An article on American health care which focuses on health care costs and benefits is combined with a lesson plan on health care issues to enable students to consider both issues of cost effectiveness and morality in decisions about the allocation of health care. The article covers the history of interest in health care, the reasons for the…

The date is September 9, 2005. This article is set in a rural Wisconsin community, a thousand miles north of New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina is about to make landfall. The four- and five- year- olds in Mrs. Olson's classroom have never experienced a hurricane or seen flood waters rise to cover the farms and houses they know, but they cannot…

In this article, Alison Kitson and Alan McCully discuss the findings of their research into history teaching in the most divided part of the United Kingdom: Northern Ireland. Drawing on interviews with students and teachers, they consider what history teaching might contribute to an understanding of the current situation and reflect on the extent…

Discussing Controversial Issues (DCI) is a skill training program designed for high school students and teachers with an overall objective of developing student and teacher skill in discussing controversial issues effectively. The course materials identify 13 moderator techniques which teachers practice, and 13 participant techniques which…

A study assessed the conditions under which secondary school curricula have an impact on students' political attitudes. Civil liberties issues were discussed in experimental groups. When teacher credibility was high, students' political attitudes were noticeably affected. (AV)

Discusses the positive and negative aspects of Federal involvement in curriculum development. Concludes that Federal involvement can make positive contributions toward critical thinking and knowledge and should be encouraged. (Author/DB)

State and Supreme Court litigation perpetuates the controversy over the role of creationism in the science classroom, and surveys reveal that many Americans continue to doubt the scientific validity of evolution theory and believe in equal classroom time for creationism. (MSE)

Advocating the complete separation of church and state, the author outlines the history of the present debate over the school-religion controversy. Includes a detailed discussion of interpretations of the First Amendment (especially the establishment clause) and Supreme Court decisions relating to the issue. (MD)

Discusses the political relevance of Miller's play about Salem witch trials to (1) the McCarthy era hearings, and (2) current cases between religious fundamentalists and school curriculum boards. Summarizes the history of these events and relates them to an interpretation of "The Crucible." (JG)

States that social studies teachers should present the available factual information about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in terms of what is happening globally and examine questions of human and civil rights raised by the disease. Provides a list of facts and discussion questions for classroom teachers. (GEA)

Maintains that television network news has the capacity to graphically illuminate on-going events which demand sociological explanation. Shows how segments of network news were incorporated into a humanistic sociology course in order to provide students with clear and concise images of social problems. (JDH)

Discusses the conflicts and controversies associated with public acceptance of certain teaching materials and textbooks. Cites specific court cases and outlines the issues involved in the adoption process. Reviews efforts taken by different states in addressing the quality of instructional materials. (ML)

This annotated listing on apartheid in South Africa cites general resources, classroom materials, fiction, poetry, audio visuals, and organizations and associations. Also included are a glossary and a brief chronology of South Africa's apartheid system. (RM)

As the United States became urban, industrialized and heterogeneous a century ago, politically powerful groups decided state laws must mandate their values in public schools. This article describes three crusades: for temperance instruction, for compulsory Bible reading and the banning of Darwin, and for patriotic rituals and Americanization. (MT)

Widely divergent interpretations are being made of the implementing regulations to the Hatch Amendment, which gives parents the right to inspect instructional materials and to limit their children's participation in some federally supported school programs and activities. This article briefly explains the Hatch Amendment and suggests a source of…