Education's greatest threat is the death of dialectics. In Malaysia, government censorship thwarts debate; in America, corporate brainwashing achieves the same result. Consumers have embraced computer technology with too little public discourse. Infatuation with television (screen shadows) distracts people from the puppet master's motives and…

Faculties must pass through several stages when becoming learning organizations: the honeymoon, conflict, confusion, messy, scary, and mature-group stages. Mature school communities have learned to view power differently, make learning more meaningful for students, and model a just and democratic society. Consensus is the starting point. (MLH)

This article discusses the complex belief systems and values affecting the perception of disability for families from culturally diverse backgrounds, including the influence of traditional and spiritual beliefs, beliefs about health and healing, religion, belief about folk medicine and folk healers, and expectations of a child's social roles.…

Efforts to desegregate schools since the 1954 "Brown" decision have only partly succeeded. Racial and economic segregation still limits minority and poor children's educational opportunities. A new educational civil rights movement must replace authoritarian, antidemocratic standards and tests with diverse schools, staff, pedagogies,…

Argues that the arts improve academic achievement and provide an emotional outlet which the Montessori classroom should work to integrate across the curriculum. Provides a case study of change toward a better art orientation, and discusses integrating art class with regular classroom work, and searching for and hiring a specialist in the field.…

Redefines professionalism in teaching as commitment to one's discipline and to students. In order to teach what they practice, the practicing of their disciplines should be a necessary use of teachers' in-school time. Commitment to students will require a defiance of the economic imperatives that drive the present system, so that students can be…

Explores current and classical ethical issues faced by community college faculty members in their roles as teachers. Discusses the current literature, formal guidelines, and gaps in research. Suggests five topics for future studies, such as how faculty members address conflicts between professional codes of ethics and institutional policies.…

Describes the Bridging Cultures framework, a tool for understanding how the expectations for a student at school may conflict with the values of the student's family. The framework describes two contrasting value systems (individualism and collectivism) and helps teachers consider where differences may lie to head off potential conflict. (SM)

Data from the longitudinal study Monitoring the Future indicate that individuals' work values change substantially from late adolescence through young adulthood, with "average trajectories" of work values suggesting growing realism with age. Work value trajectories were systematically tied to social origin and early experience, with…

Situates the experience of Porto Alegre in the larger political and educational context of Brazil; presents normative goals of the Citizen School and examines the mechanisms that helped forge these goals; describes and explains some elements of the institutional design of the Citizen School; evaluates potential problems of the project; offers some…

Reports on the service learning program developed by Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) and The Peabody School in Virginia to expose children to philosophy. Linked by service learning, students from PVCC and Peabody gather for discussions about democracy, compassion, and responsibility and participate in community service activities with…

Describes Sudbury Valley School (Framingham, Massachusetts), established in 1965 as an alternative to public education. Discusses the educational philosophy of the democratic school, which stresses the importance of children being free and learning how to govern themselves; daily activities at the school; and how the school has achieved fiscal as…

Reports that St. Francis Central Catholic School (West Virginia) has been building a full-time counseling program for the last eight years. Stresses the importance of academic, developmental, emotional, and moral guidance for all students, noting that success has more to do with emotional well-being than intelligence. (NB)

Argues that moral values are an essential part of the curriculum in international education. A sense of community should characterize the ideal relationship among the global community; international schools should seek to embrace a set of universal values defined and articulated by the school community. (Contains 18 references.) (NB)

Uses stories of families in one early childhood program to illustrate educators' challenges to communicate with families whose backgrounds are different from theirs, including low income families. Identifies strategies for supporting and involving families, including using empathy and patience to forge relationships, linking families with needed…