This book presents 15 papers on charters, vouchers, and public education: (1) "Introduction: A New Direction in Public Education?" (Paul E. Peterson and David E. Campbell); (2) "Charter Schools: Taking Stock" (Chester E. Finn, Jr, Bruno V. Manno, and Gregg Vanourek); (3) "School Choice in Michigan" (Michael Mintrom…

This study discusses my attempt to improve educational experiences of fifth-grade students living in public housing. Through reconstruction of my thought processes while teaching and learning with students, the context of social justice-oriented teaching and classroom complexity is revealed. A narrative portrayal emerges demonstrating the impact…

This report offers numerous cross-sectoral explorations in the context of health and human resources analyses in Africa. Intended as a resource document for funding agencies, program managers, and policy makers in Africa, the study aims to spark interest in using basic education to foster behavior conducive to broad-based, sustainable economic…

This paper lays out a rationale for building local rural development policies that focus on potential strengths of school-community relationships, while empowering local citizens. Rural communities and their schools are caught up in trends that complicate policy at all levels. These trends include changes related to national and global economic…

This book examines the issue of sexuality education in the schools. Chapter 1, "Sexuality and Sexuality Education: Implications for the Nature of Society," discusses the controversy over the issue. Chapter 2, "Restrictive and Permissive Sexual Ideologies," provides an analytical framework for clarifying conflicts around human sexuality that…

"Citizenship" is a quality that most Americans would agree should be promoted in the schools. "Values education," as we have seen, provokes controversy and the question "Whose values are you going to teach?" An acceptable response is: "Values of citizenship, American democratic values, and the values upon which…

School discipline is viewed as a national concern that is becoming more serious by the day. Practicing teachers, student teachers, and preservice high education students across the country are concerned with discipline-related problems in schools across the nation. Perceptions of discipline influence practicing teachers, student teachers, and…

The argument that liberal education leads people to substitute intellectual tolerance or ambiguity for righteous indignation is criticized, with reference to Harriet Beecher Stowe's portrayal of Thomas Jefferson, his liberalism, and democratic manners. (MSE)

The conditions facing postsecondary education during the 1980s, it is suggested, call for institutional planning styles that are comprehensive, systematic, public, regular, and expansive. The formal democratic style is described as a comprehensive planning process that requires all departments to submit their plans to the college. (Author/MLW)

The concept of power evokes controversy in relation to the American social mind. Americans both want and fear power. Power is a fundamental concept in social science, and, while involving the features of organizational hierarchy and social relations, the forms of power are conceived as force, fiction, fealty, and ethics. (JN)

This paper develops a theory of listening in democratic dialogs inspired by the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer and John Dewey. The theory requires the acknowledgement of a prominent role for risking and reconstructing social habits in open dialogs across gender, racial, and ethnic differences. (SM)

Reviews a book suggesting that public education built on democratic values guarantees an equal education for students from all social, racial, and cultural groups. The book addresses how issues related to race, politics, and social class have clouded educational improvement efforts in California and describes classroom activities and teaching…

The nation's educational system mirrors the dynamics of our marketplace democracy, recasting parents as self-interested consumers. Jane Addams' philosophy of education (enhancing people's productive capacities to benefit the commonweal) has been revived in Public Achievement, a work-centered, civic-earning program in St.Paul, Minnesota, that helps…

Presents three brief articles recalling US teachers' experiences conducting civic education workshops in Bosnia. Pat Feichter writes "Would I Return? In a Heartbeat." Gail Huschle examines "Beauty in the Midst of Devastation." Mary Bristol considers "Making Connections between Cultures." (MJP)

This paper argues that the essential social function of schools is to teach people their place, which can become material for ruling elites. Focusing on urban students, the paper emphasizes that teachers must learn to become political in order to help build a just social order. (SM)