Many America 2000 proposals should be challenged by educators, in view of powerful and readily available evidence sources, including the Sandia Report suppressed by the Bush Administration. Findings showed that aggregate SAT, NAEP, and GRE scores are rising; dropout rates are declining (except for Hispanics); and beginning teachers' salaries (in…

Examines the overriding aims and purposes underlying the University of California's forms of governance and administration, viewed in terms of two broadly shared and mutually reinforcing principles: maximization of the university's autonomy and pursuit of its preeminence in every possible department, service, and activity. It is suggested that the…

Discusses a report, "Different Drummers: How Teachers of Teachers View Public Education," on how education professors view public education. Argues that the report may have been biased by the political attitudes of its sponsoring organization. Examines how this could have produced the "professor bashing" that the researcher…

Four faculty members from different disciplines at the University of Northern Iowa discuss whether and to what extent they were engaging in the critical pedagogy proposed by bell hooks [sic], a writer on feminism, racism, pedagogy, and black intellectual life. They also consider the ways in which hooks's work informs their understanding of…

Describes the author's experience as a student teacher facing an angry parent who challenged a book choice (a young adult novel by Chris Crutcher) that caused otherwise bored and disinterested students to read with interest and passion. (SR)

Explores four women elementary principals' experiences with power in their working lives. Themes emerging through in-depth interviews included empowerment and positive, negative, and traditional power. These are discussed through three lenses: dominance, facilitation ("power through"), and "power with." All interviewees…

Describes the work of the National Council of Teachers of English Task Force on Class Size. Addresses the issue of class size by outlining the needs and rights of students (at all grade levels and in each classroom) that can only be granted when appropriate class size and teacher workload are granted. (SR)

Explores leadership succession by studying an elected county school superintendent's experience. Extends the Gordon and Rosen theoretical model by identifying factors triggering succession, examining interim appointments, and identifying succession and organizational elements affected by the nature of elected leadership positions. The…

The National Education Association and other forces opposing a free market in education attack school choice as a threat to the nation. Many conservatives also embrace that opinion. One example is found in an article by Trowbridge entitled "Devil's Deal." This paper analyzes Trowbridge's article, focusing on parental rights and…

To move education forward, the United States needs teachers willing to challenge traditional teachers' associations. Independent teachers' associations, most of which began in the 1950s, were started primarily in response to compulsory union dues, monopoly bargaining, strikes, and the union's overtly political agenda. They support local control,…

Adult educators are challenged to maintain their commitment to social change as their work is co-opted by the training reform/lifelong learning agenda. Using ongoing reflection on practice, adult educators can challenge that agenda's dominant conceptions of recognition of prior learning. (SK)

Based on extensive historical research spanning three decades, this paper discusses the influence of Callahan's vulnerability thesis on thought and practice in shaping school administration, and the resulting influence in other disciplines. Though the relevance of the vulnerability thesis and reactions to it will continue to evolve, Callahan has…

Third International Mathematics and Science Study results show that high-scoring states and schools do not need standards; low scorers have too many other pressing problems to utilize standards. Recent studies indicate that the proportion of college students requiring remedial courses has been exaggerated by critics. (MLH)

Personal disputes and controversial research lead some scholars to be shunned by colleagues. The practice is seen variously as a form of mind control, manipulation, and indicative of scholars' paranoia. Those affected find professional invitations withdrawn and departmental involvement reduced; some even encounter lawsuits. (MSE)

Presents observations on the state of democracy, race, politics, and education in South Africa based on a recent trip to that country. Discusses the material and historical realities of race, the teaching of history, possibilities for inclusive histories, and postcolonial politics. (DSK)