The professional experience of K12 teachers in the United States is marked by transformation. The K12 classroom has been a consistent presence in the history of the U.S., with the specifics of the teacher's role regularly transforming over time. With the spread of the internet and the increasing ubiquity of web-enabled digital devices (e.g.,…

Teaching character virtues and social-emotional skills in isolation of social-political context is incomplete at best. Further, racial and ethnic inequity in social action and political influence spans from youth to adults and must be addressed (Kahne & Middaugh, 2008b). Middle school is a crucial developmental time to cultivate students'…

Social innovations are creative products and changes that are motivated by social needs and bring value to society by meeting those needs. This article uses case studies to investigate the cognitive and social processes that contribute to creativity in social innovation. The cases are: Wendy Kopp with Teach For America in education, Cicely…

Is not America the West's very West, from the East Coast across the continent, "Western" even in its latest, pervasive piety--diversity? For diversity-preachment, in spite of all its excesses, is a recognition that this continent hosts--except for a tiny remnant of "Native" Americans--an immigrant population, who themselves, or through their…

In this chapter, the authors argue for a perspective on learning as the organizing of access to valued social futures. Why think of learning in terms of organizing? Such a perspective, they believe, follows from a particular view of the human sciences, one that sees people as always engaged in organizing, collectively, the conditions for and…

P. M. Greenfield's new theory of social change and human development aims to show how changing sociodemographic ecologies alter cultural values and learning environments and thereby shift developmental pathways. Worldwide sociodemographic trends include movement from rural residence, informal education at home, subsistence economy, and…

The discourses and practices of neoliberalism, including government policies for education and training, public debates regarding standards and changed funding regimes, have been at work on and in schools in capitalist societies since at least the 1980s. Yet we have been hard pressed to say what neoliberalism is, where it comes from and how it…

Europe is coming together. This is a historic project; for the first time in modern history, will and consciousness are used for bringing political, social and cultural unity to the European continent. In this process lifelong learning and hence adult education are gaining in importance. The European project takes place in an age characterised by…

An individual's private values cannot be a criterion for evaluation of values, nor a criterion for their inclusion in educational objectives. Values should stem from the most progressive social trends and, in defining educational objectives, Yugoslavia must remain on the firm ground of self-managing socialist development. (Author)

Filling a significant gap in the literature, this book examines the impact of culture on the social behaviors, emotions, and relationships of children around the world. It also explores cultural differences in what is seen as adaptive or maladaptive development. Eminent scholars discuss major theoretical perspectives on culture and development and…

Author points out how children are naturally interested in the future and suggests ways for teachers to encourage this interest. (GB)

Identifies four major problem areas in current moral education research. Reviews research programs to determine their effectiveness. Identifies the elements of moral psychology. Examines possible alternative pathways of moral development. Relates individual moral development to group morality. Concludes with some broad guidelines for future…

We are a society in transition. Certainly the experience of physics should help us to understand the nature of the transition we now face and to direct it for Man's benefit. The process of transition is of much greater importance than the products. (Author/TS)

Defines a value system as a universal, prolonged, consistent structure of priorities that defines an individual's life plan. Reports on a study of individual values among 3,154 Russian adults in 3 major cities. Identifies four generalizations based on the data about social values and social change in Russia. (CFR)

Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (53d, New York City, October 4, 1968).