Adult educators concerned with inclusiveness and social justice are addressing issues related to students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered (GLBT). Although research in mainstream adult education and published adult education materials that include GLBT issues and concerns are scarce, more resources have appeared in the last few…

Frequently, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs for adults use volunteers as primary or auxiliary providers of instruction. Two primary national volunteer organizations and a number of other national organizations support volunteer ESL and basic literacy instruction, and many states have literacy councils that coordinate and provide…

The term general education has been employed to characterize an array of community college non-vocational programs, from Great Books courses to guidance services. General education at present differs from previous decades in terms of its emphasis on tighter curricular structure, global, gender, and ethnic studies, and the integration of knowledge.…

While national trends in liberal arts course offerings in community colleges have been charted for many years, trends in non-liberal courses have not been similarly mapped. In an effort to gain a better understanding of the entire community college curriculum, the Center for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC), in Los Angeles, California,…

Drawing on contemporary research literature, recently developed curriculum guides, and blue-ribbon reports, this digest reviews 10 contemporary trends in K-12 social studies in the United States. Trends are as follows: (1) History, history, and more history; (2) More geography, too; (3) Using literature to teach social studies; (4) Focus on the…

Provides annotations for 11 documents concerned with teaching about the Bill of Rights and related issues. Includes details for obtaining these documents through the ERIC system and provides other bibliographic information. (CH)

This report discusses what should be taught in history and social sciences courses, and how the material should be taught. Differing views of educational leaders as well as results of recent research and studies are summarized. The following propositions are offered as stimulators of inquiry and as tentative guides to practice: (1) the greatest…

Three relatively distinct groups demonstrating personal and professional interest in environmental education for adults are environmentalists, environmental educators, and adult educators. The agenda of each group, its potential contribution, and its limitations are discussed. The development of communication and cooperation among these groups,…

Exploratory language courses are self-contained, nonsequential, interdisciplinary courses designed to introduce students to a variety of languages and cultures. They are usually offered in middle and junior high schools, to give students in the young adolescent stage of development a chance to explore a range of academic and vocational fields.…

Eight issues concerning academic freedom are discussed. The issues are: (1) the question of who should have the right to decide what should be taught; (2) the extent to which school districts should impose specific restrictions on subjects discussed in the classroom; (3) the controversy over the rights of teachers to refuse to teach content that…

Four science education fact sheets are presented and focus on: (1) creationism vs. evolution; (2) science careers; (3) science activities for special students; and (4) the role of the laboratory in science teaching. The first fact sheet was prepared to assist teachers, curriculum coordinators, and others in dealing with the teaching of evolution…

Noting that almost all current issues have some controversial "overload" to them which cause many teachers to approach them with trepidation, this guide aims to help teachers handle discussions and writing assignments related to contemporary issues. The guide aids teachers in framing and in balancing classroom interactions so discussions…

A discussion of numeracy (the ability to cope confidently with the mathematical demands of everyday life), focuses on provision of numeracy instruction alongside English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction for learners with low literacy skills. It looks first at considerations and methods for assessing student numeracy needs, including the…

An emerging focus on pre-college education in the 1980s is the interaction of science and technology in terms of their combined interrelationships with society. The characterizations of the science/technology/society (S/T/S) theme, as advanced by science educators, social studies educators, and environmental educators, exhibit similarities. It is…

Current knowledge and practices in the field of preprimary teacher education are discussed with respect to unique characteristics of the field, general issues in teacher education and preprimary education, and recent developments in inservice education. Unique characteristics of the field of preprimary teacher education include role ambiguity,…