Presents three different articles on social studies. Includes an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of textbook use in social studies and a teaching method using puppets to represent historical or political personalities for debate, discussion, and interviews. Describes a program in which students learn about geography and other cultures by…

The hypothesis of greater male variability in test results is discussed in its historical context, and reasons feminists have objected to the hypothesis are considered. The hypothesis acquires political importance if it is considered that variability results from biological, rather than cultural, differences. (SLD)

Differences between national testing as discussed in the most recent report of the National Council on Education, Standards, and Testing, and by the Office of Technology Assessment are reviewed. National testing is not new, but the political use of nationally standardized achievement tests is a recent and dangerous trend. (SLD)

Explores voting behavior of African Americans and whites in local school and tax referenda to determine whether racial conflict is still a primal factor in noncandidate elections. Results for voters in 5 counties in Florida (over 1,699,000 voters) reveal African-American underregistration and the continuing importance of racial cleavage. (SLD)

Discusses how English/language-arts teachers can actively teach students to use a socially critical lens for thinking. Considers three modes of teaching this. Discusses how, once students have a least 10 notebook entries focused on social issues, "noticings," and questions, they should be able to reread their notebooks for themes that have…

Focuses on the importance of expanding schooling in a post-Apartheid South Africa. Argues that access policy should be based on a notion of educational development that is linked to the overall socioeconomic development of the society. Describes the historical inequality of access to schooling in South Africa, and advocates for addressing the low…

Includes two responses to Charles Martell's article on discontinuities and the future of libraries. Highlights include the changing role of librarians when the library as a place will be less important; political and economic influences; institutional changes that will affect academic libraries; and changing student learning styles. (LRW)

Analyzes the history of global and international education in the social studies in relation to the changes in the U.S. political culture from the end of World War II to the end of the 20th century. Demonstrates that integrating global and international education into the curriculum has always generated opposition. (CMK)

Views the 1994 national civics standards document as a challenging frame of vital themes and questions for school curricula in the humanities and social sciences. The author considers why this set of standards may be the most important one for schools and why they may be the most difficult to implement, even by motivated school administrators. (GR)

Describes a course in which societal themes of risk/reward analysis and public policy are supplemented with concepts of scientific journalism, public opinion, and law. Topic areas include environmental chemicals and their impact, basic introduction to organic chemistry, and consumer chemicals. Contains 20 references. (DDR)

Maintains that the studies presented in this collection combine cultural with political analyses to illuminate educational processes. Elaborates on the key constructs, including contextualization with agency, sociopolitical dynamics in designing school practices, and personal self-definition in relation to sociocultural context. (Author/KB)

Presents information adapted from the introduction to "The Great Depression and the New Deal on Long Island: A Local History Curriculum Guide." Finds that even though people in Long Island, New York, were active participants in New Deal programs, there was still anti-Roosevelt opposition during the 1932 and 1936 presidential elections.…

With the acceleration of international communication and political integration, it is becoming increasingly important for student affairs leaders to know about international trends and issues affecting higher education. Author provides an overview of the increasing internationalization of student services in higher education and examines why…

When teacher educators approach their work in preservice methods classrooms, they may confront more than teaching and learning voices in those classrooms. The likelihood of this is increased in those contexts where the teacher educators maintain a commitment to education that addresses cultural issues. In this article, the authors introduce their…

Critical whole language practice, like any other pedagogy, is enacted within a particular time and place. We present several features of critical whole language practice (as distinguished from two other variants of critical education: critical literacy and critical pedagogy) and illustrate each with examples from one year in one elementary school…