Skip to main content

Educational Negligence: Is It a Viable Form of Action?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Palgrave Handbook of Education Law for Schools
  • 2130 Accesses

Abstract

In the current climate of setting professional standards for the teaching profession, the question arises as to whether schools have a duty of care to students with regard to educational outcomes. Thus, an issue of growing concern for lawyers, judges, and educators in the US, England and Australia is educational malpractice or negligence. But courts have been largely unresponsive when plaintiffs raise claims of this nature. As one American judge pithily noted, educational malpractice “is a tort beloved of commentators but not of courts.” Against this background, this chapter examines legal developments on educational malpractice in the US, England and Australia, and then discusses the impact of setting professional standards for teaching. It concludes with reflections on the future, if any, for claims of educational malpractice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mui Kim Teh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Teh, M.K., Russo, C.J. (2018). Educational Negligence: Is It a Viable Form of Action?. In: Trimmer, K., Dixon, R., S. Findlay, Y. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Education Law for Schools. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77751-1_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77751-1_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-77750-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-77751-1

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics