Questions that challenge the curriculum can put educators on the defensive. Lauren Porosoff discusses helpful ways that educators can be proactive about creating productive and meaningful conversations with parents and community members about curriculum choices and the reasons behind them.

A reasoned response to questions about teaching moral education in the schools. (Author/MLF)

In an attempt to clarify the confusion about the teaching of morality in the classroom, the author discusses the distinction between the concepts of morality and convention. Young children can distinguish between rules and moral principles, and successful moral discussion is more likely to occur in classrooms employing cooperative goal structures.…

Social studies educators in the coming years should concentrate on the humanizing elements of the curriculum to ensure that programs are social and humane. (MM)

A set of ten value concepts for a democratic political community that schools should seek to exemplify are divided into those that primarily promote desirable cohesive and unifying elements and those that primarily promote desirable pluralistic and individualistic elements. (Author/MLF)

The nature of the work for which we educate students is changing. Outlines how schools must help students process knowledge in a rapidly changing world. Schools must incorporate interdisciplinary approaches that teach breadth, values, and a global perspective. (MD)

Reviews the history of the public controversy surrounding the social studies curriculum, "Man: A Course of Study" (MACOS) and discusses the implications of the MACOS controversy for future curriculum development efforts in the social sciences. Available from Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1701 K Street, N.W.,…

Describes and assesses six high school reform projects that concern the values underlying secondary schooling; changes in curriculum, instruction, and teacher preparation; preparation of students for college; communication among schools undergoing reform; the condition of secondary education today and proposed solutions to problems; and the…

Future science curricula should recognize the interaction of science, technology, and society and should give students the skills for learning and applying scientific knowledge, an awareness of ethics and values in science, and a future perspective. The organization of science courses should vary with the type of learning desired. (Author/RW)

In developing a national curriculum, ways must be found to challenge students and teachers, preserve initiative, and maintain democratic control. President Bush's New American Achievement Tests will consist of a system of examinations to be administered by individual states or clusters of states. Conversion should embody a grand,…

Educating for belief or unbelief means educating for religious and spiritual literacy and examining religions from historical and philosophical perspectives. The First Amendment does not forbid teaching about religion as part of our cultural heritage. Spirituality requires no institutional affiliation. Sacred music and art should be restored to…

People need to learn what choosing and acting morally involves and how to do it. Educational programs, well conceived, pedagogically sound, and morally carried on, are basic to attaining personal and social well-being. (Author)

Poor student achievement in history and geography is mainly a curriculum problem, not an instructional one. The social studies have been moved to the curriculum sidelines to clear the way for intense, test-driven instruction in reading, writing, and mathematics. To educate future citizens, schools must improve social studies instruction and…

To address the issue of at-risk students, school systems must reexamine the value structure of schools and determine whether it is still valid. Curriculum developers need to be aware of socioeconomic class variables and develop school environments with a balanced perspective that enhance achievement for all students. (MD)

If public schools abandon their historic common school mission to promote racial and ethnic separatism, they will forfeit their claim to public support. If they remain true to their historic role, the public schools will rightfully serve as a bulwark against ethnic chauvinism and counter the forces of social fragmentation by instilling democratic…