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Descriptors:
Elementary Education; Childrens Literature; Classrooms; School Libraries; Sexuality; Behavior Standards; Social Behavior; Books; Censorship; Intellectual Freedom; Library Role; Psychological Patterns; Sexual Identity; Social Theories; Content Analysis; Literary Criticism; Homosexuality

Abstract:
This essay explores what it might mean to read children's literature in elementary school classrooms through a queer lens. The authors argue that because queer theory has a history as a literary theory that destabilizes normative associations among gender, sexuality, bodies, and desire, it provides a set of analytical tools classroom communities can draw on to create alternative readings of a wide range of familiar texts. Such readings of books already on the shelves of elementary school libraries and classrooms can highlight experiences and subjectivities of nonnormative sexualities and gender identities in the hopes of making classrooms more inclusive. Specifically, we argue that four high-quality, award-winning children's books already included in many schools and classrooms--Sendak's (1963) "Where the Wild Things Are", Woodson's (2001) "The Other Side", DiCamillo's (2003) "Tale of Despereaux", and Patterson's (1977) "Bridge to Terabithia"--can be fruitful sites for opening up these more inclusive readings and conversations. The article offers possible queer readings of these texts as well as suggestions for how to encourage elementary-aged students to think about both books and the socially constructed norms of real life through a queered lens. By first queering on-the-shelf texts and then asking students to think about how that queering connects to larger social issues, elementary classrooms can become places where strict identity categories--categories that can marginalize queer students and families--are made visible, are questioned, are stretched, and can even fall apart. (Contains 4 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Ethnic Studies; Children; State Legislation; Hispanic American Students; Mexican Americans; Mexican American Education; Intellectual Freedom; Books; Censorship; Activism; Social Change; Group Unity; Cooperation

Abstract:
The author's class has been invited to speak on NPR's "Call-In-Radio" and two of her students, Omar and Diana, were elected to be their spokespeople regarding HB 2281, Arizona's controversial ethnic studies ban. Omar stressed that he and his classmates are engaged by this topic because they see what's happening in Arizona is wrong--that they are going into schools and taking away people's history. Diana added that history is repeating itself and the banning of books made her mad because they are obviously trying to...hide the truth that for 500 years they have been oppressed. In this article the author discusses how she taught her students solidarity in fighting against HB 2281 by using articles and films and working with youth-led grassroots organization UNIDOS. (Contains 3 resources.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Censorship; Public Libraries; Foreign Countries; Sex Education; Books; Library Services; Intellectual Freedom; Librarians; Reading Material Selection

Abstract:
Censorship challenges to books in UK public libraries have received renewed attention recently. This study sought to establish the incidence of censorship challenges to books in Scottish public libraries in the years 2005-2009 and the actions taken in response to these challenges. It was found that eight local authorities in Scotland had received formal censorship challenges to books, with a total of 15 challenges throughout the country. The most common action taken in response to these challenges was for the book to be kept in stock in its original position with the rationale for this explained to the complainer, with the second most common action being taken to move the title to another section of the library. Two books were removed from the library in response to a censorship challenge. The largest numbers of challenges were made against books on the basis of sexual material. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Special Libraries; Library Services; Correctional Institutions; Correctional Education; Library Materials; Library Policy; Library Research; Librarian Attitudes; Intellectual Freedom; Confidentiality; Online Surveys; Library Administration

Abstract:
Prison libraries have traditionally fulfilled many purposes for their incarcerated patrons, and these libraries often carry a diverse collection to serve varied patron needs. However, during the trial of Steven Hayes for the Petit family murders, the prosecution questioned the collection development policies of the institutions where Hayes had previously been incarcerated, requesting the reading lists in efforts to prove that his salacious choices in literature fueled his crimes. This request by prosecution brought two major issues into question, including (1) the collection development policies of US prison libraries and (2) the question of patron privacy in prison libraries. This article investigates current prison library policies on collection development and confidentiality of patron borrowing records through an exploratory survey of seventeen librarians currently working in correctional institutions throughout the United States. Their responses detail collection development policies in the prison library and present the ambiguity for handling the confidentiality of patron borrowing records. (Contains 1 table, 3 figures, and 8 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Intellectual Freedom; Values; Ethics; Comparative Analysis; Democracy; Professional Associations; Librarians; Cultural Context; Library Associations; Library Science; Libraries; Censorship; Information Scientists

Abstract:
Thirty-six ethical codes from national professional associations were studied, the aim to test whether librarians have global shared values or if political and cultural contexts have significantly influenced the codes' content. Gorman's eight core values of stewardship, service, intellectual freedom, rationalism, literacy and learning, equity of access to recorded knowledge and information, privacy and democracy were used as a benchmark. A quantitative analysis was carried out of which values each code contained. The codes were further qualitatively analysed, to examine how each value was expressed. It was found that on average codes featured five of Gorman's eight values. The most popular values were: service, privacy, equity of access, stewardship and intellectual freedom. The least popular value was rationalism, across all codes. Some codes omitted certain values because of their specific focus, such as the Native American code. Codes varied in how values were expressed, for example some codes limited principles by law, while some did not. Expression of stewardship and democracy was found to be stronger in countries which have recently experienced conflict or colonialism. The relationship between the profession and the state was another area of variation. Countries in the Asia-Pacific put more emphasis on the power of the State. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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High School Students; Student Rights; Freedom of Speech; Intellectual Freedom; Principals; High Schools; Administrator Attitudes; Censorship; Child Safety; School Newspapers; Constitutional Law; Mass Media

Abstract:
Support for student expression and First Amendment attitudes were measured among Missouri high school principals (n = 86). Findings demonstrated that the third-person effect was a significant predictor of these attitudes. The more principals perceived mass media to affect others over themselves, the less supportive they were for student free expression rights, particularly with regard to support for online, off-campus student speech. In addition to applying communication theory to a largely atheoretical field of scholarship, this research helps suggest several directions for future research to better understand restrictions on student speech. (Contains 3 tables and 30 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Educational Quality; Educational Change; Government (Administrative Body); Global Approach; Universities; Case Studies; Models; Intellectual Freedom; Values; Educational Policy

Abstract:
China's recent quest to develop world-class universities is a significant phenomenon within the worldwide transformation of tertiary education. Taking a cultural approach and drawing on empirical findings, this article investigates the emerging Chinese model of the university, considering its key features and contributions to global communities. First, examining the rhetoric about world-class universities in varied societal contexts, it explores the institutional initiatives and government agendas involved in China's drive for global status. Then, using case studies of three universities moving toward mass higher education and world-class status, it shows the role played by their individual institutional initiative. It next describes key features of the emerging Chinese model of the university, including the core values of self-mastery and intellectual freedom, to show how it differs from the dominant Anglo-Saxon and American models but shares some features with the continental European and Japanese models of the university. The final section considers policy implications of the emerging Chinese model, its potential lessons for reform and practice, and its role in fostering vibrant democracies and global dialogue among civilizations in the future. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Achievement Tests; Curriculum Development; Foreign Countries; Academic Freedom; Intellectual Freedom; Educational Policy; Policy Analysis; Government Role; Educational Development; Curriculum Implementation; Politics of Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Elementary School Curriculum; Secondary School Curriculum; Educational History; Educational Legislation; Government School Relationship; Educational Research

Abstract:
The extent to which the goals and contents of (compulsory) education should to be regulated has been a complicated balancing act in the Netherlands. Against a background of a long-standing statutory tradition of freedom of education, governmental decisions about "what knowledge is of most worth" have been delicate. The purpose of the analysis described in this article is to disentangle, interpret and discuss this complicated balancing act between curriculum regulation and curriculum freedom during the past 40 years and to learn from other countries by putting the results into a wider European curriculum policy perspective. The contribution will end with discussing issues that need to be carefully considered with respect to the recent Dutch policy shift towards output regulation by means of mandatory achievement tests for mathematics, mother tongue and English at the end of lower secondary education. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Racial Segregation; American Studies; Foreign Countries; Racial Bias; Social Justice; Academic Freedom; Intellectual Freedom; Instructional Materials; Black Studies; Ethnic Studies; Controversial Issues (Course Content); Comparative Education

Abstract:
"Rethinking Columbus," the book the author co-edited with Bob Peterson, had been banned in the schools of Tucson, Arizona, as part of that state's suppression of the Mexican American Studies program. The state superintendent of schools, John Huppenthal, had found the acclaimed Tucson program out of compliance with House Bill 2281, which outlaws courses that teach "ethnic solidarity" or promote "resentment toward a race or class of people." On Jan. 10, the Tucson school board had voted to end the program rather than lose 10 percent of its state funding. The only other time the author had a book outlawed was his curriculum on teaching about South Africa, "Strangers in Their Own Country," which had been banned in South Africa in 1986, no doubt because it featured a speech by then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela, quotes from other officially banned individuals, and lessons on the movement to demand corporate divestment from apartheid South Africa. More than 25 years separates the banning of each of these books, but as events in Tucson have unfolded, the author finds himself making comparisons between South Africa and Arizona. The courage, determination, and political insight of Tucson students bring to mind students who battled for liberatory education in South Africa. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Freedom; Water Pollution; Documentaries; Intellectual Freedom; Censorship; Information Policy; Influences; Stakeholders; Institutional Characteristics; Environmental Standards; Environmental Research; Environmental Education; College Administration

Abstract:
More than a year and a half after the University of Minnesota made headlines when an administrator halted the premiere of an environmental documentary, controversy and questions persist at the Twin Cities university. "Troubled Waters: A Mississippi River Story" took nearly four years to make. It explores how agricultural runoff and pollution contribute to the largest dead zone in the world, where the Mississippi spills into the Gulf of Mexico. A team of researchers, filmmakers, and scientists has been up and down the Mississippi River, knee-deep in swamps and icy waters, and elbow-deep in footage and research, looking at the central role of agriculture and pollution in creating that oxygen-depleted zone. University of Minnesota faculty and staff members, including members of the university's Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, have discussed the fallout from "Troubled Waters" at length. At the University of Minnesota, new measures are in place to ensure that academic freedom is protected from donor and administrative pressures. The Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee used the controversy as an opportunity to reiterate the protections of academic freedom at the university, particularly for those who are not considered faculty or staff. The author discusses efforts to dam the free flow of information about Mississippi River pollution. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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