Presents a teacher's guide for use in conjunction with the Washington, DC, public television station (WETA) four-part television series, "Vote for Me." The series provides a behind-the-scenes look at political factions, and local elections. The Teachers Guide includes program descriptions, previewing, postviewing, and discussion…

Advocates utilizing an issues-centered approach to teaching controversial political issues in social studies classrooms. Recommends augmenting this approach with the development of a democratic classroom where student views are encouraged and considered. Identifies useful techniques for this approach, including debates, simulations, discussions,…

Outlines and discusses a system for predicting the winner in presidential elections. The system consists of 13 statements favoring reelection for the incumbent party. Five or fewer false statements indicate an incumbent win. Predicts President Clinton winning the 1996 election. Includes tables showing veracity of 13 keys in historical elections.…

Describes learning activities to be used in conjunction with a facsimile of the 92nd Congress's joint resolution passing the 26th Amendment extending the voting franchise to 18-year-olds. These activities include document analysis, time lines, class discussions, and storytelling. Briefly reviews the amendment process. (MJP)

Describes a high school world history class field trip structured like a scavenger hunt. Following weeks of preparation the class journeyed to San Francisco (California) looking to answer the question, "What is Culture?" At various locations, the class conducted interviews, collected artifacts, and answered questions. (MJP)

Reports on a middle school project that created a living history environment focused on the Civil War. For three months the students "became" students at the Hopewell Conservatory in Virginia during the 1860s. They corresponded with Civil War soldiers and immersed themselves in the culture of the period. (MJP)

Attempts to differentiate the characteristics of courses that involve token empowerment from those that involve deeper empowerment. Describes a course where students role-played the part of consultants involved in group work involving global issues. Includes a chart that outlines the components of token and deep empowerment. (MJP)

Summarizes a two-week experiment where seventh graders researched and produced map products using both traditional and computer-assisted techniques. Quantitative results showed little difference in learning content between the groups but qualitative results suggested that students prefer the computers. Includes graphical analysis and tabular data.…

Charts the forces changing undergraduate sociology education and attempts to define the future nature of the discipline. Visualizes a discipline that is more practical and problem centered, marketing itself as a proactive tool for understanding changing social systems. Recommends experiential and active learning utilizing new technology. (MJP)

Outlines a role play that highlights the potential conflict between freedom of the press and the rights of defendants and victims. Students assume the roles of representative characters (police chief, newspaper editor) in a small town where a sensational murder has occurred. They also conduct a class discussion. (MJP)

This article uses the issue of custody relinquishment to illustrate ways in which research can be used in the policy change process. In the case studies profiled, research was most effective when combined with family stories. The stories gave the problem life and the research helped find families with stories. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Reviewed construct of resilience and adaptation by measuring psychosocial functioning, self-esteem, academic performance, absence or low level of drug use, gang involvement, and delinquent activities among 877 at-risk youths. Found adjustment and low level of antisocial behavior as two latent constructs of resilience and adaptation. (Author/DLH)

Seven articles on the evaluation of high technology educational media are presented. Topics covered include hardware and software evaluation, acquired immune deficiency syndrome education, computer-based educational evaluation in the Netherlands, evaluation of educational television in Israel, broadcasting research, interactive video, and effects…

Using National Assessment of Economic Education Survey data, analyzes grade point average, verbal and mathematics SAT scores, Test of Economic Literacy (TEL) scores, and other variables to show how number of hours of employment affects student performance. Finds that students working 20 or more hours per week have lower grade point averages. (CH)

Reviews the "Handbook of Research on Social Studies Teaching and Learning's" section on students. Examines currentness of research comprehensiveness, clarity, and evaluative analysis. Specifically analyzes chapters on student development, educationally disadvantaged, culturally diverse, and gifted students. Finds the section reveals the…