Criticizes the traditional approach to art education that emphasizes formal properties such as line, color, and shape. Proposes that teachers develop student abilities to go beyond the visual level of artworks and gain access to the complexity of meanings that art possesses. Includes contemporary art examples and corresponding analyses. (MJP)

Reviews teaching for and about democracy in Australia, and identifies key concepts embedded in the notion of democracy (representation, leadership, decision making, public criticism). Draws on ethnographic data from settled and remote Aboriginal Australia to explore whether understandings and practices associated with these concepts are shared by…

The studies and policies of the U.S. Children's Bureau in the era of Progressive education benefited many children, but its emphasis on the middle-class family ideals and relative disinterest in poverty issues left a legacy with policy implications in today's climate of welfare reform. (SLD)

The author's experiences as an urban school parent have convinced her that democratic commitments to school equity are central to creating appropriate and fair school choice. Three issues deserve educators' attention: the mixed results of voluntary desegregation programs, political and social agendas affecting public schooling, and the continuing…

Recounts an ethnographic study of children's work in Lima, Peru, examining concepts of work, family, and childhood; adult representations and norms passed on to children through work; and child's point of view regarding work and how it evolves with time. Argues children and parents' views and practices regarding work and socialization give a…

Compares middle-school and elementary school teachers' reasoning about their professional roles when violence occurs in school subcontexts such as hallways, cafeterias, and playgrounds. Uses concepts from urban planning, architecture, criminology, and cognitive developmental domain theory to explore teachers' moral attitudes toward school…

Results from focus group interviews with 23 professional disability-sector workers indicate that personal values strongly influence the practices used by study participants when they are listening to nonverbal individuals with severe intellectual disabilities. Environmental, teller, and listener impediments to successful listening are identified,…

The Step by Step Program is a model developed for countries struggling to make the transition to democratic societies in a period marked by enthusiasm for educational reform. The goal of the associated programs is educating a new participatory citizenry, beginning with children. Growth of programs across the world has resulted in a nongovernmental…

Compares two board members' educational philosophies and motivations, highlighting typical power struggles with patrons, teachers, and administrators. Both board members hold traditional educational values and a "back to basics" approach to curriculum development. Whereas Tom considers his unwillingness to compromise a positive…

Challenges citizenship educators to be more cognizant of the social and communitarian aspects of democratic citizenship. Explores engagement with children's literature and development of a classroom creed as two ways to actively engage children in citizenship roles. Includes an interview with a participating teacher. (MJP)

Questions the ethical use of conflict mediation in situations where opposing parties with unequal power address social or institutional injustice, examining informal aspects of teaching and learning that occur when those with unequal power struggle for equal opportunity in public schools. Presents examples from an urban elementary school. (SM)

The introduction of citizenship education as a key cross-curricular focus in Scottish national education guidelines is discussed in relation to New Labor's "Third Way" politics. Data from ongoing qualitative research in 10 Scottish schools provide evidence of pupil and staff participation in school decision-making processes as well as…

A secondary analysis of data from a California-wide sample of 162 American Indian, entering MSW students indicated that American Indian students demonstrated a noticeably stronger adherence toward social work's traditional mission of helping poor and disadvantaged populations when compared to all MSW students. Implications for practice with…

Identifies problems plaguing social studies' future developments, including the content-process approach debate. Recommends a synoptic approach, based on meeting psychological students' needs and connecting ideas to learners. Argues against a uniform national social studies curriculum. Urges compromise among social studies teachers and researchers…

Presents a lesson plan from the Alberta (Canada) Education Curriculum on ethics for upper elementary or middle school students designed to take two class periods. Outlines materials and procedures involved. Identifies these instructional goals: (1) define "code" and relate the concept to standards of behavior; and (2) draft a code of…