Received conceptualizations of scientific literacy are grounded in (1) the notions of "knowledge", "concepts", and "skills" that science students have to "acquire", "appropriate", or "construct" or (2) the notion of "practices" to which they have to be "enculturated" so that they become part of a "community of practice". All such notions…

Recent studies show that national control of K-12 curriculum yields important payoffs in terms of greater curricular coherence and, as a result, higher test performance on international tests such as those used in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. This paper examines the connection between national control of curriculum and…

Educators need to think about pedagogical as well as ethical issues when asking if dissection has a role in contemporary K-12 science education. I consider some arguments for and against dissection as a way to teach students the biological concepts of form and function.

In this article, the author discusses her varied reactions to Larry Cuban's most recent book, "How Scholars Trumped Teachers," which discusses 100 years of discussions resulting from the tension between research and teaching responsibilities of scholars at Stanford University. The article begins with a brief description of Cuban's analysis, which…

Examines the record of the social-democratic government between September 1990 and June 1995 in the Canadian province of Ontario in terms of process and policy on educational equity at the elementary and secondary school levels. Reviews the record on educational equity, measuring it against the party agenda before the 1990 election. (CMK)

Explores disappointment in the relationship between students and teachers. Focuses on how teachers express their disappointments in students, how teachers manipulate disappointment to affect student behavior, the role of disappointment for one's self-concept, and how teachers can exacerbate the negative effects of disappointment. Discusses how…

Explores the growth of the U.S. testing industry since the 1900s. Discusses the technical developments that have encouraged the use of standardized testing and contributed to the growth of the testing industry. Attempts to quantify the expansion of the testing marketplace through the 20th century. Includes references. (CMK)

Presents multiple readings of the phrase 'what's left in the field' that are juxtaposed in response to a recurring press for standardization of purpose for curriculum studies. States that memoirs provide a vehicle for positing various perspectives on debates in the curriculum field. Includes references. (CMK)

Articulates two cornerstones of a vision of public education in the United States: (1) the need for community and for a coming together with something to pursue; and (2) the importance of the imaginative voice of the artists in human conversation. (CMK)

Argues for the idea of deliberative democracy as an educational process where individuals bring different perspectives to on-going communication. Shows the limits of progressivism and reconstructionism and the possibilities and importance of the neo-pragmatic perspective. States that the idea of deliberative democracy is presented as a way to…

Explores the experiential subtleties of the moral vocabulary of case in terms of responsibilities to children as parents and educators. Finds that for many parents and teachers caring means worrying. Relates these "moral sensibilities" to the sense of pedagogical responsibility. (CMK)

Examines the prospect of 'internationalizing' curricula and curriculum studies in the context of increasingly complex patterns of global interconnectedness in social production and organization. Explores ways in which diverse knowledge traditions can be sustained locally and amplified transnationally. Includes references. (CMK)

Offers twelve lessons that can be learned by examining the ideas and practices concerning the improvement of schools. Discusses the potential and complexities of each lesson in detail and provides a summary of what can be learned from U.S. history. Includes references. (CMK)

Analyzes student survey results from Canada's first national, large-scale assessment of school literacy for explanations of gender differences in reading and writing skills found in this and other recent Canadian large-scale assessments. Explores English-Canadian adolescents' literacy preferences, attitudes, and practices. Offers five models that…

Provides a model for curriculum development using constructivism to help democratize science education. Illustrates how to put this model into practice, focusing on: (1) expressing current conceptions; (2) sharing and learning new conceptions; and (3) applying and testing conceptions. (CMK)