This book challenges common assumptions about the nature of education and the need for formal schooling and provides an overview of promising alternatives to compulsory education. Following a foreword by Ivan Illich, four sections cover the philosophical roots of opposition to compulsory public education, current analyses of the public school…

This collection contains essays on contemporary issues facing community colleges written by fellows in Princeton University's Mid-Career Fellowship Program. The essays are as follows: "Is Middlesex County College Accomplishing Its Mission?" (Xenia P. Balabkins); "The Coming of Age of Women's Studies: Attention Must be Paid" (Lynne M. DeCicco);…

This paper discusses the college freshman year experience from the student perspective, focusing not on what college will do for them, but on what it will do to them. Faced with the staggering array of course offerings and experiences presented by the modern college, freshmen need more help in making choices and decisions. The paper reviews the…

Today, the majority of countries are characterized by multicultural diversity, a factor which has enormous implications for early childhood educators. As we begin to understand the long-term benefits of participation in high quality early childhood care and education, educators must also recognize that their own cultural heritage can and does…

This report presents the recommendations of a task force appointed to examine ways to improve the coordination, effectiveness, and quality of education experiences for migrant children and their families. After tracing the history and background of the migrant education program, the report discusses the current conditions and future expectations…

Thirteen guidelines are offered to teacher educators who seek to improve student thinking by improving the teaching of thinking in schools: (1) regard improved thinking as a means to an end, not the end itself; (2) be precise in the language and terms used to describe thinking; (3) recognize that the term "critical thinking" is a loaded term, with…

The first volume in this two-volume report outlines the nine educational principles on which the competence statements for adult reading and writing are based. The four literacies--for self-expression, practical purposes, knowledge, and public debate--are defined and some representative text types and common genres are provided. The four levels…

Information has become society's chief resource; and in the emerging information age, those who have access to it become more powerful and successful than those who do not. The information age, characterized by the rise of a transnational economic organization and the enhanced importance of information, raises important issues, within the context…

The project group "Preparedness for Peace," working at the Department of Educational and Psychological Research, Malmo School of Education in Sweden, explores ways of helping children and young people to deal constructively with questions of peace and war. As part of its work, the project group collects viewpoints on the role of schools…

This brief bulletin addresses seven "myths" of tracking or ability grouping with gifted students in response to what is seen as a current movement against both ability grouping and tracking, which are characterized by the "anti-tracking" movement as inflexible and unaccommodating of a varied schedule. The following myths are countered: (1)…

This document explains the objectives, principles, standards, and protocols of the Australian Recognition Framework (ARF), which is a comprehensive approach to national recognition of vocational education and training (VET) that is based on a quality-assured approach to the registration of training organizations seeking to deliver training, assess…

Schools that trust their students, and schools that value, respect, and know their students are schools that foster resiliency for their students. More than any other single factor, the lack of a deeply held belief in every child's ability leads to underachieving students. Seven schools that are working to remove roadblocks to student success are…

This book is intended to serve as a resource and stimulant for professionals involved in recreational and educational programs serving elementary-school-age learners, although many of the activities also work well with adolescents and adults. The setting for the 40 activities which are described is the out-of-doors. Instructions on how to use the…

This document presents 28 accepted principles for modifying instruction to better meet needs of handicapped and at risk students. The principles include, among others: get to know the individual student in an informal manner; examine the patterns of children's errors; sequence skills to reduce error rates; vary response, testing, and grading…

This booklet outlines the principles of a New Compact for Learning between families, communities, and schools in New York. Its main ideas are that: (1) all children can learn and contribute to their families and communities; (2) parents, teachers, and other community members must work together to help children learn; (3) a society must demand the…