Winters Mill High School is a typical comprehensive high school in most respects. Situated within the city of Westminster, Maryland, the school opened its doors to students in grades 9 and 10 in the fall of 2002. Historically, the Westminster area has had an agrarian culture that has coexisted comfortably with merchants and the McDaniel College…

This paper examines the role of education in (re)constructing civil society in societies emerging from conflict or violence. After examining the nature of civil society and its importance for democracy and peace, the paper looks at three areas: legal education (including human rights education); information, media and the public space; and…

The paper analyses the pedagogical dimension of the process of Participatory Budgeting in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), taking into consideration the local and regional culture as well as the wider political milieu. The question this paper engages with is whether, in this social movement involving around 400,000 people in 2001, there…

In the study of compulsory education for transient children, Beijing Xingzhi School for the Children of Transient Workers is a good example. There is no question that this is the most well-known school to date for transient children in China, and it has to a certain extent become a symbol of this social issue. The initial reports regarding this…

The purpose of this study was to determine effectiveness of a problem-solving curriculum for transition-age students with mental retardation. The interactive training program Solving Your Problems (Browning, n.d.) was used to teach a five-step process for solving problems. Results indicate participants in the training group were able to use the…

Last spring, at the height of the frenzy over accusations that three Duke University men's lacrosse players had gang raped a Black exotic dancer during a party, faculty from Duke's African and African American studies department chose to take a stand. With emotions running high, the faculty took out a full-page advertisement in student newspaper,…

This article describes professional development activities in specific suburban school districts that are experiencing rapid growth in their proportions of students of color, culturally and linguistically diverse students, and students from low-income families. As the author has worked with these districts, he has identified five phases of…

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a very personal series of reflections on the current debate on risk and accountability in child protection and child and youth care as the former strives to come out of a period of volunteerism and professionalize itself (McElwee, 1998; Share & McElwee, 2005). Irish culture has grown more individualist…

In this article, Eric Freedman examines the extent to which critical pedagogy can be considered a democratic form of education. Comparing Paulo Freire's notion of dialogue to Jurgen Habermas's "ideal speech situation," Freedman argues that such dialogue cannot realistically occur in educational situations where the teacher remains in an…

This study explores the setting up and development of the first Palestinian-led education system, from 1994 to 2005. Given the context of chronic crisis, and the immensity of the endeavour, the Palestinians have made substantial progress in a relatively short time. However, the Palestinian education story does not end here. The author looks at…

This study examines how student practice of scientific argumentation using socioscientific bioethics issues affects both teacher expectations of students' general performance and student confidence in their own work. When teachers use bioethical issues in the classroom students can gain not only biology content knowledge but also important…

It is estimated that 3.2% of Cuba's population of 11.4 million persons has a severe disability of some kind. Recent economic difficulties have, it may be assumed, had a negative impact on health service provision--which is free to all--and thus, on population health outcomes and nutritional levels. There is a traditional culture of family care for…

In this study, Spanish and US secondary science teacher data is used to address the relationship between what science teachers teach and the science and technology based environmental problems/threats faced by the world. The results of a two part questionnaire indicated that teachers of both countries are worried about the problem of pollution of…

This article examines the particular strength of theater to raise questions about relations of gender and race. The authors consider the "rights" of youth and teachers in schools to use drama to critique their cultural contexts and connect these educational struggles to those of broader political, cultural, and social democratic life.…

This report provides testimony from children and adolescents who have experienced violence, along with testimony and comments from child advocates, legislators, government officials, educators, and youth leaders on violence and its effects on American youth. The report includes background information on the Children's Express Foundation (CE), a…