While the research, theory and policy literature on race, class and gender discrimination in education is extensive, the problem of education-based discrimination itself has been widely overlooked. Indeed, the dominant ideologies of meritocracy and human capital (into which we are inculcated throughout our lives by schools, media and the state)…

This article addresses the dilemma of promoting critical pedagogy within portfolio assessment, which has been implemented in many teacher education programs to meet state and national mandates for performance-based assessment. It explores how one teacher educator works to move portfolio assessment to a level of critical self-reflection that…

Int his essay, the authors identify and problematize the claims and activities of four think tanks supported by contributions from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Kovacs and Christie attempt to show that these contributions support scholars and research of dubious quality, engage in political science abuse, and perpetuate discourses and…

This article is concerned with a specific type of hate speech: Holocaust denial. It is concerned with the expression of this idea by educators. Should we allow Holocaust deniers to teach in schools? This article attempts to answer this question through a close look at the Canadian experience. First, I will establish that Holocaust denial is a…

The vitality of the business sector is an index of the general health of a free society. The importance of capitalism and the free enterprise system is a tenet of the ethos of the United States. Six addresses which promote this theme are presented as well as a list of the members of the honorary sponsoring committee honoring Donald Rumsfeld. The…

Members of the educational community have a vested interest in establishng a system of economic decisionmaking that is subject to democratic input and public accountability. Educators might seek alliances with progressive labor unions in order to achieve this goal. This paper explores the roles and effects of capitalism, multinational…

A study was made of the attitudes of VISTA volunteers at the beginning of their training, at the end of training, and after they had been in their jobs for four months. The volunteers were found to be individuals committed to the democratic process and liberal in their economic and political thinking. At the end of training, they were still…

This article reviews the role of the courts as policy makers and the implications for school practice. (DS)

In 1982, the Baltimore County (Maryland) Public Schools began a study of values education and ethical behavior. A countywide task force decided to incorporate values based on the Constitution and Bill of Rights into the entire school experience. This article attributes the project's success to six key elements, including widespread community…

Reviews findings on early political learning in U.S. elementary and secondary schools. Identifies counterproductive practices and presents alternatives which might better prepare students for responsible and competent participation in democratic society. (JDH)

By seeing teacher education as a practical philosophy committed to reflection, conversation, and action, the author argues, we can assist in moving the culture of the modern university away from its allegiances to elitism and technicism, toward a view of education as preparation for participation in democracy. (MT)

Montessori believed that preschool children were capable of practicing an elementary form of democracy, could direct their own learning, and discipline themselves. How preschool teachers can adapt Montessori ideas to regular classroom instruction is discussed. (RM)

What can social studies teachers do to try to put some of their teaching into more realistic avenues? A high school teacher undertook a project at the primary and general elections in order to create some student interest in the electoral process. (Author/RK)

This annual collection focuses on the obligation of higher education to democracy. Scholars from a variety if disciplines explore this question and related issues, such as the civic mission of the university, what it means to be an "engaged" university, and how a university can itself by a "good citizen." Following a foreword by Deborah Witte, the…

Attempts to arrive at a fuller meaning of the term democratic education'' by investigating the distinctive features of the policies and practices of the first minister of public instruction in the Second French Republic. (WM)