Argues that many disabilities among children are increasingly attributable to environmental variables such as violence, poverty, toxic exposure, and family dysfunction. Notes that special education professionals have had primary responsibility for providing specialized services to disabled children and are uniquely qualified to provide resources,…

Presents a lesson plan that explores the importance of the environment for 19th-century frontier settlers and the conflict between ranchers and small farmers over appropriate land use. Students watch a video movie, "The Sea of Grass"; read selections from "O Pioneers!"; and write a compare/contrast essay. (MJP)

Maintains that the dynamics of public policy decisions, political power, mass media coverage, and public opinion have become so interconnected that it demands a new field of integrated study. Argues that the absence of this study leads to either overrating or undervaluing the mass media effect on politics. (MJP)

Presents a fascinating comparison of the musical styles and respective theologies between an Anglican church service and a black fundamentalist service. Maintains that the Anglican service depends on a logocentric vision of the world, separating emotion from intellect. The black church exemplifies a more holistic, transcendent experience. (MJP)

Investigates the relationship between the social organization and educational practices of schools and how they relate to students' ability to recognize differences between curriculum-specific talk. The study recorded students' observations regarding Mathematics and Art to determine their ability to speak in subject-specific ways teachers deem…

Suggests that young women migrate from rural to urban areas in northern Scandinavia because the rural "periphery" is dominated by male economic and leisure activities. A study in northern Norway indicates that more young women than young men valued higher education and highly qualified careers, both of which were more attainable in urban…

Teacher networks used in California and Vermont are examined. Interviews, observations, and document analyses identified how teacher beliefs, teacher experience, social influences, and practical circumstances interacted with program goals and methods to shape teachers' experiences with networks, views of teaching and learning, and classroom…

Defines corruption as a violation of the duties of office and a negation of the values that should underlie the democratic political and administrative system founded on the rule of law. Examines the reasons for the increase in corruption over the last decade and its internationalization. (MJP)

Attempts to reconcile classical and modern ways of thinking about corruption by emphasizing the connection between the idea of corruption and the vitality of the political process. Discusses the differences between behavior-specific conceptions of corruption and those emphasizing social and political processes. (MJP)

Persuasively argues for a broader and more complex approach to teaching Asian American history. Recommends going beyond issues of immigration, assimilation, and chronological representation to include questions of class, gender, and cultural interrelationships. Describes an undergraduate course that incorporates this approach. (MJP)

A survey of 1,793 students at nine state universities found cheating was influenced by a number of characteristics of individuals, including age, sex, and grade point average, and contextual factors, including level of cheating among peers, peer disapproval of cheating, fraternity/sorority membership, and perceived severity of penalties for…

Discusses the growing problem of troubled youth and the increasing role of schools in meeting children's developmental needs for attachment, achievement, autonomy, and altruism. Relates a 12-year-old at-risk student's comments about what teachers should do and say to promote greater self-esteem among students and encourage them to stay in school.…

Examines ways Chinese universities are evolving due to an emerging free market economy. Identifies organizational trends associated with societal transformation. Trends discussed include institutional consolidation for improved revenue generation, competition for admission in new disciplines, and faculty professionalization and demand for…

Defines political geography as a discipline specifically concerned with territorial organization and power and how these impact human and political processes. Traces the development of the discipline from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. Discusses reasons for its fall from academic grace and its eventual resurgence. (MJP)

Examined early childhood teachers' attitudes toward families and their involvement with schools. Found that teachers' attitudes about family and community involvement were highly positive, African American teachers had a more positive attitude than European American teachers, and teachers of low ability students had less positive views of family…