Despite considerable examination of gender and gender equity within early childhood education, gender inequity remains problematic in many early childhood settings. Using qualitative methods, the study reported in this article investigated four early childhood teachers' understandings about gender and their commitment to promoting gender equity.…

What sorts of instruction do students experience in high school English? Most research findings rely on small-scale, localized contexts. The purpose of this study is to provide a national portrait of high school English by documenting its overall quality on several dimensions that are theoretically important. In addition, the study examines…

Students with disabilities represent a relatively small but important group of students in U.S. high schools. The education of these students is heavily influenced by federal and state law as well as by longstanding beliefs about the purpose of education and the extreme heterogeneity of the population. Until recently, general educational policies…

Authored by the teaching staff of T-560: Meeting the Challenge of Individual Differences at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, this article reflects on potential applications of universal design for learning (UDL) in university courses, illustrating major points with examples from T-560. The article explains the roots of UDL in cognitive…

The key elements of promoting human traits such as building trust through proactive communication, empowering individuals, affirming civic values through diversity, serving as a symbol, and increasing accountability and responsibility as they relate to teachers and students are the focus of this article, which provides educators with useful…

This booklet is designed to help educators plan and implement language and literacy programs and related professional development opportunities for elementary school educators. A primary focus of the document is on the tensions that exist between recent local, state, and national initiatives to improve the quality of schooling and current…

In the context of striving for an effective educational equity agenda and school community commitment to diversity, this action research study sought to determine when and how teachers' attitudes, values and self-awareness should be evaluated, and how knowledge of their misconceptions could be used to enhance the success of students attending…

Social studies is concerned with promoting the greater good of society. This paper examines the value of multicultural literature as a tool for this purpose. It is argued that multicultural literature can help promote the social development necessary to address important societal problems and conditions. It can be used formally or informally to…

The diversity that actually exists among Asian-Pacific American students is explored, and the most common stereotypes that mainstream teachers have of them are described. Teachers often express a preference for working with Asian-Pacific American students, but judging students on stereotypes, even positive ones, neglects individual differences and…

This issue brief provides an overview of the importance of providing educators with initial training and continuing professional development opportunities in gender-fair teaching. The brief describes recent research revealing that 20 years after the passage of sex discrimination in education legislation, American schools still engage in…

Seven articles are presented from a symposium on critical theory, cultural analysis, and the ethical aspects of the use of educational technology. Two papers deal with the educational philosophy of two modern thinkers, and others focus on educational technology in the modern or postmodern era. The following papers are included: (1) "Foucault…

This handbook contains questions and guidelines to help teachers and administrators of further education, especially in England, to develop and implement courses for adults. The eight sections of the guide cover the following topics: (1) introduction--using the guidelines and updating; (2) checklist questions, including topics such as setting up a…

This newsletter issue focuses on the issue of recommended instructional and curriculum changes that are part of the current reforms in science education. The issue is composed of four articles. The first article, "Science Education: Schools Pushed To Broaden Access, Overhaul Practice," discusses the call for a science curriculum that…

The Maryland Task Force on the Use of Computers in Instruction conducted a statewide survey of the following components of a successful computer education program: planning; curriculum development; staff development; computer use; instructional equity; selection, maintenance, and evaluation of hardware and courseware; and parent and community…

In addition to describing the traditional college curriculum and comparing historical moments in curriculum change in America, this history defines other historic dimensions: prescription versus free choice, general versus specialized education, elite versus egalitarian education, mass versus individualized instruction, autocratic versus…