An American visiting a Mexican secundaria (equivalent to the U.S. junior high school) noted the strong presence of discourses on "adolescence." This prompted an ideological and historical review of the secundaria since its development in the postrevolutionary ethos of the 1920s-30s. Inspired by a U.S. model of adolescent education in the…

This study examined the perceptions of discipline held by practicing middle school and high school teachers, student teachers, and undergraduate education majors enrolled in a classroom management course. The study compared respondents' perceptions according to status, gender, years of experience, degree, and subject. Results showed significant…

This book, a commentary on becoming a teacher, presents a set of essays based on observations of a group of young, white, middle class female teachers learning what it means to be alone at the head of the classroom. It presents a textured picture of the development of competence. The picture is organized around the complications of ordinary life…

Achieving meaningful life work is a process that involves aligning one's work with one's true essence or core self. It is an ongoing process that involves self-reflection to discover the deep passions within and then exploration of how to bring those passions or interests to bear in meaningful ways at work. In response to the need to address the…

This paper is a byproduct of research started in 1982, suggested to the author through reading "Students into Teachers" (Collins, 1969). No similar study had been carried out in Papua New Guinea (PNG) so this study was designed to find out more about the social background, motivations and conditions of new teachers there. In countries…

A teacher and a media specialist combined their efforts to foster responsibility among students in a third grade class. Students went to the Media Center to learn research skills, but it was apparent that they lacked the responsibility to follow through with their projects. The teacher and media specialist began to implement strategies to teach…

This book consists of 17 essays about living with the land and the importance of reinvigorating the values of rural life. The essays include personal reflections about growing up in rural Minnesota and opinions about the state of neglected rural towns and people. The author grew up during the 1950s on an 80-acre farm that his family rented in…

This booklet is a facsimile edition of the first book published by the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation. Written in 1957 by George H. Reavis, who established the foundation in 1966, and with a research-based historical commentary and updating by Carter V. Good, "An Educational Platform for the Public Schools" was published in 1968 and sets…

This book includes eight chapters that explore the history and current status of educational "deficit thinking" and its effects on educational policies and practices. Educational deficit thinking is a form of blaming the victim that views the alleged deficiencies of poor and minority group students and their families as predominantly…

This monograph reports on a study which examined how 92 colleges participating in a multiproject initiative, "American Commitments: Diversity, Democracy and Liberal Learning," are addressing issues of diversity in their general education curricula, policies, and practices. Chapter 1 focuses on emerging trends and promising practices, and…

This brochure presents highlights from "What Democracy Means to Ninth-Graders: U.S. Results from the International IEA Civic Education Study," a report that analyzes the U.S. results of the 1999 International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study, Phase 2. The study was designed to assess…

To overcome public skepticism, government agencies and policymakers are increasingly appropriating the term "research-based" to describe their work. This paper examines how educational leaders should respond to the politicization of their field, implicit in such characterizations, by examining how the field might look if the words…

Connecting theory and practice to the moral use of power reveals why social justice, as an educational intervention, is relevant in every era. Social justice requires ongoing struggle and cannot be separated from the educational theories and practices of professionals, schools, academic disciplines, and governmental agents. Insights from John…

This book assesses the current state of foster care in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the pressures which have shaped it, and the challenges it faces. Emphasizing the importance of fostering within a coherent child care policy, the contributors examine the latest research into key areas of foster care, and explore how practice can be improved.…

Providing children developmental assets such as family support, a caring neighborhood, positive values, and social skills will help them grow up healthy, well-adjusted, and strong. This leader's guide provides instructions for five workshops that introduce the concept of children's assets and address how to build assets in infants, toddlers,…