Presents an interview with a parent who spearheaded a group of parents and residents who took action to preserve First Amendment rights for their children when their school board, responding to pressure from right-wing religious activists, removed a book from the middle-school library. (SR)

In reacting against prescriptivism of language purists, applied linguistics has often advocated a descriptivism that assumes the existence of an unproblematic world that is neatly referenced by words in a language. It is argued that pronouns such as "we,""you," and "they" are in fact very complex and political words,…

Educational philanthropist George Peabody was deeply moved by the post-Civil War poverty in the southern United States and eventually created the Peabody Education Fund to support southern education. The paper, which is one in a collection on George Peabody, describes the history of the Peabody Education Fund. (SM)

Describes the work of the Clothesline Project, which both commemorates and bears witness to victims and survivors of violence against women. Explores the social implications of the notion that curriculum must enable students in schools to explore the themes and most difficult problems of their lives. (SR)

Superintendents today have less or shorter lasting authority than their predecessors for reasons that include the influence of special interest groups and the public's desire for flash instead of substance in personal character. Advises superintendents to make their character the center of their leadership, build a sense of community, and help…

Describes the forced merger (with reduced funding) of the Journalism School and the Communication Department at Ohio State University. (SR)

Uses psychological theories about how people process information to examine the influence of variance in question wording on public support for the Reagan defense build-up. Concludes that source cues influence the public but that such influence is overwhelmed when the public is simultaneously exposed to relevant policy information. (TB)

Uses Ross Perot's campaign for president in 1992 as a case study in how two key political institutions--the conventional political press and the party system--mediate the effects of political communication. Finds that reporters allocated positive and negative coverage to Perot according to the same rules that they normally follow. (TB)

Anti-gay ballot measures provide opportunities for mental health professionals to become involved in the political arena. One psychotherapist's experiences and observations provide a case study for confronting homophobia. Provides suggestions for making professional contributions to combat prejudice. (JPS)

Describes a teacher's experience assisting a Clinton aide in plans to improve technology for education and training. The pressing question is whether American education can adapt to changes made possible by Information Age technology. A political consensus is necessary to finance the information highway, provide training time for teachers, and…

Argues how the fine arts, the sciences, and history contribute to a child's cultural and educational development, and cautions how today's economic and political climate may wither away this part of American children's educational experience. The author's personal educational experiences are used to illustrate the need for the arts in the American…

Provides an overview of the New American Schools Development (NASDC) competition, a celebrated national contest to reward design teams for imagining and building radically better schools. Reviews 11 winning projects and 14 interesting ones that did not appeal to private-sector judges. Having run out of steam, the NASDC seems content as funding…

It is not physically possible to accommodate all the many cultures seeking representation in the school curriculum. Perhaps enough willingness can be mustered from our diverse cultures to seek democratic solutions to our differences that share an understanding of the common good among all citizens. (53 references) (MLF)

Shows that executive turnover through four administrations (1967-89) has kept public broadcasting mired in budgetary crises, transforming its goals, structure, and programing content over time. Describes policy preferences imposed by administrators, identifies attendant modifications in organizational structure, and delineates effects of these…

Muses about teachers' reading habits and their ability to trust themselves as competent, literate individuals. Refers to Howard Gardner's book, "The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach." (SR)