The definition of academic freedom from the American Heritage dictionary follows:
academic freedom n
Liberty to teach and pursue knowledge and to discuss it openly without restriction or interference by school or public officials or other authorities.The dictionary definition is very general. Specific examples are helpful as the concept of academic freedom is applied to elementary and secondary education.
A teacher is expected to teach the approved core/essential curriculum content.
Academic freedom does not justify teaching content that is not related to the approved core/essential curriculum content. When the core/essential content has been duly addressed, a teacher may enrich the core/essential curriculum content for students who have achieved the desired performance level and/or remediate students who have not yet achieved performance standards.
A teacher should pace instruction in a manner that gives each core/essential content domain due consideration.
Academic freedom does not mean a teacher can devote undue amounts of time and resources to "favored" curricular areas at the expense of core/essential content.
Academic freedom does not mean a teacher can delay core/essential content while students are achieving an unrealistically high level of mastery causing some core/essential content to be omitted or not given due consideration.
A teacher should vary methods of delivery so as to address most of the commonly recognized learning styles.
Academic freedom does not mean a teacher may use one instructional method so much as to virtually exclude all other legitimate methods.
A teacher is expected to accept each assigned student as an individual who can benefit from the instruction to be provided. A teacher may identify and request appropriate additional support/resources to meet exceptional students' needs.
Academic freedom does not mean a teacher may reject assigned students on any arbitrary basis, including students with exceptional needs, either gifted or challenged.
A teacher should organize instruction to meet the needs of her/his assigned students. A teacher may group and regroup students for specific skills training as needed.
Academic freedom does not mean a teacher may organize students in such a way as to deliver essentially different content to different students on a regular basis.
A teacher should plan lessons that lead to identified proficiencies/specific skills.
Academic freedom does not mean a teacher may devote inordinate time to activities that are merely enjoyed by students but do not lead to the idendified core/essential content instructional objectives.
A teacher should include both the introduction/review of basic information (facts, recall) and higher level performance (analysis, application, synthesis, evaluation) expectations in most lessons.
Academic freedom does not mean a teacher may choose to omit appropriate basic skills review and only introduce new material. It also does not mean a teacher may spend an inordinate amount of time on review to the exclusion or unwarranted limitation of core/essential content yet to be addressed.
Summary:
A teacher is to plan and deliver instruction in a variety of ways to meet the needs of assigned students and to facilitate students' achievement of proficiency in core/essential curriculum content and skills.
While academic freedom gives a teacher certain rights and protects a teacher's free speech as it pertains to instruction, academic freedom is not a precept allowing a teacher to justify neglect of professional duties.