A university president discusses his goal to use the college years, when students live closely together, to create a community where individuals assume responsibility for each other. The writer advocates decision-making with this goal in mind at the forefront. Outdoor spaces and gardens with benches need to be designed to function as inviting…

Shared decision-making (SDM) is becoming a part of many American schools. Shared decision making is based on a premise that relies on four main assumptions: (1) those closest to the children will make the best decisions concerning the children's education; (2) teachers, parents, and school staff should have influence in policies; (3) those who…

This article introduces the concept of "visual voice" to facilitate a critical commentary on current discourses surrounding pupil participation in the design of learning environments for the future. The significance of material and spatial conditions constructing particular views of children and childhood is first discussed through some…

Traditional historical narratives can serve to mask injustices that exist beneath a celebratory surface of statistics, legislative enactments, and judicial decision-making that may present an impression of continuous progress. With this understanding, this article adopts a framework applying Foucault's distinction between "traditional" and…

Current federal policies have changed leadership practices in schools and ushered in an era of public accountability for the educational performance of all students, including students who have disabilities. In this discussion, a former special education director reflects on changes in professional practice and comments on the administration of…

This editorial describes the swinging pendulum of the role of clinical supervision in relation to the clinical skill development of students in athletic training programs. In the past, students working as interns were essentially assistant athletic trainers with little direct supervision, which resulted in decisions being made with less than…

This short article explores some of the challenges and complexities of engaging with school communities, particularly in diverse urban contexts. The author argues for a new relationship between schools and communities which is developed by grappling with the concept of community; developing tools to "read" and make sense of the community context;…

This article arose from the author's experiences as a researcher exploring children's reactions to their parents' separation. Between 1999 and 2004, the author undertook to find out what a sample of Australian children thought of their abilities to participate in decisions that directly affected them following family breakdown. Before beginning…

From the standpoint of a former journal editor and long-time professional, this commentary challenges the direction of the profession as demonstrated in this special section. The ongoing creation of more and more ethical constraints not only harms the profession but also loses sight of fundamental ethical principles.

Framing effects are said to occur when equivalent frames lead to different choices. However, the equivalence in question has been incompletely conceptualized. In a new normative analysis of framing effects, we complete the conceptualization by introducing the notion of information equivalence. Information equivalence obtains when no…

In his article in the current issue of Death Studies, "Can Suicide be a Good Death?" David Lester argues that each person should determine whether suicide is appropriate for him or her in relative isolation from the opinions of others. In the present article, I use a utilitarian ethical perspective to critique this assertion. According to…

The delivered curriculum, or the curriculum the students actually experience has always been a function of teacher decision making. Since the inception of high stakes accountability, the curricula to which students are exposed have become a focal point of school reform efforts. This article argues that the null curriculum is expanding in ways that…

Discusses four types of clinical decision situations used by social workers in a health-care context--operational, strategic, authoritative, and crisis--and presents a model to assist in analyzing their components and requirements. Case vignettes drawn from practice illustrate each type of decision-making process. (JPS)

This article argues that there has been a clear shift in leadership approaches from those where the leader is in control and commanding i.e., power-based leadership to one where there is empowerment. Here the power comes from the followers and is shared. Burns concepts of transactional and transformational leadership are used interchangeably with…

Teaching decision making in the classroom provides an excellent opportunity for students to clarify their feelings regarding problems that employers experience with entry-level employees. Some of these may include excessive absences, inappropriate dress, the effect of personal problems on job performance, and ethics in the work situation. (CT)