After considering the arguments of the four respondents to his original essay, Mr. Hess notes that there are a number of points of general agreement between the respondents and himself, but that there also seems to be significant confusion about the purpose of his original essay. In response, he attempts to highlight the points of apparent…

For at least 40 years, there has been a recurring argument concerning the nature of experimental amnesia, with one side arguing that amnesic treatments interfere with the formation of enduring memories and the other side arguing that these treatments interfere with the expression of memories that were effectively encoded. The argument appears to…

What are the moral limits of artistic license? A strong case can be made for the view that there are none; that in viewing works of art people should resist ethical criticism, and, "a fortiori," resist moral strictures on the artist's inventiveness. This view has recently been defended by Richard Posner, who argues that people should not expect…

In recent discussions about educational accountability, participants have joined one of two warring camps. In one corner are the advocates of results-driven accountability who claim that test scores are the most accurate measure of the quality of schools, teachers, and school leaders. In the opposite corner are the advocates of input-driven…

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredits 623 of the 1,200 traditional university-based teacher-training programs; nearly 100 others are seeking accreditation. The Washington-based group, established in 1954, is a coalition of 33 organizations, including the two national teachers' unions, the American Association of…

One of the most important educational objectives of high school is to teach critical-thinking skills, and no class does this better than strategic debate. Professor Mike Allen, lead author in a definitive study on debate and critical thinking, lauded debate's promotion of critical-thinking skills. Additionally, researcher Joe Bellon discusses the…

The importance of the bond between secondary and higher education forensics programs cannot be overstated. For many high school students, involving themselves in debate and individual events can result in a partial or full college scholarship. Of equal importance is the benefit of participation in an extracurricular activity that enhances writing…

Every year more intercollegiate speech and debate programs are eliminated from universities and colleges. Shrinking resources for higher education make it difficult to sustain extra or co-curricular activities without endowments and alumni support. Alumni support begins by cultivating a respect in undergraduates for speech and debate as a…

A study investigated the possible reasons for low numbers of females in intercollegiate debate. Subjects, 164 debaters, completed a self-assessment using the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Twenty-six debate judges completed an assessment of the sex role of the "ideal" debater. The study tested the hypothesis that both female debaters and the…

A study expands on an earlier study by developing a prototypical evaluation instrument for directors of forensics. A 3-part questionnaire was constructed to assess the reliability and validity of the instrument used in the earlier study. Questionnaires were returned by 63 of 205 directors of forensics programs representing both public and private…

Forensics program administration raises a number of troubling liability concerns. The potential liability exposure of forensics administrators may vastly exceed the litigation risks that arise as a result of ordinary teaching duties. Potential liability exposure may result from the failure of program directors to act in accordance with college or…

This paper describes the efforts of the director of a composition program who is also a teacher of composition at an open admissions college to teach critical thinking by showing students how to use content rather than just acquire it. Applying Jean Piaget's learning theory to classroom teaching, the director attempts to create an active learning…

A study examined the competitive, financial, and programmatic characteristics of the top 50 forensics programs in the United States. Surveys were sent in 1978, 1983, 1987, and 1992 to the programs that met this definition. Criteria for identification of the "top" 50 differed slightly for each survey (based on different measures of…

A case study focused on a trio of forensics service areas in southeastern Illinois (Carmi and Mt. Carmel), southern Indiana (Evansville), and western Kentucky (Henderson, Owensboro, and Bowling Green) to examine the relative health and level of communication present within and among each of the three districts. Since most of the forensics programs…

It is difficult to strike a balance between the demands placed on graduate students and those placed on graduate forensics assistants. The combination of duties as Graduate Forensics Assistants (GFAs)--baby sitters, confidants, teachers, travel agents, administrators, clerical workers, psychologists, proofreaders, authority figures, and finally,…