The articles in this collection offer perspectives on the political principles that are involved in the problems of multiculturalism and multicultural education and the relationships among educational and political philosophy and multiculturalism. They discuss ways in which solutions to problems can be found in a real-world context. (SLD)

The issue presents four articles on emotionally disturbed children. The first, "Philosophy and Practice--Always the Twain Shall Meet," presents an edited transcript of a panel discussion held at a 1977 Iowa study institute entitled "Philosophical Issues and Program Goals in Serving Emotionally Disabled Youth." Aspects covered…

When discussing what schools should teach, questions of both content and process must be addressed. Although many observers believe that a fixed content should be learned, it is impossible to separate content and process. In the process of education, experiences build on each other. This fact should cause educators to question the continuities…

Goals and rationales for designating arts education as fundamental to the educational process are presented. The document is organized into three sections. The first two sections examine goals for schooling in the United States (as analyzed by Goodlad and others) and existing rationales advanced on behalf of the centrality of the arts to…

This document consists of a collection of the first 14 issues of the "Home School Researcher," an interacative newsletter dedicated solely to Home Centered Learning Research. Purposes of the newsletter are to: (1) profile researchers of home schooling; (2) provide information on resources for research activities; (3) discuss problematic…

This document contains two extended papers and one shorter commentary that reflect a continuing debate between two schools of thought on literacy that have been called the "autonomous" and the "sociocultural.""The Persisting Power and Costs of the Literacy Myth" (Harvey J. Graff) argues that current discourse on…

A collection of six papers about the foundations and history of the social studies discipline focus on the task of identifying what is unique about social studies. The papers include: "Social Studies: Born Out of Crisis and Change" (James Barth); "A Coming of Age: Social Studies as a Proactive Force" (Walter Schultz); "Social Studies Education: A…

The effect of television on children is in part a reflection of the effect of current schooling practices, so that the simplicity of television is a reflection of the discontinuity and incoherence of modern schooling practices. This state of affairs in schooling is due to several factors: (1) efforts to make schooling less stuffy and mechanical…

The newsletter issue reports on the current debate on the merits of academics versus "life skills" in the education of mildly handicapped students as well as the proposed Regular Education Initiative, a plan to better unify regular and special education. Noted are the increased numbers of students identified as handicapped with the…

A collection of humorous anecdotes, poems, and essays written by M. Dale Baughman, who is retiring as editor of "Contemporary Education," focuses on a variety of topics including: (1) humor and the child; (2) the school's role in community life; (3) school administration; and (4) educational research. Also included is an editorial about…

Outcomes-based education (OBE) is a controversial model of educational restructuring that defines learning as what students can demonstrate that they know. This document reviews four journal articles and one bulletin that reflect a range of perspectives on OBE's potential promise and problems. In "Organizing for Results: The Basis of…

Learning democratic principles is an important component of education. Ways in which to equip students with the necessary complex knowledge and skills for full participation in a democracy are explored in this report. The text focuses on the distinction between education for democracy and education as democracy, and it explores ways that the…

Leading academic feminists charge that the traditional college curriculum promotes sexism and social injustice, and that Western culture is a flawed concept from the start because all that it has recorded for succeeding generations has been dominated by a male bias. This "gender feminism," in contrast to "equity feminism," aims to transform…

This paper traces the development of progressivism in American education, a movement that emphasizes the development of all the native capacities of each child, instead of just teaching reading, writing, and the gathering of facts. Focusing first on the post-Civil War period, the author discusses reformists' early arguments against the linear…

Like other social sciences, education has not yet established widespread consensus concerning its own elemental truths. Seeking absolute solutions to the problems of education under such conditions is futile, frequently resulting in the rejection of the good aspects of educational concepts when those concepts fail to meet expectations as…