The First Amendment in Schools: A Guide from the First Amendment Center [Paperback]

Charles C. Haynes (Author), Sam Chaltain (Author), John Ferguson (Author), David L. Hudson Jr. (Author), Oliver Thomas (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 087120777X | ISBN-13: 978-0871207777 | Publication Date: November 2000 | Edition: First Edition

What are the First Amendment rights? How do you resolve questions about the rights of students, educators, and parents in a school setting?

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the most basic and cherished rights of society-religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly. Anyone who wants to know more about those freedoms in the context of schools will find The First Amendment in Schools a rich resource for study and application. The book includes

* An explanation of the origins of the First Amendment
* A concise, chronological history of 50 legal cases, including many landmark decisions, involving the First Amendment in public schools
* Answers to frequently asked questions about the practice of the First Amendment in schools, covering specific issues of religious liberty, free speech, and press as they affect school prayer, use of school facilities, dress and speech codes, student press, book selection, and curriculum
* General information on First Amendment expression and practice in schools
* Information on more than 60 educational and advocacy programs and organizations for First Amendment resources
* A profile of First Amendment Schools

This book provides a civic and legal framework for giving all members of the school community-students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members-a real voice in shaping the life of the school.

Product Details

• Paperback: 205 pages
• Publisher: Assn for Supervision & Curriculum; First Edition edition (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087120777X
• ISBN-13: 978-0871207777
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #663,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sam Chaltain is a DC-based educator and organizational change consultant. He works with schools, school districts, and public and private sector companies to help them create healthy, high-functioning learning environments.

Previously, Sam was the National Director of the Forum for Education and Democracy, an education advocacy organization. He was also the founding director of the Five Freedoms Project, a national program that helps K-12 principals create more democratic learning communities.

Sam spent five years at the First Amendment Center as the co-director of the First Amendment Schools program. He came to the Center from the public school system of New York City, where he taught high school English and History. Sam also spent four years teaching the same subjects at a private school in Brooklyn.

Sam's first teaching experience was in Beijing, China, where he joined the faculty of the Foreign Languages department at Beijing Normal University as a visiting lecturer. He taught two American History & Literature courses to third-year undergraduates.

Sam's writings about his work have appeared in both magazines and newspapers, including the Washington Post, Education Week and USA Today. A periodic contributor to CNN and MSNBC, Sam is also the author or co-author of four books: "The First Amendment in Schools" (ASCD, 2003), "First Freedoms: A Documentary History of First Amendment Rights" (Oxford University Press, 2006), "American Schools: The Art of Creating a Democratic Learning Community" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), and "We Must Not Be Afraid to be Free: Stories Of Free Expression in America" (Oxford, 2010).

Sam has a Master's degree in American Studies from the College of William & Mary, and an M.B.A. from George Washington University, where he specialized in non-profit management and organizational theory. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he graduated with a double major in Afro-American Studies and History.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A straightforward and well-researched discussion, February 9, 2004

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Amendment in Schools: A Guide from the First Amendment Center (Paperback)

The First Amendment In Schools: A Guide From The First Amendment Center is the collaborative effort of Charles C. Haynes, Sam Chaltain, John E. Ferguson Jr., David L. Hudson Jr., and Oliver Thomas, and provides the reader with a straightforward and well-researched discussion of crucial important First Amendment rights which protects all citizens with freedom of speech and expression in America with specific reference to how this applies to public school issues, policies and concerns. Discussing 50 key legal cases, as well as the rights and responsibilities of educators and students, and offering information concerning more than 60 educational and advocacy programs and organizations providing First Amendment resources, The First Amendment In Schools is an excellent primer on this often controversial and occasionally misunderstood civil right.