Discusses the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and its plan for voluntary national certification of elementary and secondary teachers. Suggests reasons for the lack of national standards for teachers in the past. Describes a proposed certification system that involves performance-based evaluations and an emphasis on independence…

Discusses using educational and popular films and television for history instruction. Argues that students need training to see the bias built into film making through the editing process. Urges that critical thinking must be developed in students to make use of mass media coverage of historical and current events as teaching tools. (DK)

Discusses the development of a world history curriculum for the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) School District. Describes a program rooted in chronology and geography with interpretive frameworks for comparative study of change in diverse civilizations. Lists reawakening teachers' interest, updating training, and extending resource availability as…

Relates history and process by which 12 historic wampum belts were turned over to representatives of Onondaga Nation (New York), one of six Indian tribal communities of Iroquois Confederacy. Describes history of belts from pre-Columbian times to modern times. Compliments both the New York State Board of Regent and leaders of the Onondaga Nation…

Describes the development of a college-level Chinese history course based on the biographies of notable Chinese. Suggests story telling to make history more understandable and authentic. Argues that narrative can provide an open window for the study of any society. (CFR)

Most students do not enter college-level history classes knowing much about the history of slavery and race relations. As James Loewen pointed out in his book "Lies My Teacher Told Me," most K-12 history textbooks and classes avoid controversy and therefore steer clear of discussions of slavery and its impact on American history. However, a…