School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Educational Leaders (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Nathan L. Essex (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 020541205X | ISBN-13: 978-0205412051 | Publication Date: April 26, 2004 | Edition: 3

A concise, easy-to-read, and convenient paperback, this text contains relevant information on historical and contemporary legal issues affecting the organization and administration of schools in the United States. School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Educational Leaders, Third Edition, is a must have for educators, parents and policy makers at all levels. This text provides valuable information regarding gangs, school safety, Homeland Security, No Child Left Behind Act, Gun Free School Act, legal aspects of personnel selection, landmark cases involving Affirmative Action and college admissions, homosexuality, Pledge of Allegiance, and much more. Legal issues are covered thoroughly yet succinctly, and are discussed in a way that is informative, entertaining, and useful so any educator, administrator or other professional can effectively perform professional duties within the boundaries of constitutional, statutory, and case law.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This concise, easy to read paperback contains relevant information on historical and contemporary legal issues affecting the organization and administration of schools in the United States. This text is a must have for educators and policy makers at all levels. Legal issues are covered thoroughly yet succinctly, and are discussed in a way that is informative, entertaining, and useful so the educator or administrator can effectively perform professional duties within the boundaries of constitutional, statutory, and case law.

NEW TO THIS EDITION:

• New Chapter 4, “Student Safety and Due Process,” provides a comprehensive overview of issues impacting school safety and precautions that school officials should take.
• New Chapter 11, “The Instructional Program,” discusses all issues relating to curriculum requirements, standards, testing, and grading.
• New Chapter 12, “School Desegregation,” covers the historical discussion of desegregation, challenging the courts' role in creating desegregated schools.
• No Child Left Behind considerations are included throughout.
• Provides clear discussion of the groundbreaking landmark Supreme Court decision on Affirmative Action in the college admissions process (Ch. 9).
• Contains unprecedented coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down Texas' law prohibiting private homosexual acts between consenting adults as unconstitutional (Ch. 8).
• “In-Basket Exercises” or Cases have been added at the end of every chapter, providing practical application designed to reinforce concepts and create dialog among students.

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About the Author

Nathan L. Essex is a professor of Educational Law and Leadership at the University of Memphis and President of Southwest Tennessee Community College. He received a B.S. in English at Alabama A&M University, an M.S. in Educational Administration at Jacksonville State University, and a Ph.D. in Administration and Planning at the University of Alabama.  

 

Essex’s interests include law, educational policy, and personnel administration. He has served as consultant for more than 100 school districts and numerous educational agencies. He served as a policy consultant with the Alabama State Department of Education for 12 years and received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to the field of education.  He is the recipient of the Truman M. Pierce Award for Educational Leadership, for outstanding contributions which advanced the direction of education in the state of Alabama; the Academic Excellence Award in recognition of professional achievement and academic excellence in the research, service, and teaching of education, Capstone College of Education Society, The University of Alabama; Teaching Excellence Award; Distinguished Service Award — Who’s Who in the State of Tennessee; The University of Memphis Distinguished Administrator of the Year 1995-1996, “Educator on the Move,” the University of Memphis; Phi Delta Kappa, the Presidents award for leadership and serve to the community, Youth Services, Inc.; Who’s Who in Corporate Memphis, Grace Magazine; and President Bush’s Community Service Award, just to name a few.  Essex has published numerous articles, book chapters, and newsletters on legal issues.  Many of his works appear in The Administrator’s Notebook, The Horizon, Compensation Review, The Clearinghouse, The American School Board Journal, American Management Association, Community College Review, Education and Law, and many other professional journals.  He is highly sought by educators at all levels to share his knowledge and expertise regarding legal issues that impact public schools.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 355 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 3 edition (April 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020541205X
• ISBN-13: 978-0205412051
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > Law > Specialties > Educational Law & Legislation

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Make Sense" Guide For All Educators, October 29, 2000

By 

"babyboomertoni" (Chattanooga, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Educational Leaders (Hardcover)

The author wrote this book in such a manner that a high school government student could understand the majority of the legal discussion and implications for school leaders.

Today's educator would be remiss not to read this down to earth text and not pay attention to its contents while working in today's educational environments where one is constantly exposed to being sued.

The author provides the reader with clear and understandable legal definitions, administrative summaries, landmark cases, and interesting legal situations that have occurred in public schools across the United States.

Classroom teachers, school principals, superintendents, school board members, and graduate students all come away with a sense of "I will not do that again" after reading this very practical school law guide.

While the book does not address school integration and school finance issues from a legal stance, it does an excellent job of addressing all other aspects of educational law.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars wish there was a kindle edition, December 22, 2010

By 

ej - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Educational Leaders (4th Edition) (Paperback)

As others have said, a good, simple overview. Case studies and questions were good, but since all of the cases are readily available online, the majority of these could be eliminated and just referenced. The price tag is hefty, and in this day in age, I would definately prefer an electronic version

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for every person considering the field of teaching, November 12, 2008

By 

P. Rhoads - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Educational Leaders (4th Edition) (Paperback)

After using this book for a masters class, I realized that I had inadvertently broken several laws and the district I work for did, too. I don't know why this is not something required for students in a teachers' program. Every teacher should know the law before entering the classroom. It would save a lot of trouble for the district and the teacher. If you haven't read a book on school law, I recommend this one. It's not as dry as it sounds and the author tries to write in a conversational manner that makes for a relatively easy read.