Environmental economists propose that the value of clean air, land, and water should count as part of the national bottom line for gross national product (GNP) considerations. Discusses the harmful effects of the present national accounting system that omits environmental costs and the efforts of environmental economists to produce an accounting…

Discussion of factors to consider in purchasing a personal computer covers present and future needs, computing environments, memory, processing performance, disk size, and display quality. Issues such as bundled systems, where and when to purchase, and vendor support are addressed; and an annotated bibliography of 28 recent articles is included.…

This article identifies two potentially conflicting trends in deafness--technological progress and societal progress. The rejection of technological progress working to "cure" deafness by some in the deaf community may conflict with demands that society should provide special services for deaf people to allow them full social participation.…

Four studies revealed that (1) children judged a wrongdoer in a story to feel happy; (2) the incidence of happy judgments did not decline with age; (3) the presence of their teacher had an effect on children's judgments; and (4) some children judged the wrongdoer to feel sad rather than scared. (BB)

A study investigated whether computer conferencing would encourage critical reflection in prospective teachers. A computer conference helped students examine their taken-for-granted assumptions, the validity in differing perspectives, and consequences of choice making. Findings suggest that computer conferencing can help students reach this goal,…

Continuing an earlier historical review of educational needs assessment (ENA) in the United States, this article considers certain criticisms of ENA in light of basic assumptions about the process; the relationship between ENA theories and practices; and their impact on schools and students. ENA's role in educational planning and renewal is also…

Describes a study to determine the correspondence between community values about education/school and the nature of the actual structures that exist in the Catholic schools in the suburban Midwest community that was surveyed. Compares community attitudes and school structures concerning educational goals, curriculum content, educational support,…

Advocates hail privatization as an effective, cost-efficient tool for school boards in meeting their wide-ranging obligations and diverse responsibilities. Critics see privatization as movement away from a publicly owned and operated institution with broad citizen support to a hollow structure that compromises public education's goals. A sidebar…

Asserts that no attitude is more detrimental to democratic values than blind allegiance to numerical data. Maintains that children must challenge and debate numerical data. Includes examples of data collection and activities designed to encourage students to be skeptical about numerical information. (CFR)

Although increased attention to testing has resulted in improved guidelines for measuring skills and interpreting test results, educators are confused about certain testing problems and appropriate ameliorative strategies. Changing from multiple-choice formats to authentic performances will not reform education. Highly valuable outcomes such as…

Describes a cooperative organic gardening program between Oglala Lakota College (South Dakota) and the University of Bonn (Germany) that is being developed into a two-year Associate Degree in organic agriculture. The program combines traditional values and scientific knowledge with the goal of promoting self-sufficiency and a healthier lifestyle…

Provides a series of recommendations to prospective and current art teachers. Contends that studying art of prehistoric and preliterate cultures helps teachers understand art produced by their students. Encourages art teachers to resist temptations to change their career path toward counseling or administration. (CFR)

Recommends 16 books about American Indian culture, history, traditions, folk tales, art, spirituality, education, and historical and contemporary lifestyles for students from primary grades through college and their teachers. Includes bibliographic details, grade level, a brief summary, format comments, and suggestions for integration into the…

Discusses the proper balance between theory and practice in the professional preparation of teachers. Contents that the argument between educational theory and school-based practice is based mistakenly on the premise that practical training is opposed to theory. Concludes that teacher education must be based on the moral and evaluative…

Describes a class assignment for a college-level sociology course in which students read from religious texts to identify norms and sanctions. Reports that students expressed positive comments about the activity. Includes suggestions for preparing materials, instructions for implementing the activity, and a coding sheet to be used by students.…