Examines critically the types of educational literature being advanced under the rubric of "systemic change." Data from an Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) search suggest that most studies are theoretical rather than field based, conservative in their definition of change, and nonsystemic in both theory and practice.…

Teachers should stop teaching traditional school-room grammar entirely. There is no reason to wound youngsters with something they will never learn and never need. Instead, teachers should treat usage and mechanics in gentle, encouraging, nontechnical, and innovative ways. A communication correctly understood by a native speaker is grammatical.…

The Task Force on Defining Scholarship in Psychology has called for an increased emphasis on the scholarship involved in teaching for faculty evaluation processes. Each college and university should also examine its own institutional goals and interests and translate these into their own faculty-evaluation processes. (SLD)

Responds to comments about, and critiques of, his own article on radical pedagogy. Outlines major points of contention raised by other commentators and responds to them, including matters of definition, power relations in the classroom, and tempering radical theory with pragmatism. (DSK)

Preschool and kindergarten teachers can help young learners meet early literacy standards without sacrificing developmentally appropriate practice. Several professional associations have described appropriate expectations for children of different age levels known as milestones, developmental accomplishments, and benchmarks. (MLH)

Following a brief introduction to autism, behaviors that connect individuals with autism and giftedness are explored. Biographical sketches are presented of gifted individuals who have autism and who struggle daily with discrepant strengths and weaknesses. The impact of giftedness on autism is discussed, along with implications for future growth…

Provides operational framework for defining and interpreting peer interventions. Recommends that consideration be given to what constitutes "peerness," the aims and methods of an intervention, and the ways in which peer educators are involved. Explains the distinction between "peer development" and "peer delivery,"…

Shunning debate on alternative educational philosophies and knowledge organization, "Standardistos" are only interested in "freezing" what today's "well-educated" people know, distributing it to schools, and demanding that it be taught and learned. They overlook breadth versus depth issues, developmental and…

Identifies interaction effects as the defining feature of resilience and resilience research. Maintains that interaction effects are responsible for the unique contributions of this field of study to the understanding of human development. Suggests that the methodological and statistical challenges posed by interaction effects do not, by…

Describes the erroneous use of the term "dissolve" in chemistry textbooks to refer to what is, more properly speaking, a chemical reaction. (WRM)

Presents a glossary of civil law terms originally compiled for journalists by the American Bar Association. Defines many essential civil law concepts and practices including compensatory damages, jurisdiction, motion to dismiss, discovery, and remedy. (MJP)

Educating for belief or unbelief means educating for religious and spiritual literacy and examining religions from historical and philosophical perspectives. The First Amendment does not forbid teaching about religion as part of our cultural heritage. Spirituality requires no institutional affiliation. Sacred music and art should be restored to…

Discusses the definition of dyslexia, reintroduces the concept of marker variables, proposes a strategy for developing an updated marker variable system, presents a preliminary working set of dyslexia marker variables, and calls for eventual adoption of this or similar marker variable systems to facilitate future research efforts. (Author/CR)

This article briefly defines phonological core deficits in cases of dyslexia; considers student classification based on federal and state learning disability placement guidelines; and suggests 10 interventions such as teaching metacognitive strategies, providing direct instruction in language analysis and the alphabetic code, and teaching reading…

This article considers the relation between symptoms of movement disturbance and symptoms of autism. Analysis points out the difficulties posed by current definitions of "autism" and ways that a movement disturbance can affect a person's experience of life as well as how he/she is perceived by others. (DB)