The one-size-fits-all public schools inherited from the nineteenth century can be transformed if parents have the right to choose schools their children will attend. Schools of choice will improve both the attitudes and performance of students. Teachers and administrators will be more professional, and school boards can meet their responsibilities…

Practical guidelines for physical education teachers concerning the right amount of exercise to develop and maintain health-related fitness among students are outlined, along with some techniques for developing student motivation. (JMF)

Research on hemispheric mode functioning indicates that some connections exist between learning disabilities (LD) and right-mode dominance, which suggests that instruction should be offered to develop right hemispheric (spatial perception) abilities in LD persons. The influence on student drawing of the right-left hemispheric shift during reading…

Two brief papers provide reasons to support self-determination for students with disabilities, with one paper written from the perspective of educators and one written from the parents' perspective. Each paper discusses 11 benefits of self-determination, including: (1) personal control, (2) motivation, (3) prosocial behaviors, (4) self-awareness,…

Proposes that questions in textbooks be restructured to include pre-reading questioning techniques as well as review questions and post-reading analysis in order to stimulate interest and give direction to the reading activity. Lists a series of questions for use in geography classes which provide a framework for seeking out salient details,…

This paper is a chronologically-organized narrative history of law-related education (LRE) in the United States. The paper begins by delineating the differences between LRE and citizenship education and describing the motivations for the creation of LRE programs in the early 1960s. Turning to the analysis of LRE, the paper argues that there have…

Argues that childrens' rights should be taught in the social studies curriculum. Suggests that study of the components of the U.N. convention on childrens' rights (provision, protection, and participation) is integral to achieving major citizenship goals. Includes global education, interdependence, culture, change, scarcity, and conflict as…

Discusses merit pay as a school improvement idea, focusing on drawbacks of providing monetary incentives for superior teachers. Before jumping on the merit pay bandwagon, superintendents are advised to consider school purpose, alternative or equally effective reward systems, financial implications, and fairness of merit ratings. (MLH)

A properly structured job-enrichment program can help motivate classroom teachers and encourage them to remain in the classroom. Offers examples of programs for enhancing the professional lives of teachers and cites pitfalls to avoid in designing a program. (MLF)

This inservice teacher education packet focuses on teacher expectations, student motivation, learning modalities, planning for instruction, classroom organization, and management strategies. Following a section on implementation of strategies, an overview gives the trainer a quick overview of the entire packet. The overview is laid out in a matrix…

The 16 chapters of this comprehensive guide to teaching students with learning disabilities cover the following topics: (1) an overview of the field of learning disabilities (characteristics, causes, prevalence, prognosis, and resources); (2) research in the field of learning disabilities (how the brain works, how children learn); (3) relevant…

Reviews Betty Edwards' self-instruction book, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," and discusses the motivational techniques used in that work. Argues that these techniques, designed to build student self-confidence, explain the book's popularity and provide instructive examples for other art teachers. (MJP)

This 1993 edition offers 23 papers on various aspects of learning disabilities, presented in four sections on: (1) social and emotional dimensions of learning disabilities, (2) creative environments for students with learning disabilities, (3) thoughts for parents, and (4) thinking about college. Articles include, among others: "Building Strength…

Offering over 200 ready-to-use, successful "booktalks" for librarians, teachers, and parents, this book shows how to "hook" reluctant readers onto books. The field-tested booktalks are brief "commercials" for books that give just enough information to promote reading the book, and that help match the right reader with…

This document consists of the six issues of "ESL Magazine" published during 1998. This journal for English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) professionals includes the following articles during this period: "The Internet in the Classroom" (Christine Meloni); "Trippingly on the Tongue: Putting Serious, Speech/Pronunciation…