This article discusses the involvement of the National PTA in bringing about comprehensive school health programs in three areas: health education, health services, and school safety. A synopsis is included of selected resolutions related to school health issues that have been adopted by the National PTA. (IAH)

Outlines a framework for effective professional development of early childhood educators that identifies key principles and premises that apply across the diverse roles and settings of early childhood professionals. Defines six specific levels of professional development, based on educational qualifications and outcomes, ranging from a certificate…

Summarizes the findings of "Making a Career of It: The State of the States Report on Career Development in Early Care and Education," which concludes that few states set adequate standards for early childhood practitioner training and that practitioners have few incentives to invest in training. Includes the report's recommendations for improving…

Presents six position statements for developing a multicultural arts curriculum. Suggests strategies for implementing curricula and resources for gathering community information. Provides examples of implementation, including a sample interview to use with artists and sample questions to ask students when analyzing works of art. (KM)

Presents guidelines regarding certification standards for early childhood education teachers. The paper describes six areas in which certified teachers must demonstrate knowledge, ability, values, and attitudes, according to the Association of Teacher Educators and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. (SM)

Discusses (1) school drug testing and reasons why schools should have embraced it; (2) educational systems' responses to student drug testing and reasons schools have not adopted it; and (3) school social organization and politics accounting for schools' deploring drug use yet ignoring potentially useful technology. Four responses are appended.…

Reviews Tozer's position paper on the social foundations of education (SFE), examining how accepting the qualifier "social" could affect the discipline. The paper discusses SFE's journey toward self-definition, clarification of SFE's multiple meanings, SFE's distinctive contribution to teacher education, and proposed content and process…

The constitutionality of section 43 of the Canadian criminal code, which provides a defense to the use of reasonable and corrective force on children, has been challenged. The Canadian Teachers' Federation argues that the case is not about spanking, but about enabling teachers to maintain order and create a positive, effective learning…

Publishes the academic papers first presented at Dalhousie University in October 1986 at the fourth biennial conference of the Canadian History of Education Association. Argues that this eclectic collection of conference papers does not bode well for an integrated book because the concerns of educational history and contemporary policymaking are…

Presents the position of the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants regarding delegation of school health services to unlicensed personnel, explaining what school health means, what safe delegation of school nursing activities requires, and how the nurse uses professional judgment to determine which activities may be delegated and…

Examines historical developments following the 1971 publication of "Justice in the World" by the Rome Synod of Bishops. Describes the incorporation of the publication's ideas into American Catholic education. Indicates that the document and the ideas it included were a significant achievement in the ongoing struggle for greater social justice.…

Asserts that the underrepresentation of African Americans in early childhood leadership positions is a critical issue for the profession. Recommends the collection of more data on leadership in early childhood education, an increase in educational opportunities for personnel already in the field, and the development of strategies to diversify the…

Presents the American Educational Research Association's position on high-stakes educational testing, which stresses conditions essential to sound implementation of such testing, including: protection against high-stakes decisions based on single tests; adequate resources and opportunity to learn; validation for each intended use; alignment…

There exist two types of reviews the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is conducting, country reviews and thematic reviews. Although all country reviews are also thematic by nature, the focus lies more on one country and the analysis serves the specific needs of the country under review and the other member states as a…

It remains to be seen how a task force from the American Political Science Association will contrive an equality of voice for the politically apathetic, but that goal, they say, is crucial to the continued workings of American democracy. Robert Weissberg wonders how muffling the appeals of those actively engaged in the political process will sit…