Blackwell, Futrell, and Imig (2003), in their article "Burnt Water Paradoxes of Schools of Education," present a dismal picture of the challenges and inconsistencies facing schools, colleges, and departments of education. These criticisms have accelerated over the past few years and have been fueled by the current federal government's…

This paper presents two central themes: (1) communicative symbols teachers use are often inextricably linked with their personal politics; and (2) the present media obsession with "political correctness" (PC) offers a valuable opportunity for teachers to critically evaluate their practices and reflect on their own values, beliefs, assumptions, and…

The volume "Knowledge Base for the Beginning Teacher" (KBBT), published by Pergamon Press, has been put forward by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education as a guide for colleges of education seeking to establish a knowledge base for their programs. According to the book's summary, its 10 "features" closely…

"Learning to Be," a project authored by the International Commission on the Development of Education, is criticized for its reliance on science and technology to solve social problems. "Defensive education," based more on political consciousness and action, is proposed as a better solution to the educational needs of society. (MW)

The pedagogical and theoretical questions raised by the notion of using microcomputers in the teaching of literature are covered in this report, rather than the current state of computer use in the classroom. In part, the report formulates basic premises that underly what teachers do in literature classrooms and asks what skills, concepts, and…

Responded to a 1973 journal article by R. S. Peters which defended education as a topic of research in institutes of higher education. The author argues that degrees in education without practical experience are an educational disaster and should be abandoned. (Author/DB)

Calls for a rethinking of the literary canon and a reflection on the order of culture's discourses and the relations among them. (CRH)

Urges the use of new developments in structuralist and poststructuralist theory as the basis for a new practice in the teaching of composition. (CRH)

"A Millionaire at Sixteen" is the second volume of the "All-Over-the-World" series; and while the book may be read independently of the first, it is the continuation of the adventures of Louis Belgrave, who was presented to the reader in the preceding story. After the first volume, the author hopes to not be accused with being…

The revision of the standard accounts of the development of education in this country casts grave doubts on the benign motives of our educational leaders and reformers. This article is an example of such revisions. (Editor)

There have been persistent criticisms of Rorty's "liberal ironist" as the postmodern picture of the educated in the liberal utopia. While the modernist (Enlightenment) liberal Thomas McCarthy, who believes in universal rationality as the basis of public morality, criticizes Rorty's view of the liberal ironist for fostering the poverty of public…

Whatever the meaning of the "post" these days, it is pervasive, elusive and marked by a proliferation of conflicting definitions that refuse to settle into meaning. Efforts to accommodate/incorporate the "post" in educational research have not been easy. In the pages of the "Educational Researcher" alone, McLaren and Farahmandpur (2000) warn…

In her very influential book, "The Point of Words" (1988), Ellen Winner presents strong evidence that children younger than six can understand and use metaphors, but not irony. Winner, however, fails to consider "philosophical story irony" in her research. This sort of irony is a little like dramatic irony. We have a case of such irony whenever…

After summarizing typical criticisms of multicultural composition readers, the author draws on work in "New Literacy Studies" to point toward composition pedagogies that encourage multicultural interactions beyond selections in assigned readers. The author suggests that what is ultimately needed is a productive critical frame not only for refining…

Human resource development (HRD) as a scholarly endeavor and as a practice is often criticized in the adult education (AE) literature and by AE scholars as manipulative and oppressive and, through training and other interventions, controlling workers for strictly economic ends (Baptiste, 2001; Cunningham, 2004; Schied, 2001; Welton, 1995).…