There are significant variances in both the religious and non-religious beliefs for rejecting evolution, and likewise diversity in the extent to which various creationists reject evolution. Describes the anti-evolution stances of literalists, progressives, and theists and addresses teaching concerns relative to anti-evolution positions. Contains…

A veteran newspaper editor speaks unashamedly in support of public schools, dispelling myths about teacher workload, student performance, vouchers and charter schools as reform models, outdated school boards, and overpaid administrators. Schools should revamp their public relations by publishing positive items in newsletters and creating speaker's…

School reformers have not been too radical, but have been unable to sustain their reforming energy and innovative thinking. Reformers are not "tinkering toward Utopia," but are relapsing into habit, meandering back into mediocrity. A remarkably coherent tradition of rethinking schooling is yielding to the forces of inertia,…

Outlines problems students have with understanding the abstract concept of chemical bonding as revealed in previous research. Describes the development of a two-tier multiple-choice diagnostic instrument for assessing alternative conceptions about chemical bonding held by 14-16 year olds. Discusses the instrument and its findings for a group of…

Refutes Alfie Kohn's criticisms of modern character education programs in the February 1997 "Kappan." The basic structure of true "for character" education relies on an approach relevant for students of all ages, has been time-tested over 2,500 years, has broad public support, and has a valid research base. Kohn advocates…

Presents the Career Thoughts Inventory, which can be used to identify dysfunctional career thoughts. Describes its foundation, readability, reliability, and validity. Discusses the accompanying workbook and the instrument's use for screening and needs assessment. (SK)

Draws upon the history of the American town meeting as a vehicle for understanding this institution. Considers how a New England public school district has used town meetings effectively as a reform vehicle. Town meetings should be considered an honorable, truly democratic forum, not a symbolic gesture to improve public relations. (24 references)…

Argues that the common assumption about the lack of intermediate forms in evolutionary history is inaccurate and misleading. Points out that there are many transitional forms, although special creationists refuse to recognize them as such. (DDR)

Uses an instrument designed to identify misconceptions in biology to reveal that novice biology teachers hold a number of conceptual errors which are also prevalent among secondary science students. Contains 44 references. (DDR)

Studies English comprehensive secondary school students' interpretation and hypothesis-making while 12 year-old students are observing a bottle ecosystem of brine shrimps without any prior instruction and keeping diaries. Studies students through the task of open-ended diary writing and through small group discussions about the scientific…

Expectations for the principalship have mushroomed during the past 20 years. Principals are key reform agents and held mercilessly accountable. Candidates are in short supply. Capable principals are great assets, not heroic beings. Leadership is not centrally vested and must be distributed more broadly. (Contains 36 references.) (MLH)

Using Texas's experience with standards and high-stakes testing, this critical sociocultural view of accountability illuminates hidden or neglected aspects of accountability-its meanings, consequences, and the processes by which it is institutionalized. Authority is moving to the state level; teachers, parents, and students have too little…

Calling computers tools or "add-ons" overlooks their expanding capabilities and interactive possibilities. School computer systems should be viewed as structured learning environments with complex, comprehensive capabilities to access and manipulate information. Computer environments can support changes in educational structures,…

Questions the existence of attention deficit disorder (ADD), a commonly diagnosed "disease" based on behavioral characteristics. There may be no medical or physiological basis for ADD. The National Association of School Psychologists deplores labeling children and creating categories of exclusion. Instead, educators should respond to individual…

Assesses the understanding that a sample of Oregon public school students (n=159) had of geology, physical and chemical characteristics, ecology, and natural resources as related to a marine environment. Results indicate that student understanding in some areas does not progress beyond the early grades and that the interdisciplinary approach of…