Early Childhood Research and Practice (ECRP), a peer-reviewed, Internet-only journal sponsored by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE), covers topics related to the development, care, and education of children from birth to approximately age 8. ECRP emphasizes articles reporting on practice-related…

Based on the premise that determining the early childhood curriculum hinges to a certain extent on discovering the nature of children, this chapter explores the origins and practices of early childhood curriculum in the United States. The chapter reveals perceptions shifting over time regarding characterizations of young children's most essential…

Discusses the educational approach and process at the Highland Center, formerly known as Highlander Folk School, which for forty-five years has experimented with various means of utilizing nonformal education to support social movements. The Highlander technique, short-term residential workshops to help people solve their problems, is described.…

Examines the objections of parents' rights advocates to middle school philosophies and programs. Considers how to address parental concerns about middle level education, including grouping students for learning; integration of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and school climate. Recommends that middle schools focus on academic achievement,…

Traces the changes in educational philosophy and practices that occurred within England's civic universities. The original intent of the state supported public universities was to provide professional and technical training for the growing middle class. Discusses the reasons that the civics eventually adopted the curriculum of the elite private…

Describes the communist Chinese national curriculum in social studies, a broad term that includes moral and political education, as well as traditional subjects. Includes a sample moral and political education lesson, " Socialism is Good," and lists of several textbook contents and curriculum guides. Provides a brief educational history.…

Provides a brief overview of the uses of rhetoric in the history of writing about music. Discusses Aristotle's topology of the three different kinds of rhetoric: deliberative, judicial, and epideictic (demonstrative). Includes excerpts from past music criticism, copious notes, and a 27-item bibliography. (MJP)

Surveys some of the more prominent views on education during the final years of tsarist Russia. Russian pedagogical thinking was largely influenced by progressive educational theories popular in the United States and Europe. Discusses the views and efforts of major Russian educational theorists at the time. (MJP)

Provides an examination of Charles Nisbet's stewardship of Dickinson College in post-revolutionary Pennsylvania. Nisbet's attempts to create a university reflecting the republican ideals of an enlightened aristocracy governing a deferential population met with disastrous resistance from a faculty and student body more aligned with revolutionary…

Traces the origins, development, and evolution of the German Association for American Studies from its inception in 1953 to the present day. The organization has endeavored to promote the knowledge of U.S. history and culture and to replace positive and negative stereotypes with an unbiased view of the United States. (MJP)

Discusses the essential components and objectives of multicultural education and considers how to foster and integrate these into social studies teacher education programs. Describes several strategies designed to move students from norms of passivity to interactive pedagogy. These included collecting oral histories and critiquing textbooks. (MJP)

Describes a special curriculum that combines religious studies and social science resources to offer a better understanding and acceptance of persons suffering from long-term mental disorders. Utilizes recent scientific research and sacred texts to investigate biological causes of mental illness and the ensuing cultural stigmatization. (MJP)

Analyzes and critiques several theoretical assumptions concerning moral education. Maintains that current theoretical approaches contain such a broad variation that they lack practical application. The singular focus on individuals and their interactions presents another problem. Advocates reformulating theoretical concepts to address these…

Observes the philosophical and methodological aspects of Religious Studies. Considers the limitations of approaching religious thought and experience from a rationalist-scientific perspective. Includes a historical overview of the phenomenology of religious education with brief summations of leading theorists. (MJP)

Describes the political machinations resulting in Manitoba's downgrading of Canadian history from a compulsory to an elective subject. Argues that this reflects a broader nationwide educational trend rejecting the humanities in favor of science and technology. Criticizes a view of society dominated by market forces and self-interest. (MJP)