Details the ways that English teachers can promote empathy and overcome student division through literary study. Provides concrete ways of developing such empathic attitudes, and offers a 34-item annotated bibliography of related literary works. (HB)

Describes the notion of second chances and its application to education. Presents a framework for evaluating second-chance programs based on accessibility and selection, adjustability of applicants, adjusted educational methods, productivity, accreditation, and acknowledgement. Examines possible illusions and rituals preventing a genuine second…

One in a collection of articles on George Peabody provides a short biography of Peabody, who grew up poor, became wealthy, then gave of his wealth for education. (SM)

Gives an overview of English educational practices in Russia. Focuses on the changes in the assessment of student achievement in English, with particular attention to high school English in Russia. (HB)

This commentary on Breneman (HE 534 032) maintains that liberal education is not so much a set of disciplines as a way of thinking. He warns against framing liberal education in a way that makes it seem elitist. (DB)

Considers the experiences of two beginning English teachers and how they made the transition from college students to practicing professionals. Gives detailed case studies of the process of becoming a professional educator. Provides recommendations for mentoring beginning teachers. (HB)

Discusses a method developed by a teacher to help students improve their language proficiency while at the same time enhancing their understanding of the literature they read. Considers how to use learning modalities different from traditional reading and writing. (HB)

A Texas elementary school is testing Edison's claim that a private company can manage a public school better and more profitably than a public school district working alone. Educators and parents already see improvements, but overenrollment has caused class size, scheduling, and computer shortage problems. Competition and payment problems could…

Argues that current school reform efforts are driven by workforce preparation concerns, limiting schools' ability to prepare students for participation in democratic citizenship. Links democracy and the construction of knowledge, proposing a "pedagogy of conversation" to move students beyond personal experience as a basis of knowledge through…

Use of the Foxfire approach to instruction is described as a means of developing learning communities that serve all children. Examples from several elementary classrooms illustrate instructional processes that integrate content with skill development for diverse students, including children with learning disabilities. Core principles of the…

In 1992, a national quality assessment report covering courses in all the Swedish schools of mechanical engineering was presented. This article comments on the general ideas and specific proposals presented, and offers an analysis of the consequences. Presents overall considerations regarding quality issues, the philosophy behind the new…

The conflicting values in legal education between training for the profession and pursuing the academic discipline of law are examined, and tendencies toward isolationism of legal education are decried. Greater organizational and curricular integration between law and the social sciences at La Trobe University (Australia) is noted as a positive…

Describes a study to determine the results of taking a social studies course on the social studies orientations of history and geography graduate students not previously exposed to social studies. Discusses three social studies orientations: citizenship transmission, social science, and reflective inquiry. Concludes that teachers do change their…

Longitudinal research has demonstrated that English abilities of deaf children remain below that of hearing children. Vygotsky's perspective on language and cognition is used to support an alternative approach for the study of English. (15 references) (LB)

Presents some of the major issues and trends in research on higher education. Includes a history of the concept of a university, the university as a social system, goals of university education, and traditions of the Western university. Discusses the crisis and reappraisal of higher education in the late 1960s and revision of the undergraduate…