This article presents a review of three chapters in "Part III, Section F: Inquiring into Curriculum" of "The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum and Instruction" (F. M. Connelly, M. F. He, J. I. Phillion, Eds.; Sage Publications, 2008). These chapters ["Reenvisioning the Progressive Tradition in Curriculum" (David T. Hansen,…

Reviews nine notable education books of 2000, including Jeannie Chall's "The Academic Achievement Challenge," Jonathan Kozol's "Ordinary Resurrections," Chester Finn's "Charter Schools in Action," Neil Howe and William Strauss's "Millennials Rising," Meredith Maran's "Class Dismissed," Paul T. Hill's "It Takes a City," and Diane Ravitch's "Left…

Critiques Hirsh's book, "The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them," which suggests that progressive education is rampant in today's school, and all students should learn important subject matter content that should be appropriately sequenced and uniformly paced, with achievement objectively measured. Critiques Hirsh's minimization…

Reviews books on progressive education and educational change. "Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms," (D. Ravitch) traces the history of American school reform movements and shows how and why they failed to produce better educational outcomes. "When Schools Compete: A Cautionary Tale," (E. Fiske and H. Ladd) addresses…

In an essay-review of "Lucy Sprague Mitchell: The Making of a Modern Woman," four themes which are important to teachers today are discussed. These themes (teacher as educator, as autobiographer, as citizen, and as researcher) are discussed in their biographical, historical, and current contexts. (JL)

Reviews "Quality Work with Young People" (John Huskins, 1996) and other writings of the 1990s concerned with outdoor adventure education, youth work, "risk," and risk management. Compares these works with those of the 1970s. Criticizes deterministic trends in adventure education "interventions" and the present-day…

Reviews four books that examine educational topics that are closely linked to the history of cities. Three are rooted in the contentious, complex story of education in New York City, focusing on: Jewish women as the dominant group of public school teachers, progressive reform agendas, and school desegregation movements. The fourth examines school…

Reviews "The Politics of School Reform 1870-1940" by Paul Peterson, and "Power and the Promise of School Reform: Grassroots Movements During the Progressive Era" by William J. Reese. Notes that these two studies serve to bring politics, and political variables, back into the debate over educational policymaking, but are…

Chris Mercogliano's book about a free school in Albany, New York, advocates liberating children's life energies from the destructive forces of regimentation, repression, and control on which public education is based. An educational philosophy is needed that pays attention primarily to emotional and interpersonal issues, since academic learning…

Reviews: "The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them"; "Charter Schools: Creating Hope and Opportunity for American Education"; "Horace's Hope: What Works for the American High School"; "United Mind Workers: Unions and Teaching in the Knowledge Society"; "Digital Literacy"; "Reinventing Early Care and Education: A Vision for a Quality System";…