Provides an overview of the issues and controversies concerning censorship in classrooms and libraries. Discusses a number of strategies for defusing and addressing censorship attempts and issues. These include involving parents and community, developing procedures for challenged materials, and utilizing censorship attempts to initiate lessons on…

Recalls the problems encountered and the solutions offered when a school district put 1100 middle school students on a year-round schedule. Discovered an enormous benefit in class size reduction accompanied by daunting challenges involving scheduling and logistics. Includes a chart illustrating the rotational schedule of the orchestra. (MJP)

Using National Educational Longitudinal Study data for 1988, 1990, and 1992, this study assessed the effects of six effective schools variables on student achievement level. Regression analysis of the data indicated that the most important effective schools characteristics are an achievement-oriented school culture, principal's autonomy in hiring…

Study of 430 University of Michigan first-year medical students' satisfaction with their learning environment resulted in a predictive model using gender and minority group (excluding Asians) status. Results suggest curriculum structure and students' perceptions of faculty priorities are prominent predictors of student satisfaction across…

Recalls the experiences of a group of high school social studies educators who traveled to Japan for an educational conference. Although impressed by the dedication and seriousness of the pupils, the group also was struck by the limited and outdated facilities. Includes many observations refuting stereotypical assumptions. (MJP)

Provides an excellent overview of the major arguments for and against elimination of tenure. Considers the positions of tenured faculty, faculty unions, administrators, boards of regents, students, and parents. Neatly summarizes and critiques each of these positions. Concludes with a set of creative and productive options. (MJP)

Social and personal concomitants of exceptional academic capability in the context of various educational settings were studied, using 143 fifth-, 118 eighth-, and 93 tenth-grade gifted students. Results provide insights into the students' peer relations, social competence, academic self-concept, and attitudes toward school. (TJH)

Asserts that the National Standards for Arts Education ignore the values that shape, define, and illuminate democracy. Calls for attention to child development, school environment, and teaching strategies to supplement the work already done on curriculum standards. (CFR)

Reports on a study of the effects of personal characteristics, family involvement, and ability grouping on school participation and commitment. Finds that decreasing levels of school commitment are associated with increasing rates of school crime, misconduct, and nonattendance. (CFR)

Describes a study based on data from a national survey of elementary and secondary school teachers that identified exemplary computer-using teachers and examined differences between exemplary and other computer-using teachers, including school environments, personal backgrounds, and teaching practices. Collegiality, school support, resource…

Reports on a study of the effects of single-sex and mixed-sex schooling on personality characteristics among 2095 Belgian sixth-grade students. Finds that it is not the student gender composition but the gender composition of the teaching staff that exerts influence. (CFR)

Summarizes research concerning the characteristics of at-risk students. Available research clearly demonstrates that the single most consistent factor characterizing at-risk students is social class. Consequently, studies investigating the impact of social class on school success are also reviewed. Research leads to specific suggestions for…

Reports on a study of 12 U.S. and Russian elementary students working with a mathematics computer software program. Finds that students working together learned the program's concepts faster. Discusses implications of the findings and the significance of sociohistorical frameworks on cognitive processes. (CFR)

Conversations with seven graduates of the Northern Teacher Education Program now teaching in northern Canada, explored family, school, and cultural factors that shaped their teacher role identities, and how these identities enable them to positively influence northern schools, students, and communities. A growing narrative of Aboriginal…

Discusses differentiation in terms of the instructional program, school organization, staff development, and extensions beyond the classroom. Suggests learning activities with differing levels of cognitive challenge as vehicles for differentiated classrooms. Focuses curriculum on global citizenship and themes of identity, connections,…