The Ethics of Teaching

AFT Code of Ethics
Compare the Code of Ethics of the American Federation of Teachers with the Code from the National Education Association that is published in this chapter of your textbook. You can also check this organization’s web site for their teacher’s Bill of Rights.

Ethics for Union Teachers
This personal code, written by one of the officers of the American Federation for Teachers, includes not only the author’s ideas on ethical teaching, but also on ethical union membership. Would any of these items be part of your personal code of ethics?

Three Ways to Make Values Last at Your School
This article, from the Education World archives, suggests ways to define and use a set of core values to guide your everyday decisions at school.

The Teacher and the Law

Education Law Association
This is a professional organization for "anyone interested in education law."

Educational Leadership
The December 2001/January 2002 issue of the journal Educational Leadership has the theme "Schools and the Law," and includes articles on key Supreme Court decisions, desegregation, copyright, students' rights, and more.

Oyez
The Oyez Project, from Northwestern University, is a multimedia database of the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Collection
This site, from the Cornell University School of Law, gives you access to the most important Supreme Court school-related decisions.

The Emory University School of Law
This web site provides easy access to both Supreme Court and state court rulings on current and present school-related cases.

School Laws and Legislation
This excellent web site is a gold mine of information on an array of court cases, from school prayer to student-on-student sexual harassment. (Keep in mind, however, that rulings may, in some cases, apply only to the state of Missouri.)

Summary of State Teacher Tenure Laws
This summary, posted at the American Federation of Teachers web site, is from a longer publication called The Changing Face of Teacher Tenure.

Prevent Child Abuse
This national organization dedicated to stopping child abuse of all kinds has chapters in 39 states. The web site links you to a great deal of information on recognizing and reporting child abuse, as well as to other topics.

Copyright Web Site
This site tells you all you ever wanted to know about copyright laws. You can find out if you're infringing the law by taking "the fair use test."

Educator’s Guide to Copyright and Fair Use
This article from the Education World archives boils down copyright law into a short article that will get you up to speed quickly.

Pickering v. Board of Education of Township High School District 205, Will County
Full text of the Supreme Court's judgment in the 1968 Pickering free speech case mentioned in your textbook.

Law, Religion, and the School

First Amendment Cyber Tribune (FACT)
This site aims to provide an overall view of religious liberty as defined by Supreme Court cases, including several cases affecting schools.

American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is involved in many controversies concerning religion and the schools. You can find out more by visiting the "Students’ Rights" or "Religious Liberty" sections of their web site.

Students and the Law

ACLU and Students’ Rights
The Students’ Rights section of the American Civil Liberties Union web site highlights various issues and controversies pertaining to student rights in which the ACLU has become involved.

Center for Law and Education
This organization supports students' rights. It has several areas of particular focus, including Title 1 and school reform, high school restructuring, educational rights of students with disabilities, and community involvement.

National Center for the Study of Corporal Punishment and Alternatives
This center conducts research on corporal punishment and psychological maltreatment of students in schools. You can access their papers at their web site, or link to related organizations.

Interpretation of Zero-Tolerance Varies
This 2002 article from the weekly online publication Education Week suggests that the enforcement of zero-tolerance policies depends on administrators’ interpretations of those policies. The article also contains links to updates on recent events regarding zero-tolerance policies.

Sexual Harassment: It’s Not Academic
This publication from the U.S. Department of Education defines sexual harassment and provides several examples of what it might look like in school, along with instructions for educators on how to deal with it.

Harassment-Free Hallways
This site, from the American Association of University Women, suggests ways to stop sexual harassment and bullying at school.