Outlines the school board policy and guidelines developed by the Fairfax County Public Schools for dealing with controversial issues. Discusses how to develop such guidelines and prepare staff for their implementation. Includes a sample form and a four-step review process. (MD)

Educators in the Netherlands conceive of peace education as alternating between the transformation or improvement of the individual and the transformation of structures within which people act. Peace education aims at raising people's consciousness that they are responsible for peace. (RM)

Offers a rationale that can be used to defend the assignment of Alice Walker's controversial novel for class reading. Indicates four issues that might evoke calls for censorship: (1) subject matter, (2) vocabulary, (3) grammar, and (4) the epistolary form of the work. (RBW)

Summarizes research on public support of sex education courses in public schools, the content and effects of such cources, and the pertinent public policy stances of legislatures and courts. (JW)

The ways in which potential problems in terms of validity were addressed by a beginning researcher conducting research into teacher attitudes are described. The researcher, a doctoral candidate, studied the beliefs, attitudes, and values of four experienced high school biology teachers. Principles and practices of research were set into place…

Youth with disabilities are particularly susceptible to dangerous outcomes associated with contemporary issues such as teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Several studies document the high degree of social, medical, and legal risk to which youth with disabilities are exposed. The extent to which public schools provide risk…

When controversial issues are being taught in the school curriculum, a key element in maintaining positive school-community relations is the possession of clear, written procedures for adoption, re-evaluation, and grievance procedures relating to the curriculum. Guidelines for handling complaints and clarifying rights of school staff, parents,…

Because the numbers responding to the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) social issues survey were so small, any generalizations about the views of the membership of NCSS policy directions must be made with extreme caution. With this limitation in mind, survey results are discussed. (RM)

Outlines and describes examples of student resistance to a feminist perspective in a sociology of the family course. The examples were: characterizing information as "male-bashing," ignoring structural forces, and blaming the victim. Notes the almost passive acceptance of feminist perspectives when articulated by a guest male professor. (MJP)

The Supreme Court let stand a California court's ruling sharply limiting the right of administrators at public colleges to interfere with faculty members' curriculum decisions. The ruling came from a 1986 decision by the San Diego Community College District to bar the staging of a controversial play. (MSE)

Described is a series of workshops designed to familiarize teachers with the social and legal background, principles of humane care, ethical considerations, and philosophies that influence animal use in the classroom. Discussed are the value of dissection, alternatives to dissection, and student reactions to dissection. (CW)

Assesses the progress and the challenges that education must meet in identifying world policy for proliferation management. Gives a historical perspective on attempts to control proliferation. Includes maps, charts, a historical chronology of these efforts, and a list of proliferation management issues. (NL)

Presents a section of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's, "Atoms for Peace," 1953 address to the United Nations General Assembly. Suggests using the document for classroom discussions of nuclear proliferation, emphasizing that using primary sources develops research skills, activates classroom discussions, citizenship, and creative…

Provides a lesson plan on the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the imposition of the death penalty. Focuses on the controversy concerning capital punishment and stimulates critical thinking in an analysis and discussion of eight hypothetical situations. Includes suggestions for readings, videotapes, and writing assignments. (NL)

Use of debate in graduate study in education, especially with intrinsically interesting topics, can be valuable for developing critical thinking skills needed by teachers, counselors, and administrators. Debates address a range of communication skills and provide opportunities for teamwork and assessment of individual strengths and weaknesses.…