Two prominent leaders in education, Charles Suhor and Jane Stallings, are interviewed concerning the present status and significant effects of the basic skills movement, the effect the National Commission on Excellence in Education report will have on basic skills education, and the number one priority for education in the future. (DCS)

Asserts that Canadian schools should be educating students in the historically developed subjects matters. Suggests that a back-to-basics approach to education fails to appreciate the traditional subject matters as great sagas of human discovery. Concludes that schools are largely anti-intellectual places that are not inquiry driven and do not…

Reviews publications that examine the quality of American higher education and suggest methods for improving education at the baccalaureate level. The discussion covers the treatment of the role of college libraries in these reports, reactions of librarians to the reports, and the need for librarians to gain full participation in the education…

Examines the conflict between the "politically correct" movement and educational "traditionalists." Suggests that the "politically correct" view seeks to purge sexism, racism, and economic classism, whereas traditionalists desire to inject values into education. Identifies the one-sidedness of each position. Argues…

Reading instruction based on the acquisition of basic skills has produced a basic level of literacy in children, but such minimal levels of literacy are no longer sufficient for students required to deal effectively with complicated literary and informational material encountered in upper elementary, middle, and high school texts. Research in the…

The issue of what comprises a good secondary school curriculum is still unresolved. The progressive education of the 1960s has yielded to a traditionalist emphasis on a strong liberal education for all students. Future reform will be based on what the present reform movement overlooks--strong vocational programs for students who are not…

Discusses the educational reform efforts to reorganize the social studies curriculum in the United States. Criticizes a return to conservative, traditional approaches to social studies than emphasize history and geography while ignoring more contemporary ideas. Suggests that, to develop a discipline of social studies, more scholarly pursuit and…

Suggests that educational reform efforts, such as the back-to-basics movement, leave art educators wondering whether visual arts instruction will survive the reforms. Argues that the three Rs are insufficient for a balanced education. Asserts that the arts foster both affective and cognitive development. (KM)

Seven major trends are reflected in the current task force and commission reports on education. The first, "back to basics," stresses intellectual skills, but often at the expense of the affective domain. The second emphasizes the relationship between education, work, and the economy, but the direction schools should take remains…