On March 28-29, 2009, FPRI's Wachman Center hosted 43 teachers from across the country for a weekend of discussion on teaching the nuclear age. In his opening remarks, Walter A. McDougall observed that although students today are not made to crawl under their desks in air raid drills, that atomic power remains, and it is still necessary to raise a…

In looking at the forms language takes, linguists sometimes forget to ask the obvious question about the relationship between the forms language uses (phonology and syntax) and the function language is expected to play as a vehicle of communication. Probably the bulk of our daily communication involves the allocation and use of power, the politics…

The paper discusses the political events and issues that affected North Carolina and the nation between 1776 and 1789. Attitudes and philosophies on government and its centralization form the foundation for North Carolina's traditional and firm opposition to centralization of power and changes in government structure. North Carolina's…

Teachers unknowingly carry certain ideologies, preconceived roles, rules, value systems, and world views into the classroom. These notions are communicated to the student by the teacher's language style, comments, body language and gestures, use and organization of things in the classroom, and choice and use of teaching methods and materials. The…

This paper explores the importance of peer relations for the experiences and texts of children in a third-grade writing workshop. Peers, as an audience for children's writing, bring with them friendship, trust, and a "social energy" that empowers authors and their writing in the classroom. Simultaneously, peers also bring with them…

This paper addresses the role of successful teachers of students of color within a restructuring educational environment. It describes three successful teachers of African-American students in two restructuring schools, discusses ways in which their practices and outlooks supported the success of otherwise low-achieving students, and describes how…

Based on the experiences of a participant observer (weekly playground volunteer) over the course of one school year, this paper recounts the experiences of first through third graders during recess and discusses the importance of outdoor play for providing children an opportunity to speak and act unfettered by adult expectations, thereby promoting…