In Georgia, support for middle schools has waned. Pressured by high-income parents and the standards/accountability movements, the state superintendent of schools denigrates Georgia's middle schools and has sought to remove special funding and reinstate tracking. However, the "Turning Points" ideals exemplified at Crabapple School remain valid.…

Are state accountability systems hurting minority and low- income children's education or increasing equity? The answer is both, depending on which system, interacting components, or time periods are being considered. System flaws in Texas and elsewhere may be distracting folks from historic improvement possibilities. (Contans 23 references.) (MLH)

The tradition of the active mind views knowledge as provisionally constructed by the mind in perpetual interaction with the world. There are no substitutes for students' and teachers' consistent application of intelligence and steady thinking. A problem-based-learning approach to teacher education exemplifies John Dewey's laboratory model.…

For over 40 years, Hodgkinson has confronted education demographics problems. He explains his major concerns; shifting views on standards and assessment; effects of students' home backgrounds; need for curriculum diversity; and the misleading notion of monolithic leadership. Now is the worst time for a uniform standards movement. (MLH)

Advises student teachers to resist falling into comfortable instructional modes, find their voices as teachers, observe while in action, value both introspective and extroversive teaching styles, help marginalized children, pay attention to cooperating teachers, take initiative in the classroom, be reflective practitioners, and wear comfortable…

An education professor explains how she uses her own lesson plans for a course in middle-grade methods to demonstrate lesson planning for students. She uses an entrance table with handouts to illustrate time-saving classroom techniques. Seeing and experiencing generally beats telling. (MLH)

After 4 years of debate, the National Collegiate Athletic Association agreed in January 2000 to accept high-school principals' descriptions of their courses, rather than to continue judging courses through the clearinghouse. Persistence, a sense of humor, and sympathetic journalists aided the protest effort. (MLH)

Interaction with animals has important implications for child development in the areas of social growth and communication. Although pets are common in classrooms, research on educational benefits is scarce. A survey shows that classroom animals are often studied directly and used as prompts for creative activities. (Contains 13 references.) (MLH)

An innovative intergenerational program in Miami-Dade County (Florida) Public Schools trains adolescents to teach senior citizens about fire safety at an adult education center. Kids enjoy their relationships with "second grandparents" while imparting valuable information and translating safety checklists into Spanish. (MLH)

Because today's families tend to be scattered geographically, children are less likely to interact with grandparents and other older adults. A volunteer coordinator describes the enriching experiences stimulated by a senior pen- pal program in Staten Island (New York) schools involving third graders and senior citizens. (MLH)

Goals 2000 is the offspring of "A Nation at Risk," a 1983 teacher- and school-bashing report. IBM CEO Louis Gerstner named the problem and defined the solution, claiming the need for choice, competition, and technology, recasting students as human capital, and marketizing the teacher/community relationship. Tables summarize critics' concerns.…

Leaders bring to new jobs their values and vision, the authority of their position, and their reputation and accomplishments. How new superintendents conduct themselves during the critical entry/"honeymoon" phase affects their subsequent working relationships and leadership effectiveness. Structured interviews with staff, parents, and students are…

Leading-edge states, districts, and unions are beginning to implement knowledge- and skills-based pay systems for teachers. PRAXIS and other performance assessment tools are described, along with sample assessment and salary schedule combinations. Effective principal leadership and yearly bonuses between $1,500 and $3,000 ensure sufficient…

Key school reform dimensions require new forms of labor/management collaboration exemplified by Teacher Union Reform Network (TURN) affiliates. TURN promotes new union models to build and sustain high-achieving schools through improving instructional quality. Three subcommittees tackle professional development, preservice education issues, and…

The central federal question surrounding vouchers is whether participation of sectarian schools violates the First Amendment's Establishment clause. The U.S. Supreme Court, through its interpretation of the federal Constitution, may have the final word in determining voucher proposals' future. Litigation in Cleveland, Milwaukee, Vermont, and Maine…