The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Education Law Oxford Handbooks Series

During the mid-to-late 20th Century, education law emerged as a distinct area of practice and scholarship in the United States. Attorneys began to develop specialties representing school districts, students, parents, and teachers, while law schools and colleges of education started to offer courses about the legal regulation of K-12 public schools. The statutory and common law governing schools grew rapidly, and developed in a manner that often treated public schools differently from other governmental entities. Now, law schools and colleges of education regularly offer an education law course. Many states' school administrator certificates require some familiarity with education law. The scholarly field of education law is rich and deep. Attorneys play a key role in education policy, as do state and federal legislatures and regulatory agencies. The issues range from school funding to supporting English learners; from racial equality to teachers' labor laws; from student privacy to school choice. Addressing those issues and more, The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Education Law provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of K-12 education law in the United States. A number of foundational chapters present a synthesis of general areas of law for those who seek an introduction. Dozens of other chapters build on those foundations, diving into various topics in a nuanced, yet accessible, way, creating value for those who seek to deepen or reframe their knowledge about a specific issue. Throughout the volume and especially in the last section, the authors also look to the future and thus help shape the direction of the field.

Kristine L. Bowman, a leading scholar of education law, is jointly appointed as a Professor of Law and Professor of Education Policy at Michigan State University, where she also serves as Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs in the top-ranked College of Education. Bowman is a prolific scholar with expertise in free speech, racial/ethnic equity, and governance in in the K-12 context. She has published widely in prominent law reviews, journals for multi-disciplinary audiences, and edited volumes. In addition to presenting regularly throughout the country, Bowman has taught or lectured in nine countries. Prior to teaching, Bowman practiced at Franczek Sullivan, P.C. (now Franczek), in Chicago, where she represented school districts, and clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. During law school she worked at the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. In 2001, Bowman graduated magna cum laude from the Duke University Law School, having served as both the Articles Editor of the Duke Law Journal and the Associate Executive Editor of the Duke Journal of Gender Law and Policy. She simultaneously received her M.A. in Humanities and Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies from Duke University. Bowman earned her B.A. summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Drake University.