Analyzes two recent controversies about censorship of arts: Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs and U.S. congressional limits on funding for National Endowment for the Arts. Maintains artistic freedom can be encouraged if all segments of society learn about arts. Recommends that aesthetic education deal with these controversial issues, the social…

Observes the U.S. Supreme Court rulings on religion have been fairly consistent, but controversies arise from judicial interpretations of the Constitution's religious clauses. Traces history and development of major court decisions and religious issue rulings for both the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses. States religion in public schools…

Discusses a high school unit on First Amendment rights developed for a gifted students class in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Describes the unit's origins and procedures, such as issues studied and the use of research projects, guest speakers, and field trips. Emphasizes students' interest in learning about their rights. Identifies critical…

Describes the implementation of a bioethics laboratory exercise that incorporates a variety of instructional strategies. In the activity, General Biology students consider relevant and interesting topics of bioethical importance and prepare classroom presentations on the different viewpoints normally attendant to ethical topics. Includes an…

Understanding what teachers need to be more comfortable and confident in their profession is crucial to the future of effective teachers and scientific literacy in public schools. This study focuses on the experiences of Arizona biology teachers in teaching evolution, using a clinical model of stress to identify sources of pressure, the resulting…

Since Mueller vs. Allen (1983), several legal decisions have attempted to clarify what is the appropriate relationship between religion and public education in a democratic society. During this time, the United States legal system has shifted, moving the historic "establishment clause" away from a strict "separationist" view…

This paper describes an interdisciplinary approach to conveying knowledge and promoting understanding of the disease of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) at the middle school level in a conservative community. Discussion of AIDS was included in a sixth grade unit on communicable diseases designed to teach how diseases are transmitted, how…

This practical, up-to-date guide to effectively managing the many facets of a reading/writing program helps elementary and secondary school-based administrators and district supervisors deal with the increasing demands they face daily. From creating a literacy philosophy to developing a multidimensional assessment program, the book touches on…

This handbook explores the issues-centered curriculum for social studies teaching and how student performance reflects an intellectual capacity to address public issues. The book is divided into 11 parts with essays to address specific aspects of the approach. The foreword, written by Shirley Engle, establishes a context for issues-based…

Dedicated to Seth Kreisberg, this document is the first journal issue of the Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR). It begins with "The Real Ropes Course: The Development of Social Consciousness" (Shelley Berman). The other articles are presented in five sections. The first section, "Our Relationship to Society," contains:…

Integration of environmental education and second language instruction is discussed, with two purposes: to describe educators' efforts to protect the planet's deteriorating environment, and to explore what destructive attitudes and actions that have led to environmental devastation have their counterparts in language education methods. The…

This document is part of a series that seeks to help people think constructively about foreign policy issues, to improve citizen involvement, and to encourage debate on public issues. "The Arab-Israeli Conflict from 1920 to 1985"; "A Crossroads in the Middle East"; and "U.S. Thinking and the Politics of Peace" are the…

This teachers guide is the French translation of the second cycle for the secondary science curriculum. The document is presented in six sections. The first section provides a historic overview of the secondary school science program that emphasizes the Science, Technology, and Society approach. The second section discusses what the science class…

Following up two previous studies which identified the course content, and essential skills and knowledge outcomes for graduate introductory educational research courses, further study was conducted to determine the following: which of the skills identified for graduate introductory research courses were quantitatively or qualitatively oriented;…

Maintaining a balance between population and the resources needed to sustain life on earth is a critical challenge. This teaching unit focuses on this challenge by providing teachers with information and activities on both the national and global impacts of population growth. The document contains: (1) basic information about the population…