This document highlights a dozen people who are believed to represent the vibrant heart and optimistic soul of education. Each one has gone above and beyond, frequently overcoming bureaucratic hurdles or professional skepticism. They come from all corners: Classrooms, the business world, academia, research labs, even the Library of Congress. The…

Reveals how the author's interpretation of the development of reformatories for girls underwent a revisionist transformation during her work with an alternative school for delinquent girls, which challenged her interpretation of the impact of reformatory life. Explores questions of positionality, i.e., gender inequality and African-American and…

Presents the term empowerment in historical context, reviews empowerment's disciplinary and theoretical sources, establishes a framework for studies that discuss empowerment in the context of programs for minority groups, and cautions against loose, uncritical use of empowerment in social action and pedagogy (which can create further…

Examines the concept of popular culture in social and educational theory in the context of developing nations, particularly Latin America. Using a poststructuralist literary theory, the article elaborates a notion of the popular that offers a new conceptualization by incorporating a sense of competing identities and ideologies that form it. (SM)

Discusses interviews with black teachers who witnessed many reform initiatives to improve black students' academic achievement. The teachers challenged white, middle class perspectives on black community norms, cultural values, political realities, and community aspirations. Successful school reform must acknowledge and incorporate black community…

Educators can construct practices that provoke processes of remembrance to alter the way the past is made present in desires, plans, and actions. The paper highlights the collective aspect of living memory to emphasize the organized, nonidiosyncratic quality of such memories. Four historical events are examined. (SM)

Examines the effects of ethnicity on students, discussing how the meaning and practice of ethnic identity are shaped by school experiences. The article suggests ethnicity is negotiated across time and social situations, rather than solely from group membership. Daily social interaction mediates and reshapes institutionally produced social or…

Examines the influence of various sociopolitical factors on government policies in two federal programs, those for the gifted and talented and those for bilingual education. Traces the evolution of these programs and compares their backgrounds to determine the influences shaping federal funding and program implementation. (GLR)