Materialism and the commodification of knowledge and education have left students alienated and disinterested. In response, some Chicano students have revolted against educational dehumanization and are engaged in a process of spiritualization through indigenismo. Chicano studies provides a potential path toward educational transformation by…

Explains that individualized still-life arrangements steer students away from duplicating cultural forms as subject matter and replaces them with the process of training the eye to observe line, space, proportion, texture, and color in changing settings. Describes how students can create their own still-life arrangements. (CMK)

Describes the use of a token economy in a fifth-grade classroom that teaches students economic concepts and helps develop their decision-making skills. States that students learn about scarcity, savings, price, inflation, insurance, rent, and utilities. Includes additional resources. (CMK)

Examines both civic and academic outcomes for 260 students participating in three models of service learning courses (placement-service optional, placement-service required, and a consulting group). Explains that after one semester of service learning, student outcomes were mixed. Suggests that instructors consider carefully whether to require…

Defines Structured Freedom as a model of instruction that gives students responsibility for their own learning and engages them in convergent and divergent thinking. Illustrates the use of Structured Freedom in social studies instruction by applying its four stages to a Pueblo Indians unit that focuses on historical comparison. (CMK)

Describes how one teacher used peer review to help students understand state content standards. Students held one another accountable for the basics, then she assessed the core content of their work. To get students thinking about standards-based learning, she used a pizza activity. Next, students created rubrics for assessing book reports and…

Explores the reasons for using the Internet in the classroom: (1) stimulates student interest; (2) develops information literacy; (3) encourages student interaction; and (4) offers students control over their learning. Discusses two examples of how the Internet can enhance the social studies curriculum and recognizes the barriers to Internet…

Draws on six instances in which students were engaged in improvisational musical composition with peers and/or a teacher in music classroom settings. Offers an analysis of the creative process and product. Discusses the findings and the role of shared understanding in empowering independent musical thinking. (CMK)

This article develops a theoretical model for examining the interrelationship between ethnic identity and educational outcomes. The model is aimed at developing an understanding of why ethnicity may at times make a difference in academic performance and student empowerment. Ethnic identity is conceptualized as a product of multiple levels of…

Although advocates of critical education such as Darder (1991), hooks (1994), and Macedo (1994) have critically assessed ethnic and language minority education, few studies have empirically examined bilingual education practices from a critical perspective. In this project, we investigated the pedagogical practices of educators, with classroom…

The author commends Drs. Bemak, Chung, and Siroskey-Sabdo on their efforts to connect with and empower African American adolescent females. However, he does have some concerns regarding their Empowerment Groups for Academic Success (EGAS) approach to empowering this particular group of students. While he agrees with the authors about the…

This article explores the dynamics and educational potential of De Colores Community Learning Center, an after-school program serving low-performing Chicano-Latino children. The article discusses the foundational characteristics of De Colores and its quest to become a model of empowerment, instead of a more traditional model of service. Finally,…

Bernstein's work on educational transmission provides a discourse for understanding classroom practice which can integrate elements as diverse as content and interaction, to enable a critical evaluation of how pedagogic transformation occurs. This article describes an intervention in an English classroom in rural KwaZulu-Natal in which the shift…

Self-directed Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) allow students to assume leadership and become actively involved in the decisions made at their IEP meetings. This article describes how through direct instruction, social skills discussion, active practice, and role-playing students are prepared to facilitate their meeting. This active…

This article examines the research-based best practice of peer partnerships in schools and communities, as it relates to the principles of Whole Schooling. It also identifies complex issues of peer partnership program accessibility and the multidimensional needs of students and youth. The authors make recommendations that would lead to an increase…