Describes differences between systems-rationalist and subjectivist-interpretivist inquiry. Maintains that much of the enormous potential of subjectivist-interpretivist research could be lost due to the consequences of choices and compromises that researchers make in conceptualizing, proposing, and conducting subjectivist inquiry in the…

Before 1994, South Africa had a complex education system, characterized by multiple, loosely connected bureaucracies; inequitable resource distribution; and concentrated, oligarchic power. The new government is striving to democratize education by dismantling and dismembering the old institution. Blacks and whites must cooperate to make it happen.…

Examines cultural perspectives of educational administration students and selected faculty at a midwestern university college of education. Two distinct cultures developed: a vocational culture composed of part-time doctoral students and education faculty and an academic culture composed of instructors of professional common-core subjects.…

Facing increasing standardization and accountability pressures, schools struggle to retain democratic ideals while seeking alternative visions. The standards movement defines a well-educated citizen as a technologically adept, economically savvy college graduate. Democracy flourishes only when protecting the marketplace of ideas and a diversity of…

Examines underlying epistemological and theoretical assumptions of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). Concludes that IALS is primarily geared toward enhancing labor-market competencies but should instead make learners co-responsible actors of their own learning process and participants in a democratic debate defining the kind of…

Finds that Black adolescent girls were largely uninterested in teen magazines' beauty images because they conflict with African-American standards of attractiveness; that makeup and haircare products were seen as specifically intended for White girls, who consequently invest more authority in the magazines' counsel and images; and that White girls…

The democratic imperative proclaims that an inequitable, inadequate education system is unacceptable. Exploring this imperative's implications for fiscal-equity reform, this article overviews 3 decades of legal trends in federal and state fiscal equity and educational adequacy litigation, examines adequacy's liberal ideological roots, and explains…

Describes a project in which a small group of teachers of gifted students in primary and secondary schools in England used action research as an holistic way of undertaking professional development, which encouraged them to question their values, beliefs, and assumptions about teaching and learning. (CR)

Explores electronic journal usage statistics and develops three metrics and three benchmarks based on those metrics. Topics include earlier work that assessed the value of print journals and was modified for the electronic format; the evaluation of potential purchases; and implications for standards development, including the need for content…

Asserts that lying is not a simple principle or feature, but a cluster of features where anything in the cluster is considered lying. Argues that the process of meta-ethical analysis and rational discussion should be part of moral education, in that it may help to develop critical thought about the ability and practice of making good and rational…

Offers seven recommendations (with comments) for action involving school partnerships with families and communities: Involve and support teachers and principals, adopt democratic principles, reach out to parents, encourage parent activism, provide parents with opportunities for choice and voice, encourage and support increased family…

Describes a successful strategy that develops critical thinking in middle school classrooms via an intersection of character education, adolescent literature, and authentic assessment. Describes the procedure in which students explore the literature to determine how positive and negative character traits are demonstrated, with discussions on these…

The drive for privatizing public education comes from two different movements: load-shedding and outsourcing. Districts hope to reduce perceived labor problems, avoid managing "uninteresting" services, save money, and/or buy quick-fix education reform. Privatization of charter schools is becoming big business, but its cost-effectiveness…

Offers several examples of different cultural perspectives in child rearing values and identifies materials for teachers and caregivers to use as they consider cultural values in their work with children and families. Provides a collection of charts, vignettes, and reference materials used in training workshops and courses. (EV)

Investigates how the process of knowledge formation in teaching and learning can be identified through teachers' definitions, decisions about assessments, and what criteria they use in an assessment situation. Reveals three dominant bipolar constructs among instrumental skills, expressive modes, creativity, and interpretative modes and two further…