Knowledge in the Making
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Academic Freedom and Free Speech in America's Schools and Universities
Joan DelFattore
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A compelling must-read for parents, administrators, faculty, and anyone with an interest in what happens when academics and politics intersect
How free are students and teachers to express unpopular ideas in public schools and universities? Not free enough, Joan DelFattore suggests. Wading without hesitation into some of the most contentious issues of our times, she investigates battles over a wide range of topics that have fractured school and university communities—homosexuality-themed children's books, research on race-based intelligence, the teaching of evolution, the regulation of hate speech, and more—and with her usual evenhanded approach offers insights supported by theory and by practical expertise.
Two key questions arise: What ideas should schools and universities teach? And what rights do teachers and students have to disagree with those ideas? The answers are not the same for K–12 schools as they are for public universities. But far from drawing a bright line between them, DelFattore suggests that we must consider public education as a whole to determine how—and how successfully—it deals with conflicting views.
When expert opinion clashes with popular belief, which should prevail? How much independence should K–12 teachers have? How do we foster the cutting-edge research that makes America a world leader in higher education? What are the free-speech rights of students? This uniquely accessible and balanced discussion deserves the full attention of everyone concerned with academic goals and agendas in our schools.
Joan DelFattore is an award-winning author and professor of English and legal studies, University of Delaware.
“An important analysis of who controls the professional speech of university faculty and schoolteachers, of college and public school students—and who should control it—and why it matters.”—Matthew Finkin, co-author of For the Common Good: Principles of American Academic Freedom
“This is a consistently interesting and provocative book, particularly in its concern about the likely reach of Garcetti. She reveals how academic freedom is needed more than ever, and how it is under attack from within and from off campus.”—Michael A. Olivas, author of The Law and Higher Education
"With sharp focus and singular insight, Joan DelFattore has addressed the critical issues affecting academic freedom and free expression at several levels of the educational process."—Robert M. O’Neil, Director, The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression
“Knowledge in the Making is a very important book, large in scope and large in ideas and challenges. By exploring academic freedom in all levels of education, Joan DelFattore forces the reader to understand the distinct, yet interrelated values reflected in the term, and the stakes we all have in its preservation.”—Randall Bezanson, author of Art and Freedom of Speech
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
