Five special educators (Michael F. Giangreco, Martha E. Snell, Carolyn Hughes, Asha Jitendra, and Sandra Alper) respond to a review in the same issue by John Nietupski and others entitled "A Review of Curricular Research in Severe Disabilities From 1976 to 1995 in Six Selected Journals." Each respondent raises additional aspects of curriculum for…

Argues that the thinking behind three legislative proposals intended to protect children from the harmful effects of TV violence is fundamentally flawed. Analyzes a composite week of television programming. Finds that many children watch television after 9 P.M., and the lowest percentages of punishment for aggressive acts and major consequences to…

Discussion of portal software and flat Web site design focuses on the University of California's Labor Research Portal. Topics include the need for reputable content; the library's goal to link digital resources with research, reference, and outreach; developing the library's role; partnerships; controlling intellectual capital; and the flat…

This study examined orally invented fairy tales of children in kindergarten through third grade focusing on reflections of children's fears, concerns, and stress related to kidnapping and death of a classmate. Findings suggested that children imbue stories with everyday concerns and anxiety, and that stories act as a safe place to relive a tragic…

Addresses how content and availability affect a teacher's choice of texts. Proposes that editors often determine teachers' choices. Compares two high school textbooks, from 1999 and 1991. Concludes that selections of short fiction are getting shorter, and that excerpts increasingly rule. (PM)

Describes tools for measuring content of instruction, content of instructional materials, and alignment between them, reporting findings about use of these tools and possible additional uses for research and practice. Asserts that the validity of data produced using these tools is good. Sketches an agenda for future work to improve the quality and…

Explores dissonance in students' way of learning from a regulation of learning perspective. Examines consonant patterns of interrelations among learning elements and investigates several studies that used an Inventory of Learning Styles (ILS) as a research instrument for indications of dissonant patterns of interrelations among the learning…

Explores the literary themes present in the stories in the "Texts for Nine-Year Compulsory Education: Chinese," grade 1-3. Notes that these textbooks are currently used in Shanghai public elementary schools in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for instruction in the Mandarin dialect of the Chinese language. Concludes that the themes…

Considers how in the past 30 years almost a dozen picture books for children have made motifs of rape and death their subjects, as they appear in the story of Demeter and Persephone. Discusses why this particular story is so popular and what variations exist among these retellings. (SG)

Describes the use of videoconferencing for field trips in elementary and secondary education. Discusses how it works, videoconferencing providers, time involved, costs, amount of interactivity, supplemental hands-on material, content standards, technical support, class preparation, and the need for back-up plans in case of technical difficulties.…

Examines the symbolic content of eulogies delivered by Southern clergymen following the 1870 death of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Explores the clergy's discussions of Lee's immortality and the redemptive power of audience unity which were foundations for later mythic discourse on the general's life. (SG)

Studies compliance gaining behaviors among characters in 18 prime time television programs. Finds that situation comedies were more likely than dramas to contain family characters who attempted to gain compliance. Finds that parental characters were more likely than children to seek and achieve compliance. Compares results to "real life"…

This article reports findings from a "meta-review" and synthesis of research on variables related to learning, including both cognitive and affective schooling outcomes. Results confirm that distal policy variables are less important to schooling outcomes than quantity and quality of instruction, home environment, or student characteristics. (IAH)

Describes the basic or first course in organizational communication as it is taught in colleges and universities in the United States. Presents a content analysis of several of the most frequently adopted textbooks. Finds that the introductory course consists primarily of theory and is taught using lecture-discussion methods. (RS)

Describes religious illiteracy among undergraduate students. Examines high school textbooks in United States and world history, economics, home economics, and biology. Finds religion almost completely ignored. Argues that the religious neutrality mandated by the Supreme Court effectively eradicates religion from the curriculum. Suggests a new test…