Acknowledged experts described what they believed the content and educational outcomes of sex education programs in the schools should be. Exemplary programs, selected on the basis of their views, are identified and discussed. In addition, student and teacher response to one program is analyzed. (PP)

David Easton's model describing how political systems operate can help health educators initiate improvements and resist harmful changes. The Memphis (Tennessee) Board of Education's experience with the adoption of family life education is cited as an example of a constructive political strategy. (PP)

Information about nuclear weapons and their effects must be taught without imparting hopelessness and despair. Suggestions for teaching about the arms race from an historical perspective and about alternative security systems--international law, conventional weapons, nonviolent resistance--are given. (PP)

Summarizes the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU's) contention that Arkansas Act 590 (equal time to teaching creationism) is unconstitutional and highlights comments of various witnesses testifying during the trial. (SK)

Ten reasons for teaching about religion in secular higher education institutions are offered: religion motivates most killings, contributes to most healing, is globally pervasive, has a long and broad past, is hard to define, helps explain many human activities, involves many disciplines, is a dimension of pluralism, relates to practical issues,…

Merrimack (New Hampshire) is only one school system in the headlines over the twin issues of what schools should teach about homosexuality and what support they should offer gay and lesbian youth. Sidebars highlight school districts that have received media attention because of their policies on homosexuality and offer suggestions for boards…

Focuses on the resources that the Internet brings to teaching social or controversial issues in the social studies classroom by listing Web sites and describing how to search for the information. Lists Web sites that help students learn to evaluate Internet resources. Provides information on portal Web sites. (CMK)

Discusses the use of the inquiry cycle during a professional development program for social studies teachers. Focuses on controversial issues, specifically the problems in Kosovo. Describes the inquiry cycle in detail and the three-phase cycle that helped teachers understand the importance of social studies. (CMK)

Defines Law-Related Education and describes its goals: citizenship and ethics education, delinquency prevention, teaching survival, and critical thinking skills. Justifies Law-Related Education's place in the social studies curriculum. (CH)

Explains the goals and assumptions of the Political Education Project of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Gives an example of the stories developed by the project teams as a means by which students are introduced to political realities in interesting ways. Reports two studies supporting the approach. (KO)

Outlines two reasons that issue-centered discourse will be legitimized in the schools. Contends that the impact of societal problems will force schools to deal with social issues, and that the recognition of the hidden curriculum's influence will impel schools to capitalize on the learning taking place within their walls. (SLM)

Social work students' responses to their professor's in-class disclosure of homosexuality are examined. Topics addressed include student awareness of gay/lesbian issues, reactions to disclosure, effect on learning environment, recognition of homophobia and heterosexism, classroom power balance, relationship between personal and political actions,…

A survey of 249 students at the State University of New York at Buffalo identified medical ethics issues arising during clinical training in professional norms, limits of intervention, defensive shielding of professional colleagues, respect toward patients, communication, and student boundaries. Concerns differed by student year, supporting…

Scholarly interest in Jewish studies, discouraged during Communist rule, is experiencing a renaissance in Poland. However, because the Jewish community is largely gone from Poland, much of the research must be conducted outside the country. It is felt that earlier censorship has stimulated interest in Jewish studies. Polish scholars feel their…

Describes how a teacher in a program for mildly learning-disabled special education students in a large high school has incorporated into classroom discourse difficult and controversial issues surrounding gender and power. Describes the use of journal writing to improve gender-based interaction, writing focused on male-female relationships, and…