Fourth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

For the past thirty years, the American legal system has recognized a greatly diminished level of free-speech protection in public schools and colleges. Diminishing regard for, and observance of, First Amendment values in school has lasting consequences for the development of inquisitive, participatory citizens. Research by Profs. Bobkowski and Belmas (2016) documents the systematic institutional censorship of student voices addressing issues of social and political consequence in the school setting, with particular impact on the willingness of female students to engage on issues of public concern. This discussion will take stock of the free-expression landscape in American K-12 schools and examine best educational practices for modeling participatory citizenship. We will examine and evaluate the “New Voices” reform movement that has led to the enactment of statutory protection for student expression in fourteen U.S. states, and how those statutes affect the civic culture of educational institutions.