This journal focuses on organizational change within the community college and its reflection of social movement and institutional identity. The first article, "Organizational Change and the Community College," by John Stewart Levin, demonstrates how change determines the character of the institution. "In Search of Vision and Values: The Minnesota…

This article summarizes the breadth, diversity, and significance of the international movement to recognize, prepare, and learn from teachers as researchers from three interrelated standpoints: curriculum improvement, professional critique, and societal reform. A derivative of action research, teacher research from a curriculum improvement stance…

Argues for the inclusion of noncanonical literature in the English curriculum, especially literature by women and minorities. Provides principles to guide the teaching of noncanonical literature. (SRT)

This paper provides a response to serious critics of media and technology in education. It concludes: (1) media and technology are best used as cognitive tools to learn rather than as surrogate teachers; (2) media and technology are only vehicles for the content and pedagogy that educators design into them; and (3) future efforts to integrate…

A statement officially adopted by the Board of Directors of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is presented. The position is taken that the amount and effects of racism and bias in English and Language Arts educational materials cannot be ignored. Specifically, educational materials now suffer from the following crucial…

This article explores some of the debates about the nature and purpose of education in the social sciences in the Australian curricula. It examines recent attempts in studies of society and environment and history curricula to prepare students for global citizenship and responds to neo-conservative critiques that our "politically…

This paper offers a commentary, by a representative of the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education, on the Holmes Group publication (1995) titled "Tomorrow's Schools of Education." The Holmes Group is applauded for producing a much-needed, candid assessment of schools of education. The issue of marginal…

The five essays in this book criticize the "deadening heart" of compulsory state schooling, described as a series of assumptions and structures that stamp out the self-knowledge, curiosity, concentration and solitude essential to learning--a system wherein education and schooling are mutually exclusive terms. The book argues that between schooling…

Introduces ex-teacher and author John Taylor Gatto's experiences and views on education, including contradictory patterns of family life and education in the United States, based on traditions of various immigrant groups; deleterious impacts of standardization and institutional usurpation of family functions; and conflict between the development…

A Soviet teacher recognizes the difficulty of transforming educational systems and the tendency to revert to dogmatism. Cautions against teachers uncritically adopting current pedagogical fashions. Insists the individual teacher's personality remains the primary instructional influence. Applauds efforts to democratize teacher-student relations.…

Asserts that Lawrence Kohlberg's purely "formalistic" conceptualizations of moral judgment and associated measures may misrepresent the true nature of moral thought. Identifies logical inconsistencies in Kohlberg's reliance on the "form" of moral judgment and argues for a reconceptualization in terms of content. Discusses the…

The corpus of existing curricular practices relating to the applied degree provides some opportunity to re-visit the Mission of Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology (CAATS) and transcend local and situated boundaries to consider the relatedness of what members of CAATS do well, what new activities they should be considering and how they face…

Criticizes the traditional approach to art education that emphasizes formal properties such as line, color, and shape. Proposes that teachers develop student abilities to go beyond the visual level of artworks and gain access to the complexity of meanings that art possesses. Includes contemporary art examples and corresponding analyses. (MJP)

The education problems in New York City (and a number of other jurisdictions that face court financing challenges) are real and important. Many people would indeed be willing to put more money into New York City schools (or any poorly performing school for that matter) if they had any reason to believe that students' achievement would improve…

This collection provides a new perspective for understanding what assessment can do to promote continuous improvement in education. The concepts of systems thinking, continued learning, mental models, shared vision, and team building are highlighted in the selections, which include: (1) "A Systems Approach to Assessing School Culture"…