Provides an overview of the issues shaping efforts to reform elementary education in the People's Republic of China. China's school organization and practices invite comparison with aspects of the U.S. system of elementary education. Enduring features of Chinese elementary education are discussed. (Author/BB)

This book grew from a collection of papers presented in the 1987-88 academic year at the University of Cincinnati. Some of the papers explore issues prevalent in the 1988 presidential election year. The issues are critical to an understanding of the relationships between social issues and political activity in U.S. society. Chapters examine two…

This discussion of the major factors that appear to determine the pace of development of computer uses in education in developing nations focuses on Brunei, a tiny, oil-rich sultanate in South East Aia with a population of approximately a quarter of a million. Questions are often raised as to whether computers are required merely to follow the…

The document describes desirable practices for the education of gifted early adolescents in Virginia. It contains recommendations to assist in implementing a comprehensive plan for gifted middle-grade students compatible with state plans for overall middle school education. Research on students this age and on gifted students is cited to support…

Children who are raised in poverty currently run grave risks of educational failure. This paper approaches the issue, not through concentrating on special problems of, and programs for, the educationally at-risk, but through focusing on the educational problems of young people generally and on the effect that schools, not programs, play in…

Instructional leadership for principals is not a panacea for the ills of education. Efforts to alter principal practices to meet this poorly defined and poorly researched construct reflect a lack of self-reference in the educational field. More study and thought are needed before plans of action are imposed. (BJV)

Offers a range of perspectives on the national school reform movement as exemplified in the national commission reports. Presents articles providing a broad, comprehensive set of evaluations of reform, and more specific articles dealing with the real or potential impact of reform or explaining individual issues raised by the reports. (RDN)

Elementary schools are continuously growing in student population. The increase in student population requires innovative management practices aimed at uniting and furthering progress within school sites. While the increase in student enrollment coupled with growth in staff can be challenging, possibilities of seamless transitions of practice can…

Discusses four similarities between early childhood education systems in Oxfordshire, England and Reggio Emilia, Italy. Similarities between the two school systems include an integrated curriculum; (mixed) age grouping and school organization; the teacher's role; and the pedagogical underpinnings. (BB)

Describes a project that was developed to determine the potential of computer-based instruction for meeting the needs of elementary students in small, rural school settings. Highlights include computer-managed instruction; the importance of local context, including administration, parents, and staff; and the impact on student achievement, school…

To understand and deal with student behavior, we must understand that most behavior is caused by objects and events in the world around the student; that students have learned personal ways of relating to those objects and events; and that in a setting like a school it is easier and more productive to alter those objects and events than to change…

The document examines the past and present functions of educational history. By focussing on the contradictions between the organization of public education and the values upon which it is supposed to rest, critical history can be the most dynamic source of educational change. In the past, history as conceived in history departments differed…

Social studies education in 22 countries is described. The purpose of the publication is to stimulate international communication and cross-cultural study among practitioners in different countries. The introduction to the report discusses issues related to social studies education and to international communication. Common concerns, curriculum…

Administrative bureaucracy and the professionalism of teachers have combined in contemporary schooling to structure both interpersonal relations and knowledge, leaving students and parents relatively powerless to control any of the educational processes. Through bureaucratic organization, schools create structures in which knowledge, teachers, and…

Describes and praises ways in which the Holmes Group report, committed to redesigning the education of teachers, goes beyond prior movements to reform teacher education. Urges the active cooperation of universities, granting agencies, politicians, faculties, teachers, and others in supporting and accomplishing the required changes. (IW)