A survey of 82 students in a telecommunications course found no significant differences in their attitudes toward or evaluation of Internet-assisted instruction in terms of learning style (field dependence/independence), gender, or undergraduate/graduate status. (SK)

Presents an interview with Patrick Shannon, a professor of Education at Penn State University. Describes how he writes widely on the politics of literacy and, in particular, the marketing of literacy. Discusses his interpretation of how literacy is marketed in schools today. (SG)

Responses from 137 nurses indicated that 64% felt their education had not prepared them for work in rehabilitation; only one-fourth of recent graduates felt prepared; 71% had participated in continuing education, but many felt they learned from experience or from others. Better education would enhance confidence, promote professional equality, and…

Studies of Australian farmers show they prefer to seek information rather than participate in training for several reasons: (1) independence; (2) familiarity with contextual learning; (3) lack of confidence; (4) preference for information from known sources; and (5) fear of exposure to new knowledge or skills. Enabling farmers to control their own…

Presents stories and poems from a bilingual writing class in Chicago's Latino Youth Alternative High School that describe students' experiences with schooling and life. (SK)

Presents results of the 33rd Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll on the public's attitudes toward the public schools. Includes a summary of key findings and tables showing percentage distributions of responses to each question. (PKP)

A study of young white British men beyond school-leaving age found that many are confused, distrusting, and aggressive; are involved with drugs or crime; are resistant to the "deficiency" model of basic skills training; lack a life framework and real work skills; and come from family backgrounds with long-term negative attitudes about…

Summertime is traditionally a time to relax, reflect on the school year past, plan for the coming year ahead, tune in or tune out the political rhetoric, and catch up on reading. To aid in the last effort, Anne C. Lewis, a national education policy writer, wanted to continue a little tradition she started a couple of years ago and suggest some…

It is virtually impossible to find a U.S. civics or government textbook that does not cite Thomas Jefferson's faith in a well-educated citizenry as the great defense against tyranny. It is also common to open a U.S. history textbook for middle or high school students and find a reference to Jefferson and the value he put on education. Because the…

In this paper, we discuss some conditions for understanding silence as an act of self-criticality and caring for the Other, rather than as an instrumental or technical act identified through discipline or reflection. We first engage into a critical reading of Western and Eastern traditions of silence and use this to explore the pedagogical value…

The author wonders if the headlines over stories about international comparisons of student achievement are projections of how the participating nations feel about their schools. In this article Gerald Bracey offers examples of headlines and offers his opinions on how they represent specific nations. (Contains 1 note.)

There is some evidence that the public perception of teachers and teaching does impact the success of schools; there are countries that revere their teachers, and schools appear to benefit from that social endorsement. But, according to this author, things are different here in America, and it is not really anything new. The public has a long…

In this study, I have examined how teenagers who become pregnant experience school and how their beliefs about school are affected by their pregnancy and motherhood. Using a grounded theory approach, the perspectives of 9 young mothers in a teen parents' program were analyzed to determine how these women reflected on their educational experience…

In this paper a critique of neoliberal regimes within universities is developed. Neoliberal discourse is deconstructed and the dangers of it for intellectual work are considered. Neoliberal subjects (those subjected through neoliberal discourses) are defined and guidelines for thinking about education within (and against) neoliberal regimes are…

It is higher education's responsibility continuously to challenge and critique value and knowledge claims that have prescriptive tendencies. Part of this responsibility lies in engaging students in socio-scientific disputes. The ill-defined nature of sustainability manifests itself in such disputes when conflicting values, norms, interests, and…