For a school to be educationally successful, it must be a community of professionals working together toward a vision of teaching and learning. A school must develop a vision, determine decision-making processes, assess effectiveness of strategies, establish and clarify major goals, obtain control over resources, and avoid distraction. The League…

Discusses the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child as it seeks to establish the right of children to participate in discussions and decisions about their own situations. Includes action taken by children around the world to promote participation. Stresses the necessity of participation to become responsible, active citizens in a democracy.…

Charles Sanders Peirce's phenomenological investigations throughout his lifetime led to discovery of his theory of semiotics and created both his earlier pragmatism and his later pragmaticism. After briefly discussing postmodernists' themes, description, and critiques of Western culture, this article shows how Peirce's theory of signs and…

Discusses political education in the postwar Federal Republic of Germany. Describes a U.S. led reeducation program founded upon principles of denazification and democracy and examines German responses. Identifies the influence of the Soviet Union upon West German education. Analyzes the growth of political education in the 1960s, its maturation,…

To remain a free and pluralistic society, we can neither do away with the Western canon nor exclude the contributions of non-European ethnic groups. Given the tremendous social class and racial cleavages in U.S. society, claims that studies of ethnic diversity will threaten national cohesion are unfounded. (17 references) (MLH)

Scientific management and hierarchical accountability tend to destroy dialogue and issue ideas as orders to be obeyed. Instructional technology packages can actually enslave teachers. The emendation or feedback loop built into all instructional systems should allow educators to alter design in the context of practice and help technologists design…

Kanpol's book "Towards a Theory and Practice of Teacher Cultural Politics: Continuing the Postmodern Debate" (Ablex, 1992) examines postmodernist thought in education. Redefining critical social theory and the notion of resistance in postmodernist terms, the author shows these ideas' relevance to common democratic struggles and resistance to the…

Argues that the school restructuring movement offers considerable promise for enhancing educational equity. Reviews equity definitions, outlines restructuring principles, and describes three powerful ethics (competitive/utilitarian, social justice, and caring) underlying current attempts to highlight equity values in education. Presents a strategy…

Provides a framework for examining classroom practice to see how technology is used to support democratic participation in Canadian education. Six examples are given of the use of computers in elementary and secondary schools that promote fuller participation; and information technology, democracy, and education are discussed. (nine references)…

The elite model of education postulates that only a select few have the intellectual capacity, moral values, and personal commitment to make "good" decisions for society. A democratically based classroom, where students are respected for their intellectual abilities, personal integrity, and commitment to achievement, fosters successful…

John Dewey's model of education was more expansive than the character-education concepts promulgated by early twentieth-century corporate elites. Dewey linked individual to community, inquiry and reflection processes to action, and personal ethical decisions to social intelligence and democracy. This article shows how these educational components…

Ethical instruction is a difficult task in any society, but doubly so in the U.S., because our culture stresses individual development over commitment to the group. Attention to school bonding, special ethics instruction, California's Community of Caring project, and community service opportunities are powerful strategies to aid moral development.…

Educators should stop seeing self-esteem only in individualistic terms and move toward an integrated view of self and social relations. To enhance self-esteem, schools must value authentic participation, collaborative action, a problem-centered curriculum, and interdependent diversity and banish tracking, autocratic procedures, unicultural…

Based on the author's experiences working with several elementary schools, this article explores numerous issues confronting change agents who venture directly into grass-roots school reform projects. Focus is on the change-agent role and issues concerning ideology, power, and commitment. Outside consultants should be participants rather than…

The arts deserve an integral place in schools, since they provide outlets for individuality, enhance thinking and language skills, and possess intrinsic educational value. Arts counter modern society's awesome drive for conformity by offering opportunities for authenticity and spontaneity. Arts offer the last glimmer of warmth and humaneness in a…