This paper presents a reconceptualization of multicultural education for the 21st century through a critical analysis of the current status of multicultural education. Based on Milton M. Gordon's theory of racial and ethnic group relations and assimilation, the paper identifies three ideological systems for viewing…

The book examines approaches to moral education, first attempting to understand each one sympathetically, then highlighting strengths and weaknesses, and finally formulating the problems and issues uncovered in the analysis. The work concludes with the author's own version of a postmodern "patchwork" pedagogy of moral conversation. The…

Debates about how moral education ought to be provided have engaged many of the best minds in education and stirred public controversies throughout U.S. history. The vast array of European peoples who settled the American colonies brought a commitment to moral education and a variety of approaches to the task. While French and Spanish settlers…

This study examines the reactions of children and adolescents to stories about fictional boys and girls who act across three behavioral episodes in either masculine-stereotyped or feminine-stereotyped ways. Trait dimensions chosen for investigation were: (1) logical and steady versus excitable and emotional; (2) adventurous and risk-taking versus…

This paper summarizes various theories of youth activism and makes a projection of what adolescence may be like by the year 2000. The major objective is to aid social scientists and futurists as they attempt to interpret the role of youth in social and cultural change. The hypothesis is that observation and analysis of recent and contemporary…

At the request of the Council of Ministries of Education, Canada (CMEC), Alberta Learning conducted this Mathematics Comparison Study. The focus of this study is from Kindergarten to Grade 12. All provinces and territories were invited to participate, and only the Quebec region declined. Participating regions were invited to send a representative…

Given the concern for reliability in essay evaluation and the prospect of "error" variance in its absence, methods to promote interrater reliability in the evaluation of written compositions have been developed. These methods reduce variation in the value systems being applied by readers to texts, either by limiting the group of readers…

Discusses constitutional limitations on public-sector collective bargaining that incorporates exclusive representation and relates the issue to fundamental tenets of individual liberty and representative government. Illustrates the issue with an Indiana case to be appealed before the U.S. Supreme Court, "Perry Education Association v. Perry…

Richard Lewis, founder and director of the Touchstone Center (New York City), discusses how the move toward national education standards works against individualism and expressive learning. He suggests that teachers get so involved in meeting standards and goals that they fail to obey the natural laws of learning. (LP)

Discusses the background and salient characteristics of Japan's educational reform movement. Until recently, Japan's formal education system was uniform, centrally controlled, and geared to developing character and cultural sensitivity. To counter uniformity, inflexibility, and an overly competitive examination system, schools are moving toward…

Uses Chris Raschka's picture book, "Arlene Sardine" (1998), as a focus for a discussion of the homogenizing forces of the market economy. Discusses how the young person's struggle for "identity" must deal with powerful and coercive forces of the marketplace. Argues children's literature can aid in such a struggle by prompting…

The author identifies four main sources of moral relativism; defines cultural and ethical relativism, and social and personal moral relativism; and presents three arguments to refute moral relativism. (AV)

Maintains that citizens in a democracy have a patriotic responsibility to speak out against policies with which they sincerely disagree. Lists examples of notable American dissenters, provides guidelines for responsible dissent, and presents the comments of three prominent citizens regarding the influence of common people on government policies.…

Comparisons between Japanese and American education show that Japanese students are better behaved and more conforming and do better on international math and science tests. Japanese education is more egalitarian in approach and funding, but its emphasis on examinations for getting into universities often puts great pressure on students. (RW)

This article, based largely on participant observation by a British 18-year-old schoolgirl, considers forces that crush creativity in teenagers, including pressures at school, at home, and by peers. The article shows how teenagers whose creativity has been crushed then humiliate and crush the creativity of other teenagers. Mentoring is seen as one…