In this article I address some assertions made by one of the most outstanding educational historians, Diane Ravitch, regarding the relation between immigration rates and academic achievement among children in the United States. In her book The Great School Wars Ravitch asserted that low immigration levels during the 1920s to early 1960s period…

Fast food explored both as metaphor and social reality help us challenge the assumptions about education as a universal good transformed into a universal human right. Relations between education, development, and "one world" discourses expose the incommensurability of Western liberal ideals with diverse cosmo-visions now flourishing among…

Feminists and ecofeminists argue that relatedness and the care that emerges from this underlie an ethical response to other people, beings, and the planet, itself. The ability and willingness to care may well be the matrix within which a society characterized by ecological sustainability and social justice can be cultivated. Educators concerned…

In this article I use the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the contextual foundation from which to discuss issues concerning the unfortunate perpetuation of historical trauma through escalations in fear, miscommunication, resentment, and anger. I examine the concept of forgiveness in similar vein regarding its ability to redirect memory toward…

Using various official sources (such as Ofsted reports), the article explores competing conceptions of the under-achieving school which have been operationalised in recent years. It suggests that there have been multiple, potentially conflicting definitions in policy discourse to which recent innovations have merely added a further layer of…

The Smith Report has generated central questions about the mathematics education of UK adolescents. This paper highlights the close match between the goals of school mathematics, adolescence and exploratory pedagogy. This is contrasted with the prescriptive nature of current regimes. In particular, without careful attention to pedagogy it is…

Adopts a sociocultural perspective to investigate the role of discourse in children and teacher mathematical meaning making in a 5th grade inquiry classroom. Examines the process whereby individual and group developmental trajectories are constructed and allows exploration of the relationship between discourse and knowing. Argues for a more…

Discusses the features of East Asian mathematics education and its underlying values in contrast to features and values in the West. Presented in terms of six dichotomies: (1) product versus process; (2) rote learning versus meaningful learning; (3) studying hard versus pleasurable learning; (4) extrinsic versus intrinsic motivations; (5) whole…

Describes the recent evolution of Portuguese basic education in which the concept of competence and the process of curriculum development became major aspects of an innovative movement at a national level. Describes the context and explores the concept of competence, and presents a formulation for the characteristics of mathematical competence for…

Honors the contribution of Efraim Fischbein to the study and analysis of probabilistic thinking. Summarizes Fischbein's early work, then focuses on the role of intuition in mathematical and scientific thinking; the development of probabilistic thinking; and the influence of instruction on that development. (Author/MM)

Explores the role of proof in mathematics education and provides justification for its importance in the curriculum. Discusses three applications of dynamic geometry software--heuristics, exploration, and visualization--as tools in the teaching of proof and as potential challenges to the importance of proof. (Author/MM)

Presents a process model developed for interaction and mathematical level raising focusing on the individual learning process and relates this model to research. The model is meant to show how level raising can be realized by allowing students to work in small groups on a mathematical problem. Contains 24 references. (Author/ASK)

Answers Burn's question related to a previous study on the nature of knowledge about abstract algebra. Claims that a previous paper presents research that attempts to contribute to knowledge of how students' understanding of certain group concepts may develop instead of teaching abstract algebra with the computer software ISETL. (ASK)

Reviews and evaluates the past ten years of policy development of democratized school government in the United Kingdom. Specifically examines the Taylor Committee of 1975, the Taylor Report of 1977, and subsequent development of policy through 1980, including the proposed 1986 Education Bill and Education Act. (BSR)

Examines perspectives of Barbadian teachers on existing methods for evaluating teachers and on recommendations set forth in the literature. Results revealed support for evaluation but much dissatisfaction with existing methods. Points out that primary teachers are more inclined to believe that evaluation is a basis for promotion. (KO)