Argues that content standards that are aligned with tests are the wrong starting point for systemic school change aimed at improving teaching and learning and that national standards are the wrong vehicle. Policies should attempt to create a system in which community involvement, teacher knowledge, and equalized school capacity are starting points…

This paper proposes a conceptual model for celebrating student diversity through altering the roles, rules, and relationships among teachers, pupils, and the community and teaching two components of responsibility: accountability and flexibility. The paper first reviews three historical responses to diversity (marginalization, reform, and…

In 1992, the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), in conjunction with Wheelock College (Boston), sponsored its second workshop on children's play, entitled "Play and Cognitive Ability: The Cultural Context." This volume reflects the presentations and discussions held at the workshop, offering perspectives on children's play…

Developed for local faculty senates and individual faculty members in the California Community Colleges (CCC), this report provides suggestions, strategies, and tips for undertaking faculty mentoring efforts aimed at increasing the persistence and transfer of underrepresented students in the CCC. Following an introduction and brief discussion of…

This bulletin of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) sets forth the philosophic grounds for democratizing schools and the evidence from research as to why this task should be undertaken. In the first part of the booklet, a brief NCSS position statement indicates that schools should practice democracy and be able to instruct through…

The trends in post-industrial society toward decentralization, diversity, and individualization, with emphasis on synthesis rather than analysis, require educators who are more flexible, adaptable, and capable of managing diversity; this can prove advantageous to small and rural schools, which have long been using such a philosophy. Educators will…

The proceedings of the second Preventive Law Institute, which focused on the legal aspects of educational uses of technology, are included in this report. Following the preface, two overviews (Thomas M. Griffin, Fred "Rick" W. Weingarten) provide an introduction to preventive law for educators and explore the nature of information…

Vocational student organizations (VSOs) are an integrated part of the overall curricula in most educational institutions. Besides providing many educational and work experiences in the classroom, VSOs benefit faculties, school administrators, and communities. Within the classroom and in the workplace, VSOs put into practice those experiences that…

An interdisciplinary, team approach involving a variety of support services and a joint effort on the part of faculty, admissions personnel, peers, and tutors can be an effective tool for use in reducing the anxiety of adults who are returning to education. Whether they are organized to publicize departmental offerings or to explain the function…

Intended for vocational education leaders, this report is presented (1) to describe various systems of ideas, thus increasing awareness of alternative vocational education views, and (2) to aid in an understanding of basic conflicts which affect vocational education. The first of nine chapters reviews the rationale behind the study and notes that…

The rising cost of college textbooks has recently become a topic of intense public debate. It is perceived as a significant barrier to college attendance, and an assortment of legislative remedies has been proposed. This position paper of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges explains that profit is just one of a complex series of…

With minimal guidance and counseling from the community college system, nontraditional students attempt to engage with the educational community as they struggle to escape the poverty that has defined their own lives. Noting that college instructors are challenged to work effectively with a new generation of nontraditional students that includes…

Despite Botswana's commitment to the ideals of democracy and equity, abject and relative poverty are widespread among the country's rural populace. Since Botswana's independence, its rates of poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy have increased. The situation necessitates fundamental changes in the lives of Botswana's rural residents. Such change…

Current school improvement tools are largely piecemeal and often lack credible supportive evidence. Knowledge Work Supervision (KWS) is built on the premise that schools must develop the capacity for sustaining districtwide improvements. Chapter 1, "The Past Before Us Is Not the Future," summarizes the key elements of the four phases of…

This report discusses the place of preservice and inservice teacher education in the needs of gifted children, outlines the role of the gifted education specialist, and discusses the competencies that gifted education specialists should have. It begins by providing a joint statement of core beliefs and goals related to giftedness and the…