Argues that staff development in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States is flawed in practice, representing a consumer market in which "proof of purchase" substitutes for investment in school improvement or individual development. A policy model for investment in school improvement is proposed. (SLD)

Educational portfolios can happen, even within extremely incompatible organizational structures. When designed in accordance with four principles (opportunities for meaning-making, interactions with people who matter, assemblage over an extended period, and a supportive presentation context) these projects can be transformative and profoundly…

Reflections on the future of anthropology and education in this special section call for: (1) more theorizing about culture; (2) extending the "field" of fieldwork; (3) connecting work with broader topics in anthropology; (4) extending studies beyond compulsory education; and (5) looking at communicative and cultural development. (SLD)

Discusses the importance of rites of passage to traditional cultures, especially the vision quest of Native Americans. Suggests that the absence of such rites in materialistic cultures has led to a separation from nature, which underlies many modern problems. Describes Wendl-Berry's vision quest and a center that offers vision quests of various…

Reports on the "Chairman's Challenge," a fund raiser at Lewis and Clark College (Oregon) in which students were challenged to surpass the multimillionaire donor's (Robert B. Pamlin Jr.) physical fitness records to earn donations to the school of up to $25,000 each. Pamlin uses his gifts to reward institutions and individual students that…

Looks at the implications of the new millennium in the development of Catholic identity of teachers. Puts forth a Catholic identity paradigm for the educator, and addresses issues of commitment to community-building, lifelong spiritual and religious growth, ongoing professional development, formation of students' spiritualities, and students'…

Believes that special attention should be paid to the problems of ecological upbringing of Russian children. Views ecological upbringing as a continuing and systematic process throughout the school years in which children interact with the natural environment. Focuses on the need to shape elementary children's awareness of ecological concerns.…

Argues that teachers' perspectives prompt a particular interpretation of Donald Schon's "reflection-in-action" theory that justifies individualistic, immediate, and limited change strategies in professional development. Maintains that reflective teaching requires an approach that is social and collaborative rather than only individualistic in…

Discusses the life and artwork of Jack Barker who became a folk artist after running a local gas station in Essex, Illinois. Explains that art educators view student interactions with folk artists like Barker as valuable because these artists embody a creative spirit and a thirst for knowledge about materials and processes. (CMK)

Discussion of gifted children with disabilities notes that many such children are excluded from gifted programming due to a deficit in some aspect of development. The concept of global giftedness is critiqued. Examples of gifted individuals with learning, physical, sensory disabilities or with autism are offered and suggestions are given for…

This study examined the importance of personality characteristics to identity formation using data from Terman's longitudinal study of high IQ children. Results indicate that positive traits such as perseverance, purposiveness, desire to excel, and self-confidence are conducive to a successful identity formation and to the adoption of the…

A study examined the impact of outdoor adventure trips on 37 urban adolescents' self-perception. Results from pretest, posttest, and 4-month followup surveys and interviews indicate that participants' self-perceptions of social acceptance and behavioral conduct improved immediately after the trip, and that some behavioral conduct impacts remained…

Presents a study that focused on the patterns of development of ethnic self-awareness in college students of Udmurt and Russian nationality. The first stage explores the structure of ethnic self-awareness under differing levels of development, while the second stage studies the patterns of change in ethnic self-awareness under conditions of…

Compares and connects the cosmic awareness emerging in the elementary classroom to adolescent cosmic sensibility embedded in the experience of the Hershey Montessori Farm School. Provides examples of students' poetry to support Montessori's concept of valorization of personality as each individual turns toward maturity. (Author/TJQ)

Analyzes the confusion in the language of political economy in Great Britain that generates and sustains moral infantilism in the civil polity. Critiques the limits of recent approaches to moral education. Sketches the relationship between the use of interpretative understanding and Jungian insights in support of poetry in moral engagement.…