Contends that the inclusion of geography in comprehensive social studies reduced the effectiveness of geography teacher training and acted to promote geographic illiteracy in America. (MS)

Discusses how to determine whether a school-related search is reasonable. Suggests 10 guidelines to avoid suits over illegal searches. Recommends that school authorities exercise extreme care to protect themselves against suits alleging Constitutional violations. (MS)

Argues that the teaching of statistics can be freed from the tedium of routine and repetitive calculations with the use of several creative approaches. Concludes that these approaches enable students to invent and seek applications as a result of their own initiative and understanding. (MS)

Asserts that a major challenge in the language arts curriculum is to continue including expressive oral language activities amid requirements for more written-language activities. Claims that there are three tasks for curriculum workers interested in oral language: develop rationales; plan curriculum sequences; and implement evaluation of…

Envisions the characteristics of effective principals in the year 2000 to include: showing academic as well as political leadership; being comfortable with shared decision making; and encouraging ambiguity, alternatives, and the dialectic process. (SR)

Examines teaching practices against current theories of reading, writing, and critical thinking to explore how and why multiple classroom activities and deep immersions into literacy texts can give students the skills and knowledge they need to write effective papers, providing them also with a sense of connectedness to text that they might…

Argues that middle- and high-school students benefit from class discussions of personal and societal values and the role they play in decision making. Presents two stories of real-life difficult choices and their consequences. Presents brief descriptions of five current controversial issues (with suggested questions) for classroom discussion to…

Uses a description of large-scale collaborative portfolio assessment in the secondary school system in England as a means of seeing the American system and the recent reform efforts in comparative perspective. (RS)

Finds that school property taxes have been substantially reduced under the new Michigan school finance system and have been replaced with new state revenues, although it is uncertain whether these new state dollars will be available in a recession. Finds that substantial disparities remain between Michigan school districts in revenues and…

Finds that major differences of opinion exist between students and teachers with regard to the report-writing process. Notes classroom strategies that create congruent perceptions of the task. (SR)

Argues that the solution to many of the problems in education may be simple: provide teachers more time for their work by lengthening their contract and allowing them to do their planning and training during the work day (like most professional workers). (SR)

Discusses case law regarding schools and strip searches of students, and offers five generalizations regarding the matter. (SR)

Notes four strategies that will almost certainly result in losing a school bond election, then discusses four strategies that increase the probability of passage. (SR)

Overviews the current state of writing instruction in elementary and secondary schools. Presents specific examples from real classrooms of misguided instruction and ill-advised assignments. Suggests specific ways of improving classroom instructions of writing at all levels in the future. (HB)

Considers the issue of local school control within large school districts. Describes the campus-centered German educational system. Provides insight into why the orientation of initiatives in site-based school management may be the opposite of what is needed. (HB)