This review essay explores the complexities and challenges involved in addressing controversial issues in the K-12 public school classroom, drawing from two recent books: Noddings and Brooks's "Teaching Controversial Issues: The Case for Critical Thinking and Moral Commitment in the Classroom" and Zimmerman and Robertson's "The Case…

A review of "Contentious Curricula: Afrocentrism and Creationism in American Public Schools," by Amy Binder, claims it is a valuable analysis that employs a social movement perspective to uncover the dynamics involved in proposals for and the politics of curriculum change, especially in highly contested curriculum areas. (Contains 13…

Reviews the book, "Historical Literacy: The Case for History in American Education" edited by Paul Gagnon and the Bradley Commission on History in the Schools. Critiques the Bradley Commission's recommendations, and the essays on restructuring history curriculum and improving history instruction. (RW)

The revised version of the "National Standards for History in the Schools" does not differ greatly from the original document, which received so much criticism. The revised standards themselves are biased against Western culture and are not suitable as a national guide for state curricula, classroom teachers, and textbook publishers.…