Focuses on the aims and contents linked to the teaching and learning of the concept of democracy at the junior secondary school level in Botswana. Examines whether social studies teachers (n=72) met their objectives for teaching democracy and the challenges they faced. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents a study that focuses on how religious education is addressed by Muslim and evangelical Christian schools in England and The Netherlands. Explains that some schools keep religious teaching separate from the rest of the curriculum, while others integrate it into all aspects of the curriculum. Includes references. (CMK)

Examines the status of character education in Chicago (Illinois) public schools by interviewing children (n=700) of different ages in which they were questioned about their attitudes towards citizenship, "Americanness," and identity. Explains that the student responses were influenced by the type of school they attended. Includes references. (CMK)

States that volunteers are often used in the classroom to help children learn to read, but their impact on reading skills is unknown. Examines randomized controlled trials (RCT) in an effort to determine whether using volunteers improves children's reading. Finds that volunteering had a small effect on children's reading. (CMK)

Examines the relationships among family background, individual characteristics, proximal learning settings, and adolescent aspirations using a model of moderation-mediation. Indicates the need to examine between-group family differences to understand variations in student school outcomes based on family background. Includes references. (CMK)

Explores the trends in the basic education of Bangladeshi children (ages 11 and 12) using data generated through two nationally representative sample surveys. Reports that the level of basic education rose slowly (26.7 percent in 1993 to 29.6 percent in 1998) while improvement was found in life skills knowledge and writing skills. Includes…

In this article I examine my struggles as a White teacher educator creating discourse around race with my preservice students. I use my own struggles to highlight how White members of a teacher education faculty do, and more often do not, address race either with our preservice teachers or among ourselves. In particular, I explore the implications…

This article takes the ordinary workings of colorblindness--overlooking distinguishing factors and characteristics that mark what it is to be--and problematizes the impact of being blind to the human conditions students and families of color bring to the educational setting. Hicks argues that, even among actors committed to lessening its power,…

Contemporary scholars argue that in recent decades American racism has changed its face, away from an outright racism that is no longer socially acceptable toward a more subtle form termed "aversive," "laissez-faire," or "colorblind" racism. This ideology embraces mounting American individualism, transferring group-based explanations of…

The attempt to reform education using performance-based accountability may eventually be applied to teacher education. If so, it poses a potential challenge to those in social foundations as well as to other teacher-educators. Among other things, it requires that we think clearly about our mission and the kinds of effects we would like to have.…

The four coauthors describe the twenty-five-year history of efforts of the Council of Learned Societies in Education (CLSE) to represent the interests of the social foundations of education in the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), including the evolution of CLSE into the Council for the Social Foundations of…

This article examines to what extent, if any, educational policy documents cite or support the inclusion of the social foundations of education (SFE) within teacher preparation when discussing how to enhance "teacher quality." A review of ten major educational policy reports over the last two years reveals an almost complete lack of attention to…

During the past thirty years, while foundations of education programs have been shrinking on American campuses, faculty in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee created an undergraduate degree program in community education that has attracted older, nontraditional students. Using a curriculum that provides skills and…

This article builds on a case study about how teacher education students may actually learn racism through their program. It employs an analysis of how new racism is operationalized in today's sociopolitical contexts. Field placements and knowledge taught about various groups are critiqued as major teacher education reform efforts that…

In this article the author postulates there are six key factors associated with changing preservice teachers' attitudes toward and beliefs about diversity-their dispositions, which include openness, self-awarenesss/self-reflectiveness, and commitment to social justice; and their experiences, which include intercultural, educational, and support…