Focuses on using drama in social studies by describing the use of the flippy play, a narrative illustrating social problems and written and drawn on flippable panels. Discusses the process for creating a flippy play, beginning with researching, developing, and constructing the play, building the flippy frame, and then producing and pacing the…

Simplicity study circles examine how the American preoccupation with affluence destroys individual lives, community, and the environment. Through sharing personal stories, people learn to listen and trust their own judgment. Cooperative discussions about specific problems and their causes and solutions stimulate concern for the common good, which,…

Summarizes issues related to the provision of testing accommodations for examinees with disabling conditions, considering the history of such accommodations, the disabilities typically addressed, legal issues and precedents, and psychometric issues. Also considers social policy questions related to equity and fairness in testing. (SLD)

Winona LaDuke discusses Indian leadership, her role models, her experiences running for vice president with the Green Party, ways to encourage leadership among Indians, and her future plans. A sidebar describes the White Earth Land Recovery Project, founded by LaDuke, which facilitates reservation land recovery, Indian cultural revitalization,…

An anthropologist of Indigenous descent reflects on challenges confronting researchers in mainstream institutions as they pursue respectful research relationships with Indigenous peoples. Challenges include differing cultural attitudes toward knowledge and research, institutional policies on publication and intellectual property, political issues,…

Analyzes some epistemological attributes of ecological hypotheses and theories and tries to connect them with the need for teaching strategies that take into account the strong provisional character of ecological knowledge. Shows that critical thinking is an essential tool in both learning and practicing ecological science. (DDR)

Argues for the inclusion of ideas specific to urban environments in education reform efforts. Discusses issues such as equality, social and environmental justice, and civil rights. (DDR)

Most states do not have the time or resources to develop environmental education standards from scratch. Highlights the role that environmental education and its interdisciplinary nature can play in helping students achieve. (DDR)

Advocates of social foundations view education as a means for social change. They seek to study and understand the larger social role of the educational system and the complex relationships between teacher, children, school, and society. However, in reality, teachers often fail to be social change agents. The constant bombardment of standardized…

Michael A. Rebell, a 61-year-old former Peace Corps volunteer, is one of a small band of lawyers whose legal efforts are changing the way many states pay for their public schools. He was among many lawyers of the era who had been inspired by landmark cases such as "Brown v. Board of Education." In the late 1980s, he noticed education cases would…

Social movements in South Africa, often organized around class-related issues, provide rich material to illustrate how class, intertwined with other social categories, shapes organizational and educational practices.

Critical literacy is usually described as a theory with implications for practice, rather than as a distinctive instructional methodology. Critical literacy proponents warn against a too narrowly conceived curricular approach and advocate innovative local solutions. In order to provide exemplars for local adaptation, the author examines 35…

A written questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding Greek kindergarten teachers' personal views on the concept of Environmental Education (EE). The questionnaire was also designed to obtain the teachers' views relative to a series of theoretical and methodological issues concerning the application of EE. It was ascertained that the…

The overarching goal of the social studies curriculum is to promote civic competence and to develop students' ability to make informed and reasoned decisions as citizens in a diverse and democratic society within an interdependent world. Philosophically, citizenship is the goal of social studies. Involvement in social action is the key for young…

This article discusses the need for authentic social research with children given the fact that increasingly such research is being relied on to inform social policy which profoundly affects the lives of children. Authentic research is operationalized in this article as that research which gives power and voice to child research participants and…