Considers the role of lay vocation (here broadly defined as the servanthood of nonordained persons within and without the church) in everyday life and religious education. Discusses the relationship between lay vocation and the holiness movement, a perfectionist doctrine that arose in U.S. Protestantism in the late 19th century. (MJP)

Contrasts the values taught in a cultural anthropology course with those pervasive in contemporary American culture. Discusses the relationship between values and attempts to define what it means to be human. Argues that teaching using a cross-cultural perspective empowers students to discover what is truly meaningful to their lives. (JS)

Investigates ways in which social capital made available in an immigrant community contributes to the adaptation of the younger generation. Findings from Vietnamese youth living in New Orleans indicate that strong positive immigrant cultural conformity and constructive forms of behavior provide disadvantaged children with an adaptive advantage.…

Argues that art educators must be acquainted with recent trends in art history, particularly the shift from connoisseurship toward cultural and sociological concerns. Presents a brief overview of art history practice in schools, followed by some recommendations for teaching from new perspectives. (KM)

Presents excerpts from Stephen Toulmin's (1996 Jefferson Lecturer for the Humanities) works. The excerpt from, "Wittgenstein's Vienna," concerns the corruption of social standards, norms, and political authority. "The Return to Cosmology" discusses the role of philosophy in postmodern society and reveals surprising antecedents…

The basic functional relationships between vocational education and other institutions and the sociological implications of these relationships were investigated. The analysis was organized into three section": (1) The Social Setting of Vocational Education. Vocational education is a formalized institutional vehicle which has been introduced into…

Provides historical background for understanding social changes and the resulting problems facing Japan's schools. Topics include resistance of youth to society and its schools, the breakdown of regional communities, the impact of competition for grades, and the changing role of teachers. (JHZ)

Questions the current thesis that people from "collectivist" cultures are less likely to make character inferences based on physical attractiveness. Presents the results of a study that revealed Taiwanese undergraduates assigning positive character attributes to people based on their physical attractiveness. Discusses related literature…

Urie Bronfenbrenner, professor emeritus at Cornell University, discusses how changing American values have shaped an antifamily and individualistic society, and along with increasingly high rates of poverty, single parenthood, and violence, have negatively impacted families, children, and education. Also discusses declining literacy rates, school…

Reports on Soviet parents' responses to a 1986 survey concerning parental influence on children and alcohol use. Points out that most parents perceive the link between their own alcohol use and children's drinking but cultural traditions and alcoholic habits often preclude change. Notes parents' opinions on effectiveness of governmental and school…

This response to Tozer's position paper agrees that the social foundations of education (SFE) is distinct from foundations of education. The paper describes the development of SFE, explaining that the prime task of foundations is to prepare teachers to promote values that define contemporary American values. (SM)

This paper discusses moral, logistical, and other issues concerning phases of "Operation Babylift," the transportation of approximately 2,000 Vietnamese children to the United States for adoption by U.S. citizens at the end of the Vietnamese War. Inadequate health screening, improper selection methods, and crowded and unsafe aircraft are…

With the loss of the original religious foundation of education and its increasing secularization, there has been a shift in definition of the teacher's role. In attempting to prepare persons for assuming the responsibilities of this role, education has relied on teacher training programs as external elements of control instead of the earlier…

This book reexamines the meaning of education, and attempts to weave several major themes into a new model for education. Part 1 discusses the interrelatedness of culture, values, and learning. Three types of learning are self-motivated learning; instruction; and most importantly, model building, which is creating a meaningful structure or…

Reviews some approaches to test bias and considers its fundamental causes. Suggests that because test validity is consistently high, the cultural bias of schooling is responsible. Proposes that because schooling reflects social values, resolution lies in social-political action, not psychological or psychometric advances. Discusses implications.…