Deciding what should be included in a curriculum has long been a topic of controversy. The struggle to identify what should be taught in schools has been evident throughout the development of American schools and continues today. This article discusses the importance of needs assessment throughout the curriculum development process. Needs…

This article debates three tensions within the contemporary teaching profession in Great Britain, in terms of education policy after the 1988 Education Reform Act. The first is between prospective and retrospective identities, as defined by Bernstein (1996/2000). The second is between teachers' expectations of professional status, and centralised…

In this much-needed volume, Nel Noddings uses her extensive experience at every level of schooling to challenge the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Noddings invites readers to think critically about the ideas underlying NCLB, the reform movement that shaped it, and the processes it has put into play. She considers such questions as: Is money the…

In contemporary life and education, the local is marginalized in favor of large-scale economies of consumption that are indifferent to ecological concerns. The consequences of neglecting local human and natural communities include a degraded habitat, loss of wilderness, alienation, rootlessness, and lack of connection to communities. Critical…

In order to become "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion" the European Union realizes its people as the most important asset. Moreover, every human becomes a value for the whole society. It makes significant to…

In this article, the authors reply to the arguments of Professors Nagel and Ladwig on the article "The logic of convergence and uniformity in teacher production". Professor Ladwig's review of their article is particularly valuable in two respects. First, it highlights the need for an institutional level of analysis to explain fully and…

The author discusses the 1990s trend in schools in Lipetsk Oblast to back away from previous policies of including social, cultural, civic and moral training for students. During the same period, says the writer, parents began to show less interest in the effectiveness of instruction and upbringing. These combined trends resulted in increased…

This book provides a comprehensive review of teaching-learning models used in the development and implementation of a curriculum for gifted students. The models described were selected for their demonstrated or potential success with gifted children and their widespread use. For each model, the following types of information are provided:…

This paper focuses on the elements of brain-compatible learning theory and instruction, noting its significance for students with developmental disabilities. The paper proposes a learning program for children (with and without disabilities) which is "brain-compatible," defined as "absence of threat." Eight elements are seen as critical in…

This proceedings contains nine conference papers, as well as abstracts of an additional seven papers, on research related to outdoor education. A preface, "Building a Research Community for Outdoor Education" (Anderson B. Young), describes the role of the Coalition for promoting information exchange and cooperation among outdoor education…

In the face of increasing specialization and employer demand for higher skill levels, a new paradigm for engineering education redirects the primary focus from the engineering knowledge base (content) to the development of thinking and problem solving processes. The principles of this "Process Education in Engineering" paradigm are: (1) faculty…

This paper reviews ways in which the University of Indianapolis (Indiana) utilized its professional development school (PDS) program as a vehicle for promoting inclusion of democratic ideals in the teacher education program. Three issues related to implementation of the PDS partnership are discussed: balance and shift of roles, direction and pace…

Results are reported from a study of 21 student teachers (interns) enrolled at Western Michigan University during 1993. Data were collected from the interns via a 60-item questionnaire. Eight of the subjects were assigned to a secondary professional development school (PDS) for their student teaching internship and were enrolled in a redesigned…

Curriculum is not a naturally occurring substance but is created, and has a framework that outlines its nature. Many professionals, such as architects, use frameworks or designs in order to define the nature of what they will create. This monograph asserts that curriculum architecture should be debated, changed, and created to take form from the…

This paper contains recommendations for licensure for individuals working as early childhood special educators in a variety of settings. The fundamental position presented is that a free-standing credentialling process separate from the credentialling of general educators or of special educators is required for people who work with young children,…