE's research on university policies and from cases that FIRE has handled over the past academic year. Highlights from this year's research include: (1) Grambling State University's e-mail policy prohibits "the creation or distribution of any disruptive or offensive messages, including offensive comments about race,… [PDF]
(2017). A Grand Bargain on Quality Assurance?. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, v49 n5 p66-70. The higher education community faces a wave of challenges. Concerns about affordability and costs have led to questions about the value of higher education to students and society. State and federal funding has been cut or has failed to grow as need has ballooned. Pressures to innovate clash with calls for preserving tradition. Values of academic freedom and free speech butt against the need to help all students feel safe and included in campus life. Problems related to completion rates and opportunity gaps continue to fester. A new phase of postsecondary evolution in America is fully underway, putting strain on postsecondary systems that were largely built for another era. In this context, accrediting agencies–once thought to be above reproach by federal policymakers and generally ignored by the public–have been thrust in the spotlight. Many find the accreditation process arcane and opaque, adding to the belief that not enough is being done to promote student success and ensure… [Direct]
(2009). An Unreasonable Argument against Student Free Speech. Educational Theory, v59 n2 p123-143 May. The U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in \Morse v. Frederick\ (2007), perhaps better known as the \Bong Hits 4 Jesus\ case, contains a widely reported concurrence by Justice Clarence Thomas. Challenging well-established precedent, Thomas argues that students should have no constitutional rights in school. In this essay David Blacker argues that, while philosophically interesting, Thomas's argument is unreasonable on legal hermeneutic grounds and should therefore be rejected, even by those who may be sympathetic to its conclusions. Toward his own argument, Blacker provides, first, an account of what is reasonable and unreasonable in the juridical context of the students' rights debate and, second, an explanation of how Thomas's argument fits into the \unreasonable\ category. Still further toward these ends, Blacker analyzes the \Morse\ case in light of the current constitutional framework for student free-speech rights (with a heuristic). He concludes with speculation about the role… [Direct]
(2018). Who's Got Talent? Comparing TTS Systems for Comprehensibility, Naturalness, and Intelligibility. Research-publishing.net, Paper presented at the EUROCALL 2018 Conference (26th, Jyv√§skyl√§, Finland, 2018). The current study compared five free Text-To-Speech (TTS) systems, selected based on characteristics such as availability and capabilities. Tasks were completed by 37 English learners to evaluate these systems in terms of their comprehensibility, naturalness, and intelligibility. Our findings indicate that IBM Watson and Google Translate are the best TTS systems, according to the evaluation criteria employed. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED590612.]… [PDF]
(2019). Exploring Factors of Speech Anxiety in Second Language Classroom. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, v10 n5 p97-102 Oct. This study aims to investigate the factors affecting on English speech of undergraduate students at the SMIU, Karachi. The study prospects two aspects as outcomes of the study, one to discover what are the major issues and hindrances and another one to find their solutions for developing techniques and skills to gain confidence while speaking English as a second language in ESL classroom and in public. It will further investigate as how to help develop a wonderful speech free from speech anxiety. The study administered "Likert Scale" as a tool for data collection. Forty participating students were recruited from the department of Computer Science, Sindh Madressatul Islam University, Karachi. Speech anxiety is a common phenomenon amongst the students in the second language classrooms. Second language i.e., English, however, has become the lingua franca of the world. It is no longer the language of only native Britishers and Americans, rather, it is a widely spoken language… [PDF]
(2015). Cyberbullying in South African and American Schools: A Legal Comparative Study. South African Journal of Education, v35 n2 Article 1076 May. Bullying conjures up visions of the traditional schoolyard bully and the subordinate victim. However, bullying is no longer limited to in-person encounter, having come to include cyberbullying, which takes place indirectly over electronic media. In this electronic age, cyber platforms proliferate at an astonishing rate, all attracting the youth in large number, and posing the risk that they may become subject to cyberbullying. Far from being limited to those individual learners being cyberbullied, the effects of this phenomenon extend to the learner collective, the school climate, and also the entire school system, management and education, thus requiring an urgent response. This article first provides a general overview of cyberbullying and its impact on learners, schools and education. This is done through a comparative lens, studying the extent of the phenomenon in both the United States and South Africa. The focus then shifts to the existing legislative frameworks within which… [PDF]
(2011). How to Deal with Those Bleeping Ideas: Free Speech in the Classroom. FACTC Focus, 2011. Faculty Association of Community and Technical Colleges \FACTC Focus\ is a publication of Faculty Association of Community and Technical Colleges (FACTC) with the purpose of presenting diverse views on faculty issues. Included in this issue are: (1) Courage and Expression (Phil Venditti); (2) Don't Stifle: Teach (Sarah Zale); (3) Academic Freedom: An Elegant Idea (Bill Autry); (4) Teaching Tolerance (Margot Boyer); (5) Do Not Block These Ideas (Dennis Knepp); (6) A Little Respect, Please (Patrick Murphy); and (7) The Corporate Think Machine Invades The American Classroom (Paul K. Haeder). [For the 2010 edition, see ED526788.]… [PDF]
(2022). Using Repeated-Reading and Listening-While-Reading via Text-to-Speech Apps in Developing Fluency and Comprehension. Online Submission, World Journal of English Language v12 n1 p211-220. One of the challenges in teaching a foreign language is: finding appropriate ways to enable students to develop their reading fluency and comprehension. Repeated reading and listening-while-reading are two significant strategies that enhance students' fluency and comprehension. This study aimed to develop fluency and comprehension of EFL college students. During the treatment, the teacher trained the students to use some free Text to Speech apps that support oral repeated reading RR and listening while reading LWR activities. Pre-post tests were used to assess students' reading fluency and comprehension. Data obtained from the tests were analyzed statistically through SPSS software. Results indicated development in students' reading fluency and comprehension. Conclusions suggested the use of RR and LWR through Text to speech apps to assist the reading skills of higher education students. It is recommended that TTS Apps are promising tools that can be integrated into reading instruction… [PDF]
(2011). Hobo Orator Union: Class Composition and the Spokane Free Speech Fight of the Industrial Workers of the World. Quarterly Journal of Speech, v97 n2 p155-177. From 1909 to 1910, the public performance of soap-box oratory began to effect dramatic changes in the composition of migrant workers throughout the Pacific Northwest. Municipal authorities in Spokane attempted to curb the formation of a union of hobo orators by outlawing public speech-making within the city fire limits. The ensuing confrontation has come to be known as the first major Industrial Workers of the World free speech fight. Despite the ostensible concern with freedom of expression, I argue here that the cycle of struggles initiated in this confrontation should be understood as a novel effort to transform a highly mobile population of casual laborers into an orator union. Through the analysis of these events, I offer in this essay one possible model for integrating the insights of Operaismo Marxism into the critical cultural historiography of American public address. (Contains 87 notes.)… [Direct]
(2015). May It Please the Court: Two Legal Cases to Teach Students about Social Media Based Terminations of Employment. Journal of Management Education, v39 n6 p806-811 Dec. Recent data suggest that 83% of individuals, aged 18 to 29 years, frequent social media sites (Drouin et al., 2015). This statistic confirms the need for universities to teach important issues regarding personal social media usage to students. At the forefront of these issues is how personal social media usage can affect students' future employment. Significant legal issues can arise when human resource (HR) departments use social networking sites to inform HR decisions regarding employee discipline or termination. This resource review focuses on the following two court cases that management educators can use to teach students about social media-based terminations of employment: (1) "Graziosi v. City of Greenville"; and (2) "Sanzone & Spinella v. Triple Play Sports Bar and Grille." These cases were chosen because they can be used in the classroom to discuss the various legal protections that exist for both public and private sector employees, which include… [Direct]
(2010). Spotlight on Speech Codes 2010: The State of Free Speech on Our Nation's Campuses. Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (NJ1) Each year, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) conducts a rigorous survey of restrictions on speech at America's colleges and universities. The survey and resulting report explore the extent to which schools are meeting their legal and moral obligations to uphold students' and faculty members' rights to freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and private conscience. This year's report examines the restrictions on speech that are in force at a large sample of American colleges and universities and identifies emergent trends within the data. The report also addresses recent developments regarding free speech in the university setting, drawing from FIRE's research on university policies and from cases that FIRE has handled over the past academic year. Some highlights from this year's research include: (1) New York University prohibits "insulting, teasing, mocking, degrading or ridiculing another person or group"; (2) Keene State College in New Hampshire… [PDF]