Recent reports on educational reform tend to encourage a return to enforced uniformity in American public schools. If public education is to compete successfully with private education, however, increasing numbers of magnet schools should be established to provide diversity and genuine choice among public schools. (JBM)

In satirical verse the author affirms the value of merit pay proposals and laments the lack of action on such proposals that has resulted from indecisiveness concerning criteria for merit pay implementation. (JBM)

Teaching should be thought of not as a science but as a performing art. Teachers should learn their craft through classroom apprenticeships in teaching studios/schools under the supervision of master teachers coupled with the study of pedagogical theory. Rewards should correspond to the quality of performance. (JBM)

Results of the authors' survey of Oklahoma Education Association members indicate that moonlighting is a common practice among teachers. Whether through additional work within or outside the school system, many teachers feel the need to supplement their salaries. The continuing need for moonlighting threatens teaching's professional status. (JBM)

Educators can improve children's thinking skills through the following five steps: (1) identifying and defining the desirable thinking skills, (2) identifying the components of these skills, (3) providing systematic skills instruction, (4) integrating the teaching of thinking skills with various content areas, and (5) improving skills testing.…

This description of a model program developed in Washington State for improving teachers' classroom effectiveness includes an outline of the program's 15-step process and its three key concepts--involvement, ownership, and commitment--followed by discussions of resource people and the program's two-day problem-solving retreat. (JBM)

A new cooperative program jointly designed by Philadelphia school principals and University of Pennsylvania faculty members allows principals the opportunity to earn graduate degrees while studying educational theory in the context of their own practical experiences. (JBM)

This review of recent research on minimum competency testing requirements focuses on the impact of such requirements on school curricula and on the processes of selecting which competencies are to be tested, determining cutoff scores, and ensuring test validity and reliability. (JBM)

Photocopying guidelines of the 1976 amendments to the Copyright Act have been further legitimized by a 1982 settlement involving New York University. Important recent developments concerning videotape copyrights include the 1981 guidelines of the House Judiciary Committee and the 1984 United States Supreme Court case, "Sony Corporation v.…

After four months of public hearings, the MacDonald Commission established to look into Canada's future is now preparing its interim report. The 220,000-member Canadian Teachers' Federation has submitted a four-point proposal to the commission calling for a reaffirmation of the overriding importance of education. (JBM)

Central Michigan University's Chamber of Commerce/University Business Education Services Committee has been revitalized by the committee's decision in 1982 to share program-generating responsibility with more than 900 university faculty members and administrators. The numerous successful programs that have resulted, including faculty-conducted…

The author proposes a new model called "educational partnership" as an alternative framework for educational reform. In this approach, education is seen as a responsibility shared by the home, school, and community. (MD)

The business community is reestablishing connections with public education. The author points out successful partnerships between educators and corporations while questioning the ability of education to retain its integrity as the interest of business in education grows. (MD)

The history of the partnership between the Atlanta schools and their community is presented as a guide for other school systems. One of the most valuable lessons to learn from it is keeping lines of communication open and clearly assessing strengths and weaknesses at every stage of development. (MD)

The author discusses how cooperative partnerships between school and parents promote student achievement and have the potential to help resolve the crisis in educational productivity. (MD)