Examines the communitarian argument on schools, families, and youth culture expounded in Amitai Etzioni's influential book, "The Spirit of Community." In lieu of detailed policy proposals, Etzioni's readers are challenged to a general change in attitudes and values. Includes a discussion of Ray Pahl's critique of communitarianism. (MJP)

Discusses professional ethics in teacher education, noting challenges for teacher educators (particularly those in early childhood education). Chronicles the development of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment, and describes the Early Childhood Teacher Education Ethics…

Describes a Temple University (Pennsylvania) law school course that combines the teaching of theory and practice, keeps upper-level students engaged in active learning, and provides a concrete and realistic context in which students can experience the moral dimension of practice. The course combines trusts and estates, professional responsibility,…

Examines how negative views of government and the public sector are affecting educational governance. Reviews social and political trends undermining support for public schools. Presents a new definition of governance that realistically portrays the politics of educational leadership by acknowledging the roles of public and private sectors,…

The common ground approach to religion in public schools includes government neutrality toward religion and provides an equitable civic framework for all groups. Schools are legally obligated to accommodate students' religious needs whenever possible. This article presents guidelines about what teachers and students can and cannot do in certain…

Reviews the provisions of the recent Dayton Peace Accords, the partial and competing strategies for building peace, and the still simmering ethnic conflicts in Bosnia. Examines postelection efforts at nation-building including the CIVITAS Project, an educational mission working to develop the foundations for democratic institutions. (MJP)

Adults should introduce children to philosophy very young. By reading and discussing philosophic themes, children's natural philosophic talents turn toward real life issues. Parents can help children develop more reflective responses to life by playing thinking games, listening to children's comments, exploring philosophic questions when reading…

Reviews teenager-tested and educator-recommended software packages for teaching tolerance in elementary (primarily upper elementary) and secondary grades. The 12 products cover aspects of American and African American history, multicultural awareness, and values education in tolerance and cultural awareness. (SLD)

Developmental discipline (DD) is an educational system that incorporates the moral reasoning levels of L. Kohlberg into a humanistic program of moral, intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development based on accepted psychological theories. DD gives more responsibility for learning to the learner and helps the educator deal with…

Will greater school choice result in more responsive, higher quality schools and happier parents? Or will proliferating options further sort students and families by race, social class, and special interest? Increasingly, education is viewed as a private good. If parents become autonomous, self-interested consumers, erosion of common purposes and…

At DePaul University (Illinois), a set of advising competencies was derived through collective examination of practices among faculty/staff who provide advising services to adult learners. Using a storytelling methodology, skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values reflective of good advising were extracted and described. The methodology served as…

Describes two parallel pieces of research in Malaysia to investigate the claim that a conflict may exist between the implicit values underlying English language teaching and the values of Islam. Findings indicate that the majority of students studying English recognized the dangers of absorbing alien values and felt able to deploy English as a…

Participants who attended three national alternative education conferences in Japan, Indiana, and Israel report on their experiences at the conferences and issues addressed, including freedom versus license, responsibility to poor children, funding for alternative education programs, democratic education, government role, and varying and…

Proposes an alternative knowledge base to that currently articulated for physical education teacher preparation, examining knowledge areas important in preparing novices for teaching in current and future schools: Education and Physical Education, knowledge production and access, the person in/and society, cross-boundary experiences, and politics,…

Examines the various ways that social sciences can promote the social and governmental transformative process in Eastern Europe. Defines three functions of social sciences: to reveal real processes, to understand and diagnose problems, and to foresee future trends. Discusses the tensions among social scientists and policy makers and politicians.…