Although educational uses of computers and video seem to be increasing, no one knows exactly what kind of technology is used; what is available to teachers; or what is broken, worn out, or in unopened boxes. The technology revolution is proceeding slowly in schools, due to insufficient time, money, and taxpayer commitment. (MLH)

Districts are increasingly building complex computer systems to meet changing requirements for technology-rich education. Technology committees can help build consensus, identify key issues, support funding requests, educate the community, and shape the collective imagination. Planners should also consider system standardization, software/hardware…

Calling computers tools or "add-ons" overlooks their expanding capabilities and interactive possibilities. School computer systems should be viewed as structured learning environments with complex, comprehensive capabilities to access and manipulate information. Computer environments can support changes in educational structures, instructional…

Overload and fragmentation combine to reduce educators' motivation for working on reform. Since educational change is essentially nonlinear, existing school cultures and structures are antithetically opposed to systemic reform activities, including networking. The lesson of systemic reform is to adopt strategies that mobilize large numbers of…

Questions the existence of attention deficit disorder (ADD), a commonly diagnosed "disease" based on behavioral characteristics. There may be no medical or physiological basis for ADD. The National Association of School Psychologists deplores labeling children and creating categories of exclusion. Instead, educators should respond to individual…

The rush to label schoolchildren as suffering from attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has reached nearly epidemic proportions. The diagnosis often meets parents' needs to assign behavior control to Ritalin; it should be an explanation leading to genuine help, not a license for unacceptable student…

A parent and educator who has spent the past 10 years struggling to help her own ADHD (attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder) child offers suggestions for managing the challenges facing such children and enhancing the quality of their lives. Since drug regimens have limitations, parents need to read appropriate literature and receive…

Recounts a second-grade teacher's efforts to help a rough-and-tumble boy diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). After comprehensive behavioral and academic programs (including token rewards, peer tutoring, resource room activities, an inclass aide) failed to stabilize Tommy's behavior, Ritalin was (successfully) prescribed…

Responding to criticisms from James Gallagher, Richard Jaeger, John Hattie, and Robert Slavin, the authors contend that detracking creates both winners and losers. Policymakers face a tradeoff between helping low-achieving students and hurting high-achieving ones. The decision depends on how society weighs competing notions of equity and…

Describes a cooperative program that helps Marietta (Georgia) Independent School District and Kennesaw State College "grow their own" minority teachers. Their jointly funded Minority Student-to-Teacher Recruitment and Training Program offers students scholarships to enroll in the college's education degree program in return for a commitment to…

Inspired by teachers' concerns about the inadequacy of today's academic curriculum, this special section passes the buck up instead of down. Two articles explore what teachers might accomplish if no longer held captive by outmoded college admission requirements. Articles by education professors from Stanford University and the University of Oregon…

The former director of the Central Park East projects believes children's schooling should be geared toward citizenship and "generalist" vocational interests, not college admission requirements. Kindergarten encourages openness and empathy, but effects dissipate with each passing year. Educators must focus on the habits, skills, and knowledge…

Like sugaring, teaching requires immense patience. Superintendents can force textbooks on teachers but cannot make them use them. Not every high schooler needs an elitist, college-bound education, but no one needs to be bribed or threatened into learning or reading. Alternative texts and approaches can be used to help students discover a…

The elite colleges exert too much control over a vast number of noncollege-bound students. Educators must rethink two beliefs supporting the top-down model of education: faulty notions about equal opportunity, sameness, and the college-bound curriculum's inherent worth; and equally misguided notions about the dangers of specialization and benefits…

Although some small liberal arts colleges feature developmentally appropriate programs, most postsecondary institutions are more like factories that process students. This article describes limitations of the current college-admissions model and discusses the need to create common expectations and develop performance-based admission standards…