In the inaugural issue of the "Journal of School Choice," John Merrifield offers an important, insightful, and highly provocative critique of charter schooling in an effort to "get people to think about the issues...and seek additional evidence". In "Charter Laws: Disaster, Detour, Irrelevant, or Reform Tool?" Merrifield maintains that economic…

This paper analyses the problematic nature of citizenship as a modern achievement faced with the challenge of vindicating ancient ideals in what is increasingly considered to be a "postmodern" world. It offers a parallel analysis of childhood as a characteristically modern construct whose reality in children's life-worlds is threatened…

This paper provides two vignettes that draw on data from projects that interrogate how a student can be positioned by practices within physical education (PE) and directed by the PE teacher in relation to their valued or legitimated ability. Through the use of Pierre Bourdieu's conceptual tools of field, habitus and capital we investigate the…

It is striking to notice that the notion of skill is not only used in industry but also in higher education in most major industrialized countries. If a significant number of companies have taken a skills approach, one notices that this term is also used in higher education to determine teaching programmes according to a simple idea: higher…

The dialectical tension between the sacred and the secular has fostered fascinating historical discussions concerning the Catholic university in the United States. Scholars such as James Turner and Philip Gleason have offered a host of narratives that provide a context for other scholars seeking to philosophically define the aspirations that will…

In this reflective essay, the author describes her continuing search for a pedagogical path. She explains how she came to reject authoritative answers and packaged educational ideologies, and describes the questions that have unfolded for her about her own teaching. In closing, she writes about her search for a faith--a set of principles to guide…

This paper provides a brief history of the work of Maria Montessori and traces the development of the Montessori method in English education. The first woman medical student in Italy, she developed an interest in the needs of mentally handicapped children. Contrary to the accepted view, she came to the conclusion that mentally 'deficient' children…

This paper suggests that curriculum history should not be circumscribed by narrow, sometimes arbitrary, definitions that tend to be limiting. Curriculum history considers what societies value enough to pass on to younger generations through its schools. The foremost question which has not changed throughout the years is "What should schools…

This reference guide describes the implementation and use of mixed-age classrooms in Oregon. Those schools that wished to be included provided information on a prepared form. Responses from 94 elementary schools from 23 counties are presented. Each school's profile includes information on school statistics, a description of the program, how the…

This three-part guide presents information and recommendations from the Massachusetts Professional Development School Network Steering Committee on how to develop a professional development school (PDS) partnership. Part 1 defines the PDS concept, presents a brief background account of its evolution, and discusses its potential for simultaneously…

This paper takes the position that philosophy is a critical avenue with which to approach a study of schooling, and that study of philosophy and philosophy of education will provide a framework needed for inquiry into schooling that is foundational, diverse, and critical. Processes of philosophical inquiry include the following: (1) conceptual…

The two issues of the journal SKOLE for 1994 contain original articles and reprints about small alternative schools, home schooling, the contradictions and deficiencies of public education, and educational innovations. Major articles include: (1) "Reunion" (about Rockland Project School, New York) (Alice Gerard); (2) "Children's…

This paper examines the controversy generated by the 1994 release of the "National Standards for United States History: Exploring the American Experience (5-12)" and "National Standards for World History: Exploring Paths to the Present (5-12)." The standards engendered protests as conservatives and others charged that it was a "politically…

This manual presents standards for adventure education programs seeking accreditation from the Association for Experiential Education. The manual is set up sequentially, focusing both on objective standards such as technical risk management aspects, and on subjective standards such as teaching approaches used in programs. Chapter titles provide…

This brochure deals with issues concerning tenure in the form of contrasting "myths" and "realities." Some of these include the "myth" that tenure is a lifetime job guarantee whereas "in reality" tenure is a right to due process; the "myth" that tenured faculty do not work very hard though "in reality" surveys clearly show that tenured faculty…