This article addresses twin purposes of adult education: education for social change and education for spiritual growth. In reviewing the historical roots for both purposes, as well as emergent contemporary interests, the author makes the case that renewed attention is being, and ought to be, given to these purposes both by academics and by…

Background/Context: Most narratives of Brown v. Board of Education primarily focus on integrated schooling as the ultimate objective in Black people's quest for quality schooling. Rather than uniformly assuming integration as Black people's ideological model, the push by Black people for quality schooling instead should be viewed within the…

Author suggests a rereading of educational articles written by progressive'' reformers in the 1920's and 30's, to profit from earlier experiences. (SP)

Examines parent opinions on homework between 1900-60, investigating parents' voices in the history of U.S. education and discussing modern day controversies regarding the school-family interface. The article explores whether, in educational policymaking, the family should follow the school's wishes, or vice versa, concluding that if parents want…

Reviews Ravitch's "Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms," suggesting that: the book is tedious, its documentation is limited, it neglects important reform movements, and it presents troubling accusations about an elitist attitude in public education which has historically been detrimental to the underprivileged. The review…

The central concern of this essay is the role that contextual considerations play in understanding and evaluating the past. (MM)

Analyzes current environmental emphasis in light of past efforts in the same area, and suggests that environmental studies'' belongs with the humanities rather than with the natural sciences. (SP)

The September-to-June school calendar has been a fixture of North America for almost a century. Its origins have usually been told as an unexamined tale attributed to features of nineteenth century rural society. We challenge this interpretation by suggesting that multiple pressures arising from increasing urbanization influenced its roots. We…

Educational innovations from the mid-1800s are briefly reviewed and a framework for projected change strategies in the next decade is given. (JD)

Examines the origins of the National Parent-Teacher Association, questioning its image as a white, middle class women's association; explaining its relationship to late 19th century maternalist ideology; asserting that the emphasis on woman-as-mother created tension between women volunteers and male school administrators; and investigating the…

This article discusses four reasons for advocacy activities related to early childhood education and child care: preserving existing programs; increasing capacity and quality of service; making early education more accessible, affordable, and equitable; and educating the public. (IAH)

Examines the early history of state student assessment, describing how an accountability model for state testing failed between 1865-1965 and stressing the role of institutionalized clusters of normative and causal ideas in educational policy making. These policy frameworks define core principles that nimate state action, legitimate aims served by…

This article discusses the career of Mabel Carney, head of the Department of Rural Education at Teachers College from 1918 to 1941. Carney was deeply involved with African American and African education, traveling to Africa and the American South, teaching courses on "Negro education", and working closely with both African and African…

This essay is a brief synthesis of the experiences of a broad variety of minority groups in American education. (MM)

Considers the curriculum reform movement of the 1950s as an experiment in applying innovative research and development techniques perfected by scientists during World War II, tracing the development of newer methods of scientific analysis and examining how they were imported from military research to the field of education by a select group of…