Summarizes William Sidis'"Tribes and States," a 50-year-old unpublished manuscript that retells colonial American history from an American Indian viewpoint and traces the contributions of American Indians, particularly the Penacook Federation and the Iroquois Confederacy, to American democracy and constitutional rights. (SV)

The SEE research team found that teacher education programs were uniform and lacked sound theoretical rationale. The curriculum must be completely redesigned to prepare truly educated teachers who accept stewardship of schools as democratic institutions, approach their work reflectively, and possess the skills and attitudes to further educational…

Describes a collection of materials on Czechoslovakia that can be ordered as teaching aides to connect history lessons on democracy to the present situation in Europe. Contains the following materials: (1) a biographical profile of Vaclav Havel; (2) maps; (3) literature; (4) photos; (5) readings; and (6) teaching activities. (JS)

Integration is essential but succeeds only in schools that have fundamentally changed their organization and teaching strategies. High expectations, opportunities for students to work and learn together, the use of language for real purposes, and continual reexamination of successes and problems are necessary elements in an effectively integrated…

Reviews the general climate of demands for censorship of library materials, and argues that librarians must follow the Code of Ethics and accept the responsibility for resisting censorship pressures. Suggestions for the promotion of a positive climate for intellectual freedom by librarians in public libraries are offered. (23 references) (CLB)

This article suggests several lessons, exercises, and class projects that utilize the Iran-Contra affair as a theme. Designed to aid the development of abilities necessary for civic virtue, the activities focus on fact gathering, validating claims, reflecting on the source of opinions, and learning to ask questions. (IAH)

Summarizes a study testing relationship patterns among principal, teacher, and student variables. Participants were randomly selected Arab students (n=800) and teachers (n=160) from 20 schools in northern Israel. Democratic leadership appears to be a central factor of positive school climate in Arab schools in Israel. The social and professional…

Questions how academia can continue to engage in knowledge production without producing and legitimating dominant discourses. Maintains that academia must accept that individuals live in a time of multiple perspectives, an absence of embracing consensus, and the deconstruction of any absolute or foundational principles of truth. (MJP)

States that a writing workshop environment is a radical approach to teaching, one that requires instructors to empower children to make choices and take responsibility for them. Discusses collaboration, classroom structures, and the need for democratic disposition in a writing workshop. Concludes that the implementation of a writing workshop…

Intradistrict programs that allow parents to consider different neighborhood schools are desirable. However, choice programs that encourage a wide spectrum of specialty schools (mostly magnet, charter, and custom-designed schools) represent a serious threat to the core (democratic) purpose of public education. Neighborhood schools will be at the…

The first axiom of actively involving students is to relate activities to their own experiences, thereby engaging them on an emotional level. The Socratic seminar, a form of structured discourse about ideas and moral dilemmas, accomplishes this goal while balancing two traditional educational purposes: cultivation of common values and celebration…

In the probusiness 1980s, marketing and public-relations schemes were characterized as legitimate contributions to the curriculum, helpful teaching aids, or effective school-business cooperation models. By the late 1980s, commercialism in schools had become so rampant that Channel One was regarded as a school-reform proposal. Today, profit-making…

A discussion of the influence of Russel Nye, a college English professor at Michigan State University and journalist, focuses on the values that shaped his teaching, scholarship, and writing and his defense of democratic values, especially in education. It is concluded that Nye's experience suggests that public service can be a source of personal…

Based on the idea that universities are places in which argument is an essential element, the standards that should apply to such argument are examined, drawing on the literature of communication, persuasion, and educational philosophy. A variety of perspectives are examined and critiqued, and it is concluded that regulation of argument is a…

Middle-level educators can meet all students' needs by grouping students for appropriate instruction, rotating teachers, encouraging student-centered teaching, setting high academic expectations, developing advisory programs and activity groups, and scheduling heterogeneous classes where appropriate. Educators should not sacrifice balance and…