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The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” This amendment has protected the right of young American students to express themselves throughout history, even if what they have to say is not complimentary or even popular.

However, free speech has become muddied waters since the advent of online forms of expression. A court in Pennsylvania has proven that fact with two rulings that suggest the discussion is not over in regards to off-campus speech conducted over the Internet. We’ll take a look at both of these cases that have garnered much publicity in recent months, as well as the most recent rulings by the court. We’ll also consider the questions that were not answered by these landmark cases that leave schools and students unsure of how to move forward in the era of online expression.

What the 3^rd U.S. Court of Appeals Decided

According to a report in , the Philadelphia-based 3^rd U.S. Court of Appeals heard two long-running cases this month involving the freedom of students to express their opinions online. Both of the students involved in these cases posted content on MySpace that mocked their principals. The students were both suspended by their schools for the content and

Many schools around the country are failing to live up to academic expectations. Some are finding that the training of the teacher makes the difference in the quality of the education their students receive. Enter Teach for America – the education industry's equivalent of "boot camp" for aspiring teachers, providing the training and experience they need to succeed in even the most challenging academic environments. But is Teach for America really the knight on the white horse or a way to take the community out of the education process? This article will take a look at the pros and cons of this teacher training program.

This video explains the admissions process for Teach America.

What is Teach for America?

Teach for America started as an undergraduate thesis for Wendy Kopp during her studies at Princeton University. According to the , Kopp believed numerous college students would be willing to assume teaching positions over more lucrative careers if the proper training corps was in place to prepare them. During its inception year in 1990, Teach for America trained 500 men and women to teach in six low-income communities around the United States. Today, that number has grown to 28,000, making Teach for America the largest provider of teachers to low-income areas.

The approach taken by Teach for America is to train up a corps of teachers from over-achieving college students,

School districts are expected to perform at a particular level according to standards set at both the state and federal levels. When schools within that district fail to meet their expectations adequately over time, measures must be taken to ensure students get the quality of education they need to succeed. While most parents, educators, and lawmakers agree with this fundamental principle, the path to meeting those goals is often controversial. That is especially true when failing schools are met with a takeover by the state government – which is happening in many school districts today.

The Anatomy of a State Takeover

States do not take over schools overnight or because of one round of poor test scores. Many states have policies where schools cannot be touched until they have been on probation for an extended period, and their test scores have not improved significantly during that time. In most states explored in this article, school districts had as much as six years to turn around their academic achievement before the state government considered getting involved. However, even when schools have adequate time to reverse their poor performance levels, state takeovers of schools are not considered lightly, and many parents, students, educators, and lawmakers do not readily accept them.

When a state government does determine it is time to take control of a specific, low-performing school, that process can look different from state to state and even from school to school. The typical model is for the

Spanking is throughout the country. However, some school districts still allow – and practice – the act when administrators or teachers feel it is necessary to keep students in line and maintain control of the classroom. In most of those cases, students can be spanked without parental consent and under the strict guidelines of the school district. However, some parents do not feel the current policies are enough to protect their children. In some areas, spanking laws have come under fire once again, as schools are faced with the quandary of abiding by parents' wishes and keeping a disciplined classroom in order. We will look at some areas where this issue is revisited in public schools.

A Brief History of Spanking

Spanking, also known as corporal punishment, is defined on Wikipedia as

the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offense, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer.

It is also used as a deterrent for unacceptable behaviors or attitudes. Spanking often involves the use of an implement, such as a belt or ruler, rather than hitting the offender with a hand.

In schools, the discipline is generally administered by a teacher or school administrator on the buttocks, using a paddle or open hand. Most schools do not require permission from the parent to perform a spanking, although some schools do send home a permission slip to parents before spanking a child who has been

Many high schools have traditionally included rituals like a benediction or invocation at their graduation ceremonies. While these terms might refer to a variety of things, many believe the words themselves invoke a religious ritual – one that is not allowed to be introduced or endorsed by public schools. The question of prayer during a graduation ceremony has also been a point of controversy for many years at high schools across the country. This year has been no exception, with a Texas public high school graduation coming to the forefront in the latest battle. We will take a look at the issue of prayer during graduation ceremonies, including why some believe that the practice is in direct violation of the constitutional separation of church and state.

What Happened in Texas?

Medina Valley High School in Castroville, Texas, has had a long tradition of including an invocation at the beginning of their graduation ceremonies and a benediction at the end. This year, a student at the school, along with his parents, took issue with the use of terms in the graduation ceremony that some could construe as religious. The family took their case to a district judge, who ruled that Medina was violating the constitution in using such terminology and ordered them to remove the invocation and benediction from the graduation program.

Ayesha Khan, the lawyer for the family, told Reuters, "We think that the district has been flouting the law for decades. We're glad that the