As South Africa transitioned from apartheid to democracy, changes in the political landscape, as well as educational agendas and discourse on both a national and international level, shaped successive waves of curriculum reform over a relatively short period of time. Using South Africa as a germane example of how curriculum and pedagogy can…

All-male black classes may be one way to prevent this population from dropping out of school. Describes experimental classes in a Newark (New Jersey) private elementary school that appeared to have a positive effect on the motivation, self concept, and responsibility of Black male students. (FMW)

Nine essays, originally presented at an interdisciplinary conference sponsored by the University of Chicago, address problems of the changing inner cities of older, industrial metropolitan areas. An introduction reviews important theories of urban development, and the impact of changing technology and racial composition. Part one includes an essay…

Contends that recent changes in the South African school curriculum are intended to preserve racial separateness rather than to bring about an integrated society. Distinguishes between the concepts of "own" culture versus "common" culture in examining multiculturalism in South Africa. Provides a set of recommendations for…

Relates the story and subsequent trial of Ossian Sweet and his efforts to defend his home and family against racially motivated violence in Detroit (Michigan) during the 1920s. Contends that the Sweet case was an early victory against housing segregation and foreshadowed the Civil Rights movement. (CFR)

Maintains that the story of blacks in U.S. sports supports the theory that sports often mirror the larger society. Describes the life story of Tom Molineaux, a black boxer who achieved international recognition. Concludes that Molineaux should be regarded as the first U.S. black sports hero. (CFR)

Describes the role and impact of college athletics at historically black colleges during the period between the two world wars. Maintains that sports became a source of pride and a vehicle for social change. Concludes, however, that there is substantial reason to be skeptical about the efficacy of sport to overcome racial prejudice. (CFR)

Maintains that Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. fundamentally altered the tradition of protest and reform. Compares and contrasts the role of each man in U.S. social and constitutional history. Concludes that while Thoreau lacked the broad influence of King, his writings influenced both King and Mohandas Gandhi. (CFR)

Discusses the character and contributions of Thomas Jesse Jones, an early 20th-century educator and a pioneer in social studies and black education. Jones's inconsistent philosophy (he supported limited black education but believed in white supremacy) grew out of an unlikely combination of progressive Christianity and deep conservatism. (MJP)

Describes Namibian educational history from 1890 to the present. Discusses the political and military struggle for independence and the challenges of building an educational system consistent with democratic values. (CFR)

Examines the contradictory and often negative assessment of black teachers in the pre-World War II South by black leaders and civil rights advocates. Black leaders criticized teachers for being at best, poorly trained, and at worst, willing tools of socialized oppression. Asserts that the teachers performed well under difficult conditions. (MJP)

Reviews the state of geography education in South Africa from the elementary grades through the university system (including teacher education programs). Discusses the challenges facing the current system including a changing physical geography (elimination of the homelands) and a radically restructured educational system (inclusion of nonwhites).…

This theme issue of the serial "Educational Foundations" contains five articles devoted to the topic of "Politics and the Schools." In "Resisting Racial Awareness: How Teachers Understand the Social Order from Their Racial, Gender, and Social Class Locations," Christine E. Sleeter discusses the conception of…

Asserts that scholarship on the formative period of the African presence in the Americas is still in its infancy. Explores the role of ethnicity in the construction of the lives of African-born slaves in Mexico City during the early 1600s. Discusses implications of the findings, including the impact of ethnicity on marriage choices. (CFR)