The 1830s marked a lush first flowering of democratic journalism in America--participatory journalism of the sort that Alexis de Tocqueville heralded. But contrary to standard journalism history, this democratic press had nothing to do with the rise of the penny press; in fact, William Lloyd Garrison's abolitionist paper, "The…

Seven widely-used high school world history textbooks were analyzed to test the proposition that alternative political and economic systems, such as American democracy and Soviet communism, are treated neutrally, as if they are morally equivalent. This proposition has been advanced by leaders in the U.S. Department of Education as a criticism of…

Libraries serve our nation and its citizens in two primary ways: by preserving our common culture, and by nurturing and sustaining democracy itself. A particular democratic function of libraries is fostering reading. As noted in two reports recently issued by the U.S. Department of Education, "What Works" and "First Lessons," it is imperative to…

This anthology provides an introduction to a variety of theories about and historical types of church-state relations, past and present. It provides foreign models against which citizens can judge the strengths and weaknesses of U.S. constitutional arrangements. The analysis looks at Catholicism, Islam, Lutheranism, Calvinism, Judaism, and the…

One of a series of curriculum materials in U.S. history designed to teach critical thinking skills systematically, this student booklet presents high school students with supplementary lessons on the new Republic, the Jacksonian era, slavery and the Civil War. The student booklet begins with a guide to critical thinking which offers an explanation…

Eight selected U.S. foreign policy issues are explored in this study and discussion guide. Issue 1, "U.S. Foreign Policy: Projecting U.S. Influence," describes United States involvement in diplomacy, military power, intelligence, trade, and foreign aid since World War II. U.S.-Mexico relations are considered in issue 2, "Mexico and…

Daily sessions of the U.S. Congress are currently televised by satellite to viewers across the United States. This booklet provides information on the role of communication systems in educating about democratic processes and informing viewers about legislative procedures. Two chapters, entitled "The Electronic Eye: The Merger of Technology…

The moral judgment is assessed of high school students from three regular high schools and from three alternative high schools. Students from the alternative schools made and reinforced rules and settled issues in weekly community meetings based on participatory democracy. The study sought to ascertain the presence of responsibility judgments in…

Background information and a classroom lesson to help secondary social studies teachers teach about Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) are provided. The first part of the paper discusses the following concerning AFDC: what it is, eligibility and funding, clients, economic aspects, and myths. Structural criticisms that have been made by…

This paper proposes that schools resume their historic role in cultivating basic moral values in their students, based on what is defined as our national ethos: (1) a belief in the worth and perfectability of human life; (2) a belief in democracy; (3) faith in reason and the orderly solution of conflict; (4) respect for knowledge and commitment to…

Using data collected in 95 Ohio school districts by Brock Hunt, this study reanalyzed those data, examined the reasons for Hunt's inability to predict a school board member incumbent's defeat, and developed a model that would have predicted those Ohio school board elections. Hunt attempted to develop a statistical model of socioeconomic-political…

There has always been a tension in any form of democracy between the public good, majoritarian consensus, and the rights of minority groups and individuals. Some proponents of educational voucher plans suggest that putting more control in the hands of individuals through a laissez faire educational system will be in the public interest. John Coons…

THE COURSES ARE DESIGNED TO AFFORD A MEANINGFUL SET OF EXPERIENCES RELATED TO THE ABILITIES AND INTERESTS OF THE NON-COLLEGE-ORIENTED HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS. CENTRAL CONCEPTS ARE POINTS OF EMPHASIS. CONTENT IS ORGANIZED AROUND A NUMBER OF KEY IDEAS, WITH AN INDICATION OF RELATED ILLUSTRATIVE DATA. AMERICAN HISTORY IS ORGANIZED INTO FOUR UNITS. THE…

Growing up black in America is a difficult process. Racism and discrimination are as much a part of America's heritage as democracy and equality. For more than three centuries, American society and its institutions have segregated and excluded minority groups, especially blacks, on the basis of racial features. In 1947, Clark and Clark tested the…

THIS DISCUSSION OF DRAMA, DRAWN FROM PAPERS AND IDEAS PRESENTED AT THE DARTMOUTH ANGLO-AMERICAN SEMINAR ON THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH, EMPHASIZES THE NEED FOR DRAMATIC ACTIVITIES AND PRESENTS METHODS OF EFFECTIVELY TEACHING DRAMA IN THE SECONDARY CLASSROOM. THE FIRST CHAPTER EXPLORES THE TYPE OF EDUCATION MOST EFFECTIVE FOR A STUDENT LIVING IN A…