This article examines the myths and realities surrounding grading for gifted students, drawing on educational research and anecdotal experience. It contends that current grading systems tend to lack psychometric validity and reliability, that schools should embrace national standards, and that higher order thinking skills should be emphasized in…

Discusses problems with science education in schools in the context of their causes, including a dysfunctional working definition of science. Describes and illustrates the Science/Technology/Society movement as a potential means to correct these problems. Presents examples derived from statewide efforts in Iowa. (14 references) (Author/MKR)

The paucity of historical research in supervision can be attributed to marginalization of historical inquiry, lack of clarity about supervisory duties, a positivistic model of social research, and unfavorable images of supervision and supervisors. Research needs include accounts of early 20th-century practicing supervisors, educational biographies…

Explains the importance of students learning algebra, and provides examples of how it can benefit them in typical life encounters. The article reveals how algebra quantifies relationships between quantities, basic algebraic structures, and its importance in the deductive process. Several algebra problems that illustrate these points are presented.…

Suggests techniques to help eliminate students' misconceptions involving Newton's Third Law. Approaches suggested include teaching physics from a historical perspective, using computer programs with simulations, rewording the law, drawing free-body diagrams, and using demonstrations and examples. (PR)

Disagrees with Harold Stevenson's article in same "Educational Leadership" issue; Stevenson compares incomparable groups of students and misinterprets data. Although U.S. students rate ability higher than Chinese students, they also appreciate value of effort. Chicago kids are poorer and come from larger families than their Chinese…

A well-known "study" comparing the top school problems of 1940 (talking and gum chewing) with those of 1987 (drug abuse, pregnancy, and violence) is nonexistent. In 1940, 49 percent of all youth did not finish high school, 37,000 teenagers died from violence or disease, and 335,000 teens gave birth. Educators should discount pastoral…

Forcing the left-wing educational extremists' agenda upon innocent school children is unacceptable. Parents' legitimate curriculum complaints have been largely ignored. Christianity is the majority U.S. religion. Citizens for Excellence in Education boasts 1,350 chapters and 185,000 active parents. CEE's agenda is returning academic excellence,…

Sapon-Shevin's classroom scenarios featuring creative, inclusive adaptations for gifted students are unrealistic. Special programs for advanced learners are typically established because their needs are overlooked in regular classrooms. Teachers are more inclined to make adjustments for struggling learners than for advanced ones. By viewing gifted…

Assessment of 125 fourth graders in Japan found that 4 boys and 4 girls qualified as dyslexic, challenging the belief that dyslexia is largely absent among Japanese children. Japanese schoolchildren who decoded kana text slowly also performed poorly in digits reversed and other areas. Characteristics of these students are described. (Author/JDD)

Fascination with pedagogical technique has denigrated the intellectual life of K-12 educators and furthered the proliferation of "interdisciplinary" instructional approaches that blur important distinctions among disciplines. An atmosphere that values technique over substance tends to drive out or marginalize educators who enjoy reading and…

A study of textbook language dealing in depth with the concept of force is described. Textbooks and other historical materials from the 1840s to the present were examined. This provided a longitudinal framework in which to consider language usage. Student language was also investigated. (43 references) (KR)

A Toxicologist discusses common misconception that all chemicals are poisonous to people and the environment and how these misconceptions are perpetuated. Describes what makes a chemical toxic. Defines related concepts including dose, acute and chronic toxicity, and natural verses synthetic chemicals. (MCO)

Presents four misconceptions students have concerning the concepts of recessive and dominant alleles. Discusses the spectrum of dominant-recessive relationships, different levels of analysis between phenotype and genotype, possible causes of dominance, and an example involving wrinkled peas. (MDH)

Explores the public's misconception about lotteries' intended purpose and actual use. To avoid attacks on its legitimacy (and bloated bureaucratic structure), government is relying on lotteries as policy tools. Generating public funds through lotteries appears to meet education's needs while masking the relative drop in tax-based public finance.…