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Profile of Student Attitudes subsections -
Classes / Activities / Community participation / College plans / Tolerance and Knowledge of First Amendment / Student - Teacher - Principal - Adult differences / Freedom of speech / Freedom of press / First Amendment education /
Understanding of the Law / Trust in journalists / Sources of news

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A Profile of Student Attitudes

Freedom of speech:  

Students also differ from teachers, principals and adults in their tolerance of various forms of expressing First Amendment rights. Certainly students appreciate the First Amendment in different ways and to differing degrees than adults. Adults, including both the teachers and the principals surveyed, are more apt to agree with the traditional forms of expressing one's First Amendment rights (expressing unpopular opinions and publishing newspapers freely without government approval of stories). However, when it comes to more modern issues such as (1) whether or not musicians should be allowed to sing songs with lyrics some may find offensive; and (2) whether or not high school students should be allowed to report controversial issues in their papers without approval from school authorities, students agree at higher rates than adults that such forms of expression should be allowed.

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