Critical Race Theory (CRT) has recently been positioned as a serious problem requiring urgent policy response among partisan media outlets. Making a case for pressing policy demands, several policy makers have proposed federal, state, and local level legislation and other measures to restrict how race, racism, or American history in general can be…

Political divides in our democracy are ever-widening. Deliberative democratic civics education provides a new way for civics education to prepare students for a democracy that addresses the diversity in moral perspectives that have created the divides in a more constructive way. Civics education traditionally has been tied to aggregative theories…

Discussion of "Sex, Power, and Politics" course at the University of Southern California in which the videotaping of class sessions is used to reduce classroom controversy while studying controversy. (ND)

Describes McCloud's efforts to improve coverage of the Vietnam War in the junior high school curriculum. Presents answers to the question "What do you think are the most important things for today's junior high students to understand about the Vietnam War?" from people such as Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Tom Hayden, and Robert S.…

Notes the current attempt to replace social studies with U.S. history and geography. Delineates the two strands of thought in the social studies reform movement and argues that there is a strong tradition of the social studies as a unified, issue-centered field of study. (SLM)

Material about nuclear disarmament and the arms race should be included in secondary school curricula. Teachers can present this technical, controversial, and frightening material in a balanced and comprehensible way. Resources for instructional materials are listed. (PP)

Three essays related to peace and security education in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) are presented. The first essay, "An Example of Controversial Themes in Education: Peace and Security," by Clemens Lessing, uses a 1980 controversial discussion of the Committee of the Cultural Ministry as an example of controversial themes in…

Special education teachers (n=407) were surveyed regarding coverage of 45 controversial or sensitive topics in their instruction of students with learning disabilities, mental retardation, or behavior disorders. Topical issues were addressed only to a very limited extent, but were addressed more with students having behavioral disorders and at the…

The findings of a study that examined the impact of peace studies courses at the college and university level upon students is reported. The study involved 260 undergraduate students at 3 midwestern universities. At the beginning of each course, students filled out a questionnaire; at the end of the course, students were given identical…

This report brings together recent research, analysis, and textbook evaluations to explain what lies behind today's school wars over teaching about religion. It concludes that textbook controversies involving religion are an important part of a large cultural debate. Some of the most divisive and important curriculum issues of current times,…

Proposes constructive ways for discussing controversial issues in the social studies classroom. Develops an educational goal and a rationale for controversial issues discussions. Explicates six strategies for addressing controversial values issues, and discusses the problem of whether the teacher should disclose their position. (SLM)

The Kanawha County textbook controversy of 1974 sparked profound changes in the American political landscape and American education. The roots of this controversy go back to the 1960's, when drug use, women's liberation, violence, and sex education convinced conservatives that America was in moral decline. Parents in Kanawha County fingered school…

Covers the objectives, subject matter, and requirements of a one-semester course based on ethics and national security policy taught within the School of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland at College Park. The course is designed to give students an opportunity to develop skill in the analysis of moral and ethical issues. (JDH)

This handbook explores the issues-centered curriculum for social studies teaching and how student performance reflects an intellectual capacity to address public issues. The book is divided into 11 parts with essays to address specific aspects of the approach. The foreword, written by Shirley Engle, establishes a context for issues-based…

The student who has thoughtfully examined opposing viewpoints on an issue should perceive what other position can be occupied on that issue and should learn to carefully consider antithetical viewpoints. The development of this critical approach is the purpose of this book. An introduction, postscript summary, and two articles or published…