Facing increasing standardization and accountability pressures, schools struggle to retain democratic ideals while seeking alternative visions. The standards movement defines a well-educated citizen as a technologically adept, economically savvy college graduate. Democracy flourishes only when protecting the marketplace of ideas and a diversity of…

Examines underlying epistemological and theoretical assumptions of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). Concludes that IALS is primarily geared toward enhancing labor-market competencies but should instead make learners co-responsible actors of their own learning process and participants in a democratic debate defining the kind of…

Finds that Black adolescent girls were largely uninterested in teen magazines' beauty images because they conflict with African-American standards of attractiveness; that makeup and haircare products were seen as specifically intended for White girls, who consequently invest more authority in the magazines' counsel and images; and that White girls…

The democratic imperative proclaims that an inequitable, inadequate education system is unacceptable. Exploring this imperative's implications for fiscal-equity reform, this article overviews 3 decades of legal trends in federal and state fiscal equity and educational adequacy litigation, examines adequacy's liberal ideological roots, and explains…

Describes a project in which a small group of teachers of gifted students in primary and secondary schools in England used action research as an holistic way of undertaking professional development, which encouraged them to question their values, beliefs, and assumptions about teaching and learning. (CR)

Explores electronic journal usage statistics and develops three metrics and three benchmarks based on those metrics. Topics include earlier work that assessed the value of print journals and was modified for the electronic format; the evaluation of potential purchases; and implications for standards development, including the need for content…

Asserts that lying is not a simple principle or feature, but a cluster of features where anything in the cluster is considered lying. Argues that the process of meta-ethical analysis and rational discussion should be part of moral education, in that it may help to develop critical thought about the ability and practice of making good and rational…

Offers seven recommendations (with comments) for action involving school partnerships with families and communities: Involve and support teachers and principals, adopt democratic principles, reach out to parents, encourage parent activism, provide parents with opportunities for choice and voice, encourage and support increased family…

Describes a successful strategy that develops critical thinking in middle school classrooms via an intersection of character education, adolescent literature, and authentic assessment. Describes the procedure in which students explore the literature to determine how positive and negative character traits are demonstrated, with discussions on these…

The drive for privatizing public education comes from two different movements: load-shedding and outsourcing. Districts hope to reduce perceived labor problems, avoid managing "uninteresting" services, save money, and/or buy quick-fix education reform. Privatization of charter schools is becoming big business, but its cost-effectiveness…

Offers several examples of different cultural perspectives in child rearing values and identifies materials for teachers and caregivers to use as they consider cultural values in their work with children and families. Provides a collection of charts, vignettes, and reference materials used in training workshops and courses. (EV)

Investigates how the process of knowledge formation in teaching and learning can be identified through teachers' definitions, decisions about assessments, and what criteria they use in an assessment situation. Reveals three dominant bipolar constructs among instrumental skills, expressive modes, creativity, and interpretative modes and two further…

Responds to Goodlad's comments that a school of education not preparing teachers is an anomaly that provokes mischief, suggesting that it also promotes disbelief. States that the primary mission of schools, colleges, and departments of education (SCDEs) is the preparation of teachers, noting that many SCDEs have lost sight of that focus and…

Professor of Education Yetta M. Goodman discusses her realization that teachers should showcase and support students rather than being the center of attention themselves, the importance of teachers observing their students in various contexts, the degrading aspect of grades, and the rights and responsibilities of teachers as professionals to state…

An examination of the history of legal education covers the long period of law-office apprenticeship as the principal method of legal education in the United States and reviews trends in the period of formal education, the relationship between formal education and professional practice, the philosophical context for legal education, instruction in…