Comments on several biographies of and articles about Pope John Paul II. Argues that he has been the most ecclesiastically consequential pontiff in centuries, revitalizing the church by crafting an evangelical Catholic response to the 21st century crisis of modernity. Suggests that the Pope should be the "man of the century." (DSK)

Ella Flagg Young was the first woman superintendent of a large-city school system (Chicago, 1909-15) and the first woman president of the National Education Association (1910). A colleague of Dewey, Young pioneered democratic administrative practices in a scientific management era and organized school councils to give teachers a greater voice in…

"Kappan" editors recommend Michael Ignatieff's biography of Isaiah Berlin and insightful novels by Barbara Kingsolver, Pat Conroy, Wally Lamb, Edwidge Danticat, and Doris Lessing. Neil Postman's "The End of Education" (1995) advocates exploiting diversity to define standards. Ernest House's "Schools for Sale" (1998)…

Criticizes Maxcy's failure to understand Ernesto "Che" Guevara's reconstruction as an exemplary postmodern educational leader. The author presented a leadership model providing dialectical critique and an attentiveness to political economy. Postmodernism overlooks the significance of Guevara's efforts to resist global capitalist…

Details and assesses the life and education career of Susanna Rowson, particularly her involvement with geography education in the early United States. Discusses her childhood, career in the arts and on the stage, novel writing, educational career, geography textbooks, and relations with other early U.S. geographers. (DSK)

Tells the life stories of some of the people who have worked for human rights and democracy in contemporary China. Five profiles show the obstacles faced by Chinese teachers in the human-rights struggle. (SLD)

Summarizes the contributions of Charles A. McMurry to elementary social studies education. Describes McMurry's development of the concept of Type Study as part of his comprehensive view of elementary education. Asserts that McMurry's studies and advocacy provide insight into the influences on the development of elementary social studies. (DSK)

Discussion of adolescent readers and adolescent literature focuses on adult books for adolescent readers. Topics include historical views; promoting free reading for teenagers; nonfiction, biographies, and interviews with real teens; and the need for lists of appropriate and popular adult books for teenagers. (LRW)

This article provides a teaching guide to the effective use of biographies and autobiographies with gifted students. Fifteen learning activities are suggested such as conducting an eminent people news conference, creating a biography collage, writing a fictionalized biography, and completing a family tree. (Contains three references and a reading…

Addresses five research themes with at-risk populations that have begun to transform traditional understanding of normative human development. These themes are: protective forces inherent in developmental delay, loss involved in progressive development, symptoms as signs of developmental complexity, rediscovery of biography as an essential…

Profiles four professors who epitomize the increasing influence of academe on new technology-driven Internet business: a start-up maven, Steven Kaplan; a social psychologist, Michael Ray; a cyberlawyer, David Post; and an e-commerce expert, Andrew B. Whinston. (DB)

This article uses the metaphor of game in examining how 26 successful Finnish scientists defined and depicted their creative processes. Life-story interviews were analyzed in terms of various stages and characteristics of creative processes suggesting a collage-like dialogue that creates multiple layers of meanings to illustrate the creativity…

Spouses working as superintendents confront agonizing logistics while establishing ground rules for dinner talk. Couples sharing the same career risk eclipsing their personal lives with professional issues. Having one's personal support network under the same roof can be mutually beneficial and synergistic. A married superintendents roster is…

In an age of specialists, Robert Saxon Taylor has been one of the great generalists in the theory and practice of information transfer and use. This sidebar discusses his seminal scholarly contributions, influence on students and senior colleagues alike, memberships and chairmanships, tenure as dean (1972-1981) and professor at what became the…

Examines early influences of educator Lucy Wheelock's life, her contributions to the kindergarten movement, and her legacy to early childhood educators today. Discusses her early education, preparation as a kindergarten teacher, and her efforts to spread the "gospel of Froebel." Maintains that Wheelock's legacy is her belief in the…