The case in favor of free speech goes above and beyond the rationale for filtrating government encroachments on expression. It also involves affirmative steps to make sure all individuals and groups have the means and opportunity to be heard. If free speech matters, one needs to ask not only whether the government is respecting it, but whether…

The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan last year has produced a desperate humanitarian situation in the country. Nearly half of all households are experiencing acute food insecurity, maternal and infant mortality rates are rising quickly, and 97% of families are at risk of dropping below the poverty line. Most concerning is the intentional…

This is a very difficult time in education. Neoliberal and neoconservative policies have had major effects on schools, on communities, on administrators, on teachers, and on all school staff. A new alliance has integrated education into a wider set of ideological commitments. The objectives in education are the same as those that guide economic…

The 2007 Bondar Report, "Shaping Our Schools, Shaping Our Future," generated a vision for environmental curricula in Ontario. It has been the basis for the mandated framework introduced in 2009 by the Ministry of Education for environmental education (EE) in all Ontario schools. Based on our research and personal reflections, this paper…

In the eyes of policy, the transformation of European education systems has become essential. Economically, education change is deemed vital to the successful emergence of knowledge economies. Politically, educational institutions and their cultures are seen as unhelpfully residual, providing a home to beliefs and practices that are not aligned…

In this paper the author offers a reprint of "Equality of Opportunity: The Making of the Americans with Disabilities Act" (July 26, 1997). This personal story is part and parcel of the ADA's (Americans with Disabilities Act) significance in the society. The ADA is a nondiscrimination law. It is a clarion call for transforming attitudes…

This report studies the relationship between conflict and education in Cote d'Ivoire, and suggests policy and program approaches for analysts and those engaged with education and peacebuilding in societies affected by conflict. Although the situation in Cote d'Ivoire has evolved since the main recommendations of this report were written in early…

The infamous "Sydney Tar Ponds" are well known as one of the largest toxic waste sites of Canada, due to almost 100 years of steelmaking in Sydney, a once beautiful and peaceful city located on the east side of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. This article begins with a contextual overview of the Tar Ponds issue including a brief…

Because of New York City's proximity to water, edifices were built with one step as a barrier to potential flooding. The increase in the disability population made it evident that this step formed a barrier to people who could not negotiate level changes, especially those in wheelchairs and motorized scooters. The Americans with Disabilities Act…

A teacher from the Free School (Albany, New York) reflects on his experiences at the Stand for Children rally in Washington, D.C. The rally brought together hundreds of thousands of children to focus attention on the nation's responsibility for meeting children's needs; however, it could have had more impact if children themselves had organized…

Higher education reform in West Germany from 1965-79 shows a growing tendency among the citizens toward politicized legalism. Three federal court decisions have shaped a federal law for higher education policy, and judicial activism in university reform impairs the ability of state legislatures and academic institutions to experiment and innovate…

An instructional technology professor has created a documentary film about the killing of four college students at an antiwar protest at Kent State University (Ohio) in 1970. The film highlights the events and their social symbolism. It will be turned into an interactive exhibit housed at the university. (MSE)

Kake Tribal Corporation's purchase of a seafood cold storage facility in southeast Alaska is an example of the growing economic clout of Alaska's tribal corporations. However, many claim that the pro-development forces of corporations are weakening the subsistence economy and culture of Alaska Natives. Conflicts involve Native hunting and fishing…

This report from the National Student Educational Fund (NSEF) contains a synopsis of the organization's activities for 1977-1979. The history of the NSEF is traced. The NSEF-sponsored Student-Commissioner Conference, the development of the California Financial Aid Workbook for High School Students and Their Parents, and other outreach programs…

Massive growth in British higher education since the 1960s did alter the social composition of the student body, but not in the ways many people imagined. Neither the worst fears nor the highest hopes were realized. New inequalities of educational opportunity have appeared, and the greater access gained in the 1960s has led to more limited student…