Argues against the standards movement. Believes that standardized testing has affected the teachers and students in public schools, the perception of education in general, and public education overall. Focuses on the impact of the standards movement and standardized tests in particular. (CMK)

Provides a brief quiz to test one's understanding of academic freedom. Reviews several court cases on teachers and academic freedom, highlighting the actions of the school, and outcomes of the cases. Includes suggestions for teachers for examining controversial issues in the classroom while accounting for the needs of all involved. (CMK)

Examines the role of politics in the Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program's effort to use evaluation research data to inform Florida's juvenile justice education policies and practices. Two examples illustrate that by maintaining an overriding commitment to its evaluation research purpose, the Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement…

Describes Kodaly-based music programs. Focuses on three problems with this instruction method: (1) when one or more beliefs are focused upon to the detriment of the program as a whole; (2) the Kodaly program was created in a different culture and time; and (3) the program's emphasis on specific musical skills is limiting. (CMK)

Surveys how British primary schools group their students for different school subjects, such as according to class ability or mixed ability grouping. Finds that most schools used the class ability groupings, either in mixed or ability groupings. Includes references. (CMK)

This article analyzes the many meanings of school restructuring and highlights the ongoing nature of school reform in Canadian schools. Following a selective chronology of general and special education reform, it attempts to capture what appear to be the key features of school reform and progressive inclusion. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article analyzes policy and legislation pertaining to special needs education in South Africa. It examines South African research and projects aimed at developing sustainable inclusive education policy and practice and concludes that sustainable inclusive education programs must be linked to programs for social and economic growth and…

Discusses the reasons why students do not see constitutional rights as applicable to their own lives. Focuses on the formal and informal curriculum of schools. Presents court cases for students to learn about the reasons why their rights must differ from adults. Describes how students can be included in making school rules. (CMK)

Discusses the collaborative efforts of educators, parents, the program coordinator, and a consultant in a bilingual child care setting in Montreal to find solutions to the poor fit between a preschool-age child's behavior, educator expectations, and the classroom setting. Includes discussion of the educators' strategies, the team approach, the…

This ethnographic study compared the classroom practices of low, moderately, and highly engaging third-grade teachers in eight Catholic schools. Findings indicated that in low engaging classrooms, teachers used many practices that undermined motivation. Moderately engaging teachers used many potentially motivating practices but assigned tasks that…

An educator observing her biracial, bilingual daughter's first-grade classroom for a study of gender relations was horrified by school and classroom practices that enforced mindless conformity and were insensitive to negative racial images. Her daughter's attempts to make meaning from her experiences are described. (SV)

In this introductory article, the main features of positive behavior support are described, including a prevention-focused continuum of support, proactive instructional approaches to teaching and improving social behaviors, conceptually sound and empirically validated practices, systems change to support effective practices, and data-based…

Discusses the design development, and use of a multimedia classroom for the instruction of undergraduate courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada). Addresses issues involved in using multimedia technologies for GIS instruction, outlining how the room is used for live computer-based…

Presents an annotated bibliography of Web sites that can be useful for geography classroom teachers and of interest to students. Includes Web sites for the United States Geological Survey, the Central Intelligence Agency, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and GlobeXplorer. (CMK)

This article summarizes findings presented in a report by the Audit Commission on the provision for children with disabilities. It discusses widespread dissatisfaction with student assessment, development of statements, resource allocation to support children with special educational needs, and procedures to ensure services are effective.…