Discusses 12 essential principles to help schools teach democratic values in a multicultural society. Derived from findings of the Multicultural Education Consensus Panel to review and synthesize research on diversity, principles are organized into five categories: Teacher learning; student learning; intergroup relations; school governance,…

Results of the "A Study of Schooling" survey indicate that the practice of tracking in secondary schools makes it difficult for schools to achieve either academic excellence or equality of educational opportunities. Tracking, furthermore, forces schools to perpetuate social and economic inequalities. Eight footnotes are appended. (IW)

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)

In response to a California State education reform bill that requires professors of methods courses to return to the classroom once every three years, a university profesor of 15 years taught 9th-grade English in Watts. This essay presents nine tips for others who anticipate their own return to teaching. (IW)

Assesses the current demand for and range of vocational education programs in the United States, describing participation, program availability, teaching methods, effectiveness, student and employer attitudes toward vocational education, the importance of federal funding, and needs for improvement and changes in program content and support. (PGD)

In 1990, Congress charged OERI with evaluating the nation's school-reform efforts. Representative planners subsequently called for research proposals in systemic reform, school-based management, uses of time, student assessment, curriculum reform, educator professionalism, school-to-work transition, early childhood education, parent and community…

Declaring that a "national emergency" exists in American education, the author outlines "Action for Excellence" recommendations developed by the Task Force on Education for Economic Growth, of which he was chairman, and discusses accomplishments in educational reform in the state of North Carolina, where he is governor. (JBM)

Provides numerous statistics on the unequal distribution of power and wealth among men, women, and minorities of the same educational levels. Argues for (1) the teaching of skills and content that will help students control their own destinies and (2) a cooperative social environment within each classroom. Appended are 13 references. (IW)

A recent survey of Los Angeles area employers suggests that current secondary vocational education should be reformed, that employer-based skills-training programs should be created, and that more attention should be paid to the needs of small firms for workers with specialized skills. (JBM)

Describes the report "Tomorrow's Teachers," prepared by the Holmes Group--an organization of 39 education deans committed to the reform of teacher education and of the teaching profession. Explains the group's plans for involving other universities in the pursuit of these goals at regional and national levels. (IW)

Describes the recommendations of the Carnegie Report to restructure the schools in ways that could transform teaching into a career worth pursuing and could produce the greatest possible gains for all students. Teachers need a better incentive structure and need to be invested with greater discretion in making professional judgments. (IW)

Struggling students are often victimized by time constraints--arbitrarily imposed timetables for mastering material and meeting standards. People learn best from experience, not by information acquisition, skill development, rote memorization, or assessment. Reading, writing, arithmetic, scientific understanding, and civics require student…