Reports preliminary findings of a new project aimed at understanding the nature of time-series fluctuations in degrees awarded in various disciplines, including economics. Examines the consequences of such fluctuations for resource allocation within universities. Compares statistics among economics, history, and political science degrees. Includes…

A sixth-grade social studies teacher examined how to give her students more autonomy. By teaching them how to function in cooperative learning environments, the teacher noticed significant improvements in student-teacher interaction, a lessening of disciplinary problems, and a strengthening of individual student leadership. (Author/SM)

Constructs a model that explains a large fraction of the variance in political science departmental rankings. Divides the objective predictors into two sets: one reflecting faculty quality ratings of department members, the other the effects of circumstances beyond a department's control. This model works well with most social science disciplines.…

Displays results of an annual ranking of colleges and universities with the highest rates of associate and bachelor's degrees conferred on minority group members, bachelor's degrees by ethnic group (African American, Hispanic, Asian American, Native American) and institution type (white or historically black), and bachelor's degrees conferred on…

Utilizes a time-series plus control group design to compare the relative effects of a teacher sending home positive, negative, or a combination of the two types of letters for disruptive students. Results showed the negative letter to be most effective in increasing on-task behavior. (MJP)

Native American Studies has failed to develop into an academic discipline because of the continued influence of postcolonial theories, attempts to discredit Native American scholars, politically determined research agendas, and the ideology of the "New Historicism." Native American Studies must seek autonomy from other opportunistic…

Defines the role of the music specialist in designing and implementing a discipline-based music education program. Discusses team teaching and other collaborative efforts between the specialist and the classroom teacher. Includes a discipline-based teaching checklist and selected readings for thematic teaching. (MJP)

Examines specific approaches and strategies for teaching discipline-based music education (DBME). DBME incorporates history, aesthetics, and criticism into traditional music education. Discusses creating a DBME unit, what questions to ask, and what resources to use. Includes a sample approach. (MJP)

Provides a rationale and lesson plan for incorporating geography and art at the K-4 level. The lesson plan features a landscape painting by George Innes, a simplified chronology of his life, as well as a template of questions about the artist and the spatial significance of the painting. (MJP)

Criticizes arguments for providing a global perspective for sociology through greater use of interdisciplinary and international materials. Maintains that these materials simply will be fitted into predetermined categories and approaches. Recommends adopting a world-historical perspective that rejects nationalist comparisons and accepts patterns…

Discusses three types of distance in art education that should be bridged: (1) between studio art and art criticism/history; (2) between thinking in images and thinking in words; and (3) between art and culture in cognition. Recommends a curriculum to integrate studio work with criticism and teach art along with culture. (CFR)

At the University of Hawaii, preservice teachers are prepared for diverse classrooms. This paper examines how a group of largely white, middle-class professors can effectively introduce diverse cultural perspectives on classroom management to preservice teachers who are themselves culturally diverse, and highlights use of an interactive videodisc…

Describes one elementary teacher's experience when a minor event (a student forgetting to bring a permission slip and lunch for a field trip) resulted in a major class lesson in responsibility. Another teacher and a social worker present their perspectives on the situation and provide suggestions for teaching responsibility. (SM)

This paper summarized contributors' ideas about evaluation as a field and where it is going. Topics discussed were qualitative versus quantitative debate; evaluation's purpose; professionalization; program failure; program development; evaluators as advocates; evaluation knowledge; evaluation expansion; and methodology and design. (SLD)

This article considers why journal assignments are desirable in a variety of college courses and offers a definition of empowerment, three components of a model journal entry, and criteria for journal assignments. Also described are applications of journal writing in English, management, study skills, and communication. (JB)