Places the current problems concerning citizenship education in Africa in the context of African countries' emergence from colonial rule to democratic government. Maintains that social studies education in Africa must become transformative and interdisciplinary to overcome ethnocentric isolation. Advocates upgrading teacher education and…

Discusses the reactions to two empowering styles of teaching introduced into a newly developed interdisciplinary unit in geography and environmental sciences. Peer assessment was embraced more thoroughly than group work which was eventually accepted with some reservations. Includes charts illustrating student reactions to both innovations. (MJP)

Discusses this year's recipients of the award that honors books dealing with subjects related to U.S. ethnic minorities and race relations in a manner suitable for young readers. The books include the story of a young Navajo girl learning to weave and an account of the Tuskegee airmen. (MJP)

Presents background information and instructional materials for a lesson plan concerning the interaction between Jackie Robinson and President Eisenhower regarding the integration of public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. Robinson chided the President for his cautious response to violent opposition to integration. Includes a copy of the…

Presents the National Council for the Social Studies' position paper on character education. Calls for a renewed effort by social studies educators, schools, and communities to teach character and civic virtue. Argues that students must be offered a combination of instruction and guidance on civic virtue to counter increasing indifference. (MJP)

Examines the dichotomy between Canada's excellent record of social programs, educational attainment, and income and Canadians' continued negative perceptions of their country. Explores issues that particularly vex the Canadians including decentralization and the separatist movement in Quebec. Concludes that Canada's penchant for self-criticism…

Considers the career of Nellie Bly, a late 19th-century investigative reporter who gained fame and notoriety for her work. Bly covered wars, labor strikes, and once feigned insanity to write an expose of conditions in a mental institution. Includes a series of interdisciplinary learning activities constructed around Bly's career. (MJP)

Describes instructional strategies using primary sources in middle school history instruction. Maintains that students need to make critical, personal connections to material before they understand it. The strategies examined use visual aids, living history presentations, realia, music, and primary documents. (MJP)

Outlines the dramatic changes in the laws covering drug activity over the last 20 years. Federal sentencing guidelines now mandate much longer prison terms depending on the drug and type of activity. Simultaneously, courts have expanded legal definitions and approaches involving prosecution. Discusses the controversy over these developments. (MJP)

Presents a lesson plan that requires students to analyze an upcoming Supreme Court case concerning the constitutional rights of a convicted offender. Student handouts include a case study worksheet and an overview of the case. Students complete the worksheet, conduct small group discussions, and arrive at their own decisions. (MJP)

Performance-based, contextual assessments can highlight the academic and personal strengths of students that may be overlooked or judged pathological by traditional psychometric measures. This case study of a 10-year-old African American male special-education student illustrates how portfolio assessment improved the perception of his academic…

Describes a seventh-grade class project where students constructed a "time tunnel" (a walk-through display with models and exhibits illustrating various themes and eras). Beginning modestly, the tunnel grew over seven years to include 11 different display scenes. Discusses the construction of the project and benefits to the school. (MJP)

This collection of articles focuses on such topics as the black-white higher education gap in large U.S. cities; online fundraising at historically black colleges; the white university that awards the most doctorates to blacks; the high ranking colleges and universities most forthcoming in disclosing racial statistics; the most highly cited black…

Observing that school official censorship often produces a sense of futility and resignation among students, criticizes recent student press censorship. Argues student experience of First Amendment freedoms is the best teacher of citizenship and democratic values. Contrasts instances of censorship to student press articles where First Amendment…

Recounts a lawyer's personal experience teaching high school students from the wrong side of the tracks about the U.S. Constitution as part of a pilot program. Suggests that linking legal issues to students' personal lives. Can inspire as well as inform. (CH)