Describes measurement instruments for language development, literature, reading, English as a second language, and writing. (DD)

Children in third grade were queried for their reactions following the teacher's reading of "Pippi Longstocking." (HOD)

Analyzes a case where a group of local steelworkers in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, in conjunction with a small group of Protestant ministers, sought to gain public support for the redress of grievances, and how their subordination by the United Steel Workers' union and the Lutheran Church influenced their rhetorical activities. (SR)

Examines how, in the 1920s and 1930s, birth control advertisements (prolific and illegal) conflicted with the arguments for birth-control legalization. Applies M. Bakhtin's grotesque and classical categories and M. Douglas's pollution metaphors to analyze the language birth-control advocates used to distinguish between medical and nonmedical…

Suggests the use of scenario analysis in assessing some of the options offered as interventions to adolescent crime prevention, including child protection policies and guardianship, and parent licensing. Also explores the problem of racism and other social concerns in implementing some interventions. Finally, the influence of IQ on sociopathy is…

Reviews three contemporary movies, "Sleepers,""Girls Town," and "Slingblade" in which the common thread is abuse of helpless children by patriarchal authorities, adult white men who assert power over young people. In all three movies, the anger of the young people and their friends suggests respect for the…

Reviews independent multicultural films and videos shown at the Sundance Film Festival, January 1997. The festival included a special symposium and reception honoring Native American writers and filmmakers. This article reviews 4 Native American videos and 10 other multicultural films the author was able to see, and it lists other noteworthy…

Contends that an entrepreneurial model of librarianship contradicts traditional ideals of free and equal access to information and argues that such a model threatens the future of the library as a vital public sphere of democratic culture. Discusses broad trends of advanced capitalism to provide a context for the critical interpretation of issues…

Reviews Deborah Tannen's collection of essays, "Gender and Discourse." The review maintains that this collection is padded with anecdotes but provides little evidence of the research supposedly underlying this work. It is concluded that what is needed in a discussion of gender and discourse is a methodology in which linguistic features…

Contends that public schools are central to democracy but are not receiving proper support and argues that educational reform policies not grounded in research evidence are incomplete. States that the problems of public schools are poorly defined and documented. Concluding comments state the need for greater investment by American society into the…

States that the 1996 National Education Summit diverts attention from the pressing problems of America's public schools, and highlights those areas needing greater attention. Argues for greater focus on corporate and governmental responsibility for children's educational environment, especially the physical conditions of schools. Concluding…

Discusses the problems of using alternative certification for public school teachers and explains why this departure from traditional teacher education is not a simple solution for bolstering the ranks of quality teachers. Issues surrounding recruitment, preparation, and teacher shortages in urban schools are also addressed. (GR)

Critiques the work of Appalachian writer Gloria Houston who has written six children's books based on the culture and history of rural North Carolina. Her most successful work, "My Great-Aunt Arizona," presents an alternative to the usual stereotypes of backwoods teacher and school. Includes a bibliography of Appalachian children's…

Argues for the value of reading and interpreting autobiographical writing in a high school literature class. Explains a teaching method whereby students are asked to choose a special passage and respond to it in their journals from a personal viewpoint. Suggests that the sharing of these passages in class builds class chemistry. (TB)

College students' bewildered reaction to September 11 demonstrates what's missing from their education: empathy and an ethic of care. Eleven genres of relational theories are examined; these theories of the "space between us" offer complex conceptualizations of democracy, globalization, connection, and difference. Deliberative…