Harmful plastic debris found on beaches and in the oceans are not limited to drinking straws or bags. There are several synthetic organic polymers that can be used to make different kinds of plastic materials and have resulted in billions of tons of waste that can reach the aquatic biome and are harmful to freshwater and marine communities as well…

The Magnet Program at Montgomery Blair High School is an application-based magnet program utilizing a curriculum focused on science, mathematics, and computer science catering to interested, talented, and eager to learn students in Montgomery County, Maryland. This article identifies and discusses some of the unique aspects of the Magnet Program…

The simple pendulum has long been used to measure "g", the acceleration due to gravity, with a precision of a few percent. Achieving agreement with the accepted value of less than 1% is feasible in the high school laboratory, though it requires some care. The precision of the measurement is bound by how accurately the period and the pendulum…

A rotating magnetic field is the basis for the transformation of electrical energy to mechanical energy. School experiments on the rotating magnetic field are rare since they require the use of specially prepared mechanical setups and/or relatively large, three-phase power supplies to achieve strong magnetic fields. This paper proposes several…

This is a must-have resource for busy educators involved in creating, improving, or reevaluating their school mission statements. The authors provide numerous examples of mission statements from a diverse range of preK-12 schools, offering readers an extremely valuable resource for developing an understanding of various themes and ideas in…

This study examined the perceptions of Language Arts teachers, Mathematics teachers, and administrators in four high schools in a large urban New Jersey school district regarding a standards-based teacher evaluation system implemented in 2003 adapted and modeled on "Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching" (Danielson,…

The author was born and raised in rural, northern Mississippi. He went to a local school, the North Pontotoc Attendance Center, from first grade on. The author was always interested in math and science, but, then, he was interested in most all subjects. The expected path that his friends and siblings had followed was clear: attend a junior college…

This article is intended as a guide for teaching geomagnetism in a high school or university introductory physics class. Many students find this subject fascinating. Instructors, however, often have a difficult time introducing this topic at an elementary level. Suggestions will be made on how to accomplish this using three electricity and…

The author describes the application of the vocational method of instruction, a technique focusing on real-world laboratory settings and private sector involvement, to the programs of an academic high school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia. (CH)

As the number of new schools explodes in urban centers, educators need to understand the processes and challenges faced by schools trying to develop a central focus for curriculum and instruction. Using case study methods including interviews and document analysis, the current study explores the ways in which a highly successful magnet high…

In spite of a widespread commitment to the comprehensive high school, the nation has long had specialty or theme schools and schools that target particular children. Magnet schools, alternative schools, and Catholic schools illustrate that the idea of specialized schools is not new. Recently, the concept has received a boost from a study by the…

Describes a kit designed as a leisure time activity for teenagers and adults who have had little previous experience of magnetism and electricity. The kit may be useful for homework, small group work, or as a training course for nonscientist science teachers. (PR)

This article will explore how symbolic and institutional violence shaped students' understandings of themselves within the educational context, and will argue that the creation of critical educational spaces can enable students and teachers to explore and transgress the internal and external influences and violence that shape the learning…

A plan for a magnet school health careers program for 11th and 12th graders, intended to promote desegregation and provide improved educational opportunities for Cleveland students, is described in this proposal. Detailed descriptions cover staff requirements and qualifications, staff development plans, curriculum, and support activities. Included…

The experiences of a literature teacher in an inner-city high school in Houston (Texas) give a portrait of the urban classroom and the successes and failures of the everyday life of the urban teacher. The school, in a poor neighborhood, is unremarkable, unstimulating, and ill-equipped for serious learning. The students, who are almost entirely…