The National Council for the Social Studies affirms the importance of teaching and learning about human rights "from early childhood through advanced education and lifelong learning." Today, as the challenges to human rights and democracy have proliferated across the globe and domestically, NCSS renews and expands that commitment,…

Teacher tenure rights, first established more than a century ago, are under unprecedented attack. Tenure--which was enacted to protect students' education and those who provide it--is under assault from coast to coast, in state legislatures, in state courtrooms, and in the media. In June 2014, in the case of "Vergara v. California," a…

The U.S. Senate will soon render its advice and consent to the nomination of Chicago Public Schools Chief Arne Duncan to be secretary of education. The word "education" is not mentioned in the Constitution, and the federal government has historically played a limited role in funding and regulating public education across the country. The…

The Chairperson of the National Commission on Excellence in Education addresses his remarks to participants of the National Forum on Excellence in Education. Specifically, the speaker lists ways educators express high expectations of students and enumerates contrasting educational practices through which educators express low expectations.…

The position paper of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities provides five criticisms of the definition of learning disabilities developed in 1967 by the National Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children and proposes an alternative definition. (DB)

Eight principles in effective advocacy for gifted students are offered, including statements that the make-up of an advocacy group is more important than its size; successful advocacy is hard, time consuming, costly work; and well-planned and organized group efforts are far more effective than isolated efforts by individuals. (CL)

The author responds to criticisms (EA 519 522-525) of his "great tradition" article (EA 519 521). Points out that only one philosopher in the past 24 centuries was sympathetic to giving choices to children and adolescents. (MD)

A century ago, school children celebrated Columbus Day with recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Educators should understand the origins of the pledge and know that the Constitution protects the rights of those who object to the pledge for personal, political, or religious reasons. Lists four versions of the pledge since the nineteenth century.…

The purpose of this paper is to give those who work in distance education a better awareness of the factors at work in developing nations and to help those whose profession is national development gain a fuller understanding of distance education. It begins with a discussion of the process of national development which focuses on the factors that…

Many feel that textbooks dominate what students learn. They set the curriculum and often the facts learned in most subjects. For many students, textbooks are their first and sometimes only early exposure to books and to reading. The public regards textbooks as authoritative, accurate and necessary and many teachers rely on them to organize lessons…

This paper uses the ideas of William James and John Dewey to buttresses an opposition to any effort to amend the United States Constitution to encourage or compel elementary and secondary school students to recite daily an oral prayer. The first section is a selection of the views of Dewey and James. The second section utilizes these ideas to…

Misconceptions contained in reports about the condition of education in the United States are pointed out, and issues omitted from the reports are indicated. Subsequently, the Twentieth Century Fund and its task force are briefly described; in addition, two basic strategic points about which task force members were in agreement concerning American…

Discusses teacher competency and its relationship to teacher training programs. Examines the school reform movement and how it could affect teacher training programs. (MD)

Discusses substantive and procedural due process as required by the United States Constitution and interpreted by the Supreme Court, with particular reference to situations arising in educational environments. Covers interests protected by due process requirements, the procedures required, and some special considerations that may apply. (PGD)

Criticizes the "great tradition" article (EA 519 521, this issue), asserting that traditional methods of moral instruction failed because they indoctrinated conduct and did not teach individuals moral understanding. Suggests that indoctrination is incompatible with education. (MD)