Current practice in postliteracy (PL) instruction was reviewed. In all cases, PL programs were considered programs of further learning. Some PL programs were concentrating on further developing literacy skills, whereas others were concentrating on skill training, group formation, or further education based on nonformal curricula. Although adult…

This book examines the implications of postmodern culture for adult education through a review of modernist culture and education and a comparative account of modernist and postmodernist culture that is configured as a set of six tensions in three domains: belief (situatedness and ambiguity); individual identity (determination and control); and…

This book, which is intended primarily for students and others interested in the theory and practice of adult education, contains nine essays demonstrating how traditional adult education values that are derived from philosophies of "individualism" also imply a "public" dimension that is referred to as "mutuality" and manifested not only in the…

A study of the skill priorities of Connecticut's adult education stakeholders asked 838 business and industry providers, 4,846 learners, 774 instructional service providers, and 753 state agencies and public service providers to rate how critical 55 competencies are to an adult's ability to function in society and the workplace. The competency…

The resurgence of "lifelong learning" has renewed consideration of the nature of "working knowledge." Lifelong learning has many aspects, including construction and distribution of individuals' very self-hood, educational institutions' role in capturing informal experiences, and the juggling required between family and…

The basic premise of this paper is that decisions about children and their early educational experiences are culturally situated and, by definition, will reflect varying interpretations of appropriate educational aims and strategies. Drawing upon three decades of experience in the Italian culture as well as preliminary findings from a…

When the School-to-Work Opportunities Act (STWOA) was initiated in 1994, it was envisioned as a systematic effort to prepare young people for high-skill, high-wage careers and provide them with the academic instruction and foundation skills needed to pursue postsecondary education and lifelong learning. STWOA called for development of three main…

This study is grounded in a reform calculus movement funded by grants from the National Science Foundation to find ways to improve student learning in mathematics, specifically in calculus. The study examines reasons why faculty accept or reject reform calculus teaching techniques, and what they consider to be the challenges and outcomes of these…

Describes an experimental program at the University of Surrey (England) to show children that education can be enjoyable and is not necessarily the regimented, apprehensive affair from which many suffer. The existing teenage program was extended to include younger children and school-vacation day programs were added to the evening classes. (MF)

Maintains that the debate over the social studies curriculum has been heavily influenced by a small group of conservative foundations, academics, and the federal government. These groups work toward creating an ideological consensus that promotes a national identity and strives to preserve European American dominant culture. (MJP)

Advocates reconceptualizing visual arts as a core subject embodying key elements of experiential learning and critical thinking through an interdisciplinary approach. Illustrates this approach with a discussion of the interconnected issues surrounding family snapshots (social history, aesthetics, technological advancement). Discusses issues of…

Utilizes critical reaction to the book, "A Philosophy of Music Education," as a framing device to discuss feminist theory and music education philosophy. Maintains that critical criteria drawn from a specific political agenda, and applied to apolitical subjects, accomplishes little more than politicized rhetoric. (MJP)

Describes a unit on North American colonization taught in an eighth-grade history class. Profiles the students' knowledge of colonial history before and after the class through in-depth interviews. Discusses current reform movements in social studies instruction and how they relate to this unit. (MJP)

Reprints the 1966 article as a representative example of thinking about art education during the 1960s. Primarily answers criticisms raised by Victor D'Amico in his attack on the current state of art education, and art education research in particular. Defends this research against charges of irrelevancy and academic indulgence. (MJP)

Explores the effects of the attitudes and culture of Israeli-Jewish English-language students on their reading comprehension. Eighth-grade students read stories in Hebrew and English and answered questions both about the stories and their own attitudes. Reveals that culturally familiar texts boost reading comprehension scores. (MJP)