This volume explores the development, present status, and future growth of educational research and development in the United States and documents U.S. educational research efforts as a guide for OECD member nations. Topics include (1) the organization of and issues in education in the United States, (2) the history of educational research, (3)…

This handbook is a compilation and evaluation of 95 attitude scales for survey research. An introductory chapter outlines the fifteen chapters, discusses the background and rationale of the project, and details the major criteria for scale construction used to evaluate the scales reviewed in the volume. Chapter 2 contains a historical summary of…

This dissertation suggests that the role of social studies teachers should be to introduce new alternatives, values, and ways of thinking in civic education. One thousand three hundred seventy elementary teachers responded to a questionnaire on: 1) background; 2) liberal-conservative attitude; 3) degree of political and professional activity; 4)…

A case study concerning professional ethics and political activism of university professors is presented. The subject of the study is the Committee for an Effective UNESCO, an organization which is pressuring the academic community to boycott all UNESCO-sponsored activities until UNESCO ceases its alleged discriminatory political activities and…

Schools of choice, which enable families to select among deliberately diversified schools and programs, benefit teachers. They facilitate empowerment, professionalization of practice, collaborative activity, and collegiality. The choice debate in Minnesota is reviewed, and issues confronting stakeholders are discussed. Educators should be…

Maternal and child health practitioners often approach systemic change in a very practical manner: fostering a collaborative vision, engaging critical stakeholders, working with policymakers on reform, and bringing the data and experience to inform the process. Systems are often maintained at a status quo due to deep, ingrained structures,…

The complaint by some youth that major issues of the 2000 presidential campaign were not focused on their concerns, but instead on those of much older citizens, may suggest one reason for the lack of voter participation by youth ages 18-25. Reports of researchers in civic and social studies education over the past 30 years suggest that discussing…

This report analyzes the U.S. results of the 1999 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study, Phase 2. The study was designed to assess the civic knowledge of 14-year-old students across 28 countries. This report concentrates on the attitudes, actions, and conceptual views of U.S. students,…

Bilingualism is a reality that many Americans still find difficult to accept; hence the prominence of English-only activism in American politics. This collection of essays analyzes the sources of the anti-bilingual movement, its changing directions, and its effects on education policy. This book also explores efforts to resist the English-only…

Argues that political equality and democracy are attainable only through the distribution of access to political resources and the willingness to use them. Discusses the broad philosophical and sociological components that contribute to a system marked by advantage and inequalities, as well as opportunities for opposition and resistance. (MJP)

Provides a detailed look at the judicial and legal challenges that have plagued school desegregation since Brown v. Topeka. Maintains that from the moral high point of Little Rock, Arkansas, segregation rapidly descended into the swamp of defiance, evasion, avoidance, and delay. Concludes that very little real progress has been made. (MJP)

Describes a political science course that attempts to place the complex contemporary politics of Southeastern Europe in a wider conceptual and comparative context. Discusses the unique background of the region. Briefly reviews the best literature on the subject, and provides a series of discussion questions and activities. (MJP)

Discusses language policy matters and the management of cultural and linguistic diversity in the area of education, with particular reference to Eritrea in East Africa and its application to Australia's language situation. The article presents examples of the impact of the tyrannical imposition of language usage, including the long-term…

Criticizes K-12 civics and government education for focusing on the various components of government and creating a sanitized vision of how democracy works. Argues that conflict and compromise are parts of the democratic process rather than aberrations. Recommends a shift in focus on both the secondary and postsecondary levels. (MJP)

Examines the political implications of linguistic policy and reports on a recent visit to an Ethiopian Teachers' Training Institute. The article discusses the difficulties inherent in the imposition of major educational reform under severe resource restraints. (20 references) (Author/CK)