Compulsory Greek education has long shown its need for revision. The Greek Pedagogical Institute (GPI) has presented the cross-thematic approach as a panacea, yet further changes are necessary in terms of experiential learning, school subject demarcation, teaching time management, teaching material, and the student/educator role. This article…

This article is neither a study nor a review; rather, it is a thought piece from a contributing editor concerning issues associated with the state of gifted child education, as it exists today in the shadow of the effects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The primary purpose of this article is to stimulate thought, discussion, and action concerning…

In the inaugural issue of the "Journal of School Choice," John Merrifield offers an important, insightful, and highly provocative critique of charter schooling in an effort to "get people to think about the issues...and seek additional evidence". In "Charter Laws: Disaster, Detour, Irrelevant, or Reform Tool?" Merrifield maintains that economic…

The SACE Review report, Success for All, completely ignores two important issues, namely, (a) the portability of the certificate, and (b) the nature of secondary schooling in a future that is set in a global world. The Review saw the South Australian education system operating in a context that was limited to the geographical and cultural…

This presentation is based on two essays by the author (P. K. Jamison): (1) "Providing Alternative Views of Contexts, Instruction, and Learning in Graduate and Continuing Professional Education Courses in Instructional Development"; and (2) "How Is Instructional Development a Social Practice?". The first essay presents a critical inquiry,…

Argues that (1) even the most radical critics of departmental structures are committed to the perpetuation of English departments and, therefore, will adopt, regardless of potential contradictions, the professional discourse that validates them and (2) that this will be done even though the Babel of contemporary critical discourse makes a…

Presents a series of speeches by three past presidents of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) about the future of the association and educational research in general. Two of the three explain why they are highly critical of the field they helped lead; the third suggests a redirection towards more comprehensive theories from the…

Teacher talks about difficulty of dealing with often contradictory changes in instructional methods, especially in teaching reading. (PKP)

Common threads running through the social studies curriculum reform recommendations include the following: (1) the study of democratic beliefs; (2) student civic participation; (3) the study of modern issues that call for global interactive connections; and (4) restructuring survey courses to avoid repetition and add depth. (MLF)

Discusses the growing environmental education movement and what constitutes good education about recycling and the environment. Lists characteristics of environmental education resources and examines criticism of environmental education and recycling education. Cites 19 references. (LZ)

School bashing has been a national pastime for years. Government officials and business leaders demoralize teachers and administrators carrying out improvement efforts by telling them how poorly they are doing. Although many educators truly believe in a national desire to improve education, there is no national will to compensate and empower…

Discusses criticism of middle school reform based on questions about the universality and intensity of the characteristics of early adolescence. Suggests ways in which middle school advocates might respond to various criticisms, from using research evidence to supplementing their emphasis on development with a socially conscious commitment to…

Explains why schoolwide reform models do not work. Reviews several validated school-improvement principles and discusses their implementation. (PKP)

For years many from the Left have been calling for educational reform, pointing out the shortcomings of public schooling for its antidemocratic structures and policies, irrelevant and sometimes racist curriculum, and myriad other faults. And social studies teachers and curriculum developers have borne the brunt of much of these criticisms. Now the…

Since 2001 many observers of education in the Muslim world have expressed concerns about the radicalizing influence of madrasahs. These critiques often assume that the ichotomization of sacred and secular common to civic society in the West is a necessary ingredient of any educational reforms designed to prevent the spread of religious extremism…