EOL 469: Legal Basis of Educational Practice

David M. Stone, University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL USA

Reflections Regarding David Barber's

Developing School District Policy:
A guide for school sponsored publications

I found this document to be exceptionally well presented and well organized. The First Amendment is introduced, then translated, and finally followed by summaries of a number of landmark legal cases which shape current public school publication policies. Barber ends his work with a well organized list of suggestions to incorporate into public school publication policy.

I chose this document because its focus is so far from those activities which comprise my professional and nonprofessional areas of emphasis and interest. I've always found the tasks and responsibilities associated with being in charge of any student publication to be somewhat intimidating. That said, I have to admit that I speak with the students in charge of many of our school publications regarding those efforts on a fairly regular basis. Beyond what is written in guidelines for school publications and specific school policies, I always suggest to students that they use the "Grandmother Test", for lack of any better term. The idea is fairly simple and extremely straightforward. Once you have what you consider to be the final draft of any work which is going to be displayed in any way to the public, place yourself in the role of your grandmother. Now read your work. Does it make sense? Does it say something that is important or express a viewpoint for which you feel passionate? Do you use appropriate terms and provide sufficient information that someone who is not well acquainted with the topic can gain a true understanding of the topic and its significance. Is it inappropriately biased? Is the information you present true based on your own verification? Will your grandmother understand AND appreciate what you have written? Others, including you and your descendants, may read that work in the future. What impression will they have of the writer after they finish reading the work? When you can have confidence that this is your best work and that Grandma would be proud of what her grandchild has written, both in terms of the way it is written and for its importance, you are ready to submit that work and defend against all comers. If you feel that the work won't pass the Grandma Test, either rewrite it or start again with something else. You'll never regret that decision.

Created 11/25/99. Last modified 11/25/99.