The tension at the heart of pension politics is the incentive to satisfy today's claimants in the here-and-now at the expense of long-term concerns. Rules and auditing standards are intended to tame this kind of short-sighted behavior in the private sector. In the public sector, the primary safeguard is the hope that public officials will not be…

This article describes a successful project that demonstrates the effective practice of two important trends in art education today: (1) creating space for art education that is informed by scholarship on community-based pedagogy and environmental design; and (2) collaborating to achieve more comprehensive learning outcomes. The project was a…

As teacher educators, the authors visit numerous learning environments. Each school has its own unique characteristics and personality. Some schools seem to have a magnetic draw, filling the senses with energy, wonder and intrigue. This energy, writes the authors, stems from a symbiotic relationship, a flow of spaces that work together…

An Oregon elementary-school principal describes her experience of creating a peaceful school. To create the safe environment needed for learning, teachers taught students conflict-resolution skills; 15 life skills, such as integrity, initiative, flexibility, and humor; and a three-step problem-solving model. Students are taking their new skills…

An increasing number of elementary school sites have begun to implement nongraded, multiage, primary developmental learning environments. Nongraded primaries are more than just a loosening of the age limits and a changing of the promotion strategies. This broad educational restructuring strategy provides a unique opportunity for creating new…

Award-winning teachers from rural Oregon, Alaska, and Idaho discuss their innovative programs and the advantages of small-town life and small schools. Teachers, students, and community members know each other and participate in school activities, teachers have more flexibility and control over what they teach, bureaucracy is minimized, and…

Following a brief welcoming statement by Gwen Ericcsen, Executive Director of the Foundation for Oregon Research and Education (FORE), conference papers address a wide range of issues on the current challenges of educational reform. Among these issues are the hard choices brought about by the changing economics of education, and the value of…