Increasing global flows of students, information and ideas, the realities of globalisation, and an increasingly interdependent world have meant that many educators at the secondary school level are currently grappling with the issue of how to internationalise the curriculum and increase inter-cultural understanding among students. In addition,…

For those working in adult learning, supporting active citizenship has become one of those principles-turned-platitudes they like to recite, but they need to search hard in the small print of recent White Papers to be sure that the Government cares about the wider purposes of learning beyond functional training for employment. "Active…

This Summary Guide to the third Annual Report of the National Education Goals Panel continues the commitment of the Panel to let the American people know the results being achieved in education. Facts about performance are presented, with tangible guidance about what each citizen can do to make the Goals a reality. The National Education Goals…

Although the humanistic and democratic practices in the Czech Republic secondary schools are currently insufficient due to the communist regime prior to 1989, a tradition exists in the Czech cultural background for humanity and democracy in education, and those values can be incorporated into the school environment again. The long term isolation…

Four reasons for attention being focused on the quality of the undergraduate experience are identified: spotlight shifts from school reform movement, teacher education under fire, the shifting of the country's economic development, and the complexity of world problems and increasing citizen cynicism. (MLW)

Citizenship education must be redefined to mean preparation for global, as well as for national and local, citizenship and to mean practice in examining complex issues. Social studies programs must be redesigned to meet the challenges of the "New Age," e.g., technological advancement, and to implement this broader definition. (RM)

Society wants its citizens to have precise social understandings which can be applied towards solving social issues. Implications for social studies teacher education and for the classroom teacher are examined. Social studies teachers should step outside the classroom and assist citizens in clarifying social concerns. (RM)

This volume offers the educational leader reviews of research on five timely educational issues: citizenship education, multicultural education, gifted and talented education, classroom assessment, and scheduling. The chapters treating citizenship education review both the research about and practice of citizenship education in K-12 schooling.…

This collection of essays by Canadian educators seeks to achieve two goals. First, it documents educational philosophies and approaches that are directed toward equity, justice, peacefulness, and earth awareness. Second, it challenges current directions in Canadian school reform that promote "back to basics," centralization of control, a…

Seven case studies illustrate how rural people and communities have resisted the arbitrary limits of public policy. In contrast to one-size-fits-all education policy, a history teacher in rural southern Texas motivated his Mexican American high school students to collect oral histories in their community, develop them into a curriculum, and teach…

This article argues that the current school reform movement of high-stakes testing is misguided. It advocates that democratic dispositions and cultural competency be included in the major goals of schooling and proposes that the purpose of schooling should be determined through public deliberation within diverse communities. (Contains references.)…

This article discusses two outcomes of the movement to solve economic problems through school reform: corruption of the civic mission of public education, and the straightjacket-like conditions of teaching brought about by such reforms. Also discussed is the Institute for Democracy in Education, whose focus is democratic empowerment of students.…

Presents a review of Joan Barickman's book, "Schoolwise: Teaching Academic Patterns of Mind," which emphasizes performance-based student evaluation and portfolio assessment. Concludes that the book can help provide concrete ideas for positively altering teaching processes and for making learning more engaging for students and teachers.…

Reports results of task force survey. States that the goal of a political science degree program is to maximize students' capacity to analyze and interpret the significance and dynamics of political events and governmental processes. Offers recommendations in subject matter content, methodology, teaching, and skills. Concludes that the major…

Cross-national study examines how social science, social studies, and civics instruction have evolved in public education. Finds that countries frequently adapt social science curricula independent of local conditions. Suggests that this produces a homogeneity of curricula over time and national boundaries. Illustrates curriculum's central role in…