Discusses the need for greening of academic establishments in order to encourage environmental responsibility in youths. Academic establishments find themselves committed to two elements of greening: (1) operational, that which is followed by any environmentally responsible company; and (2) curriculum greening, which is problematic with a changing…

Describes a case study of educational change in a society (Russia) undergoing a radical ideological transformation. The approval, manufacture, and adoption of textbooks suitable for democratic education are seriously impeded by ideological opposition, economic and organizational shortcomings in the central offices and publishing industry,…

Studied the effectiveness of the Socratic seminar method at a middle school in Chattanooga (Tennessee) through observation, focus groups, and semistructured interviews with nine teachers. Findings support the usefulness of the seminars in promoting higher-order thinking, appropriate conflict resolution strategies, and interest in learning. (SLD)

Colleges and universities can communicate expectations for students' moral, ethical, and character development through both the environment it creates and the formal curriculum, particularly through stated goals. A model of moral development provides insights into the processes needed to foster moral behavior, and the experiences of other…

The Internet, after the automobile and television, is the third technological innovation this century powerful enough to challenge and mutate our disintegrating collective vision of community. Although useful for exchanging e-mail and performing fact-based research, the Internet inherently denies and denigrates the crux of direct democratic…

Discusses whether character can be measured, describing moral development research, and noting how moral educators use many tools, types of research designs, and qualitative and quantitative methods in trying to understand moral education. The paper examines the role of moral education in the development of personal character, discussing moral…

This issue presents examinations of educational testing, large-scale alternative assessment, small-scale alternative assessment, and educational measurement. These discussions go beyond technical issues to provide a conceptual perspective and a view of underlying histories, theories, applications, and the uncertainties associated with these…

Education, like other governmental activities, is characterized by a competition for scarce resources. Security, whether in the form of metal detectors or condom availability, is an additional fundamental value that has grabbed center stage in the struggle among competing fundamental values (efficiency, equity, liberty, and quality) in educational…

Discusses controversy surrounding books supposedly written by and about American Indians that are fabrications written by whites. Stresses the importance of moving away from American Indian literature that trivializes Indian culture and values, toward more realistic portrayals. Black Elk, whose first name was Nick, is an example of how cultural…

Violence is rooted in obedience to authority and in comparisons--foundations of our institutions of parenting and schooling. Obedience brings reward and punishment, comparison perpetuates a cycle of competition and conflict. Television violence is especially harmful because children easily understand visual images. The Reality Research approach to…

Discusses research on scientific communication. Topics include theory-less and formal technical/natural scientific models of scientific communication; social-scientific, power-sensitive models; the sociology of scientific communication; sciences as fields of competition; fraud and deception; potential surplus value across subject information…

Campuses across the country have adopted an amazing variety of processes for resolving student discipline cases. This article compares and contrasts some of those processes and highlights strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. (Author/KW)

Comments on "Assessing the Comfort Zone of Child Care Teachers in Serving Young Children with Disabilities" (Buysse and others) and discusses the social value of inclusion for young children with disabilities. Explores the use of social-validity assessment to evaluate inclusive placements and current training efforts. (CR)

Some character education programs are based on assumptions about children and how they learn that may undermine camp programs' long-term objectives for children. Key elements to consider are the assumptions made about human nature and children; how program structures like competition or cooperation influence character; whether kids are involved in…

This special journal issues focuses on how educational institutions resolve the problem of order and the challenge of building a cooperative learning community, and preparation for the role of citizen in a democratic society. (Contains 49 references.) (Author/MLF)