Education 03/04

UNIT 1. How Others See Us and How We See Ourselves 1. Beyond Census 2000: As a Nation, We Are the World, Kenneth Prewitt, Carnegie Reporter , Fall 2001 The demographic development of America has been glorious. The intricacies of American population development have been amazing. This essay explores development of the great popular diversity that has created the most multicultural population in the history of our world. Now many Americans claim plural cultural identities. The author argues that there is no historical reference point for this cultural development. 2. An Overview of America's Education Agenda, Rod Paige, Phi Delta Kappan , May 2002 The author acknowledges the huge educational challenges confronting this generation of American educators and calls for a new moral as well as intellectual commitment on the part of American educators and parents for the educational renewal of all American students. The author expresses strong support for the doctrine of "no child left behind." 3. The 34th Annual Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup Poll of the Public Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, Lowell C. Rose and Alec M. Gallup, Phi Delta Kappan , September 2002 This annual poll of the public's attitude toward the public school system continues to be a very valuable source of information regarding the current state of publicly supported education. UNIT 2. Rethinking and Changing the Educative Effort 4. When Improvement Programs Collide, Thomas Hatch, Phi Delta Kappan , April 2002 This essay is an important synthesis of the critical limitations of "double" change in American public school systems. The author clearly communicates the challenges confronting educational systems seeking to reform and to create new programmatic initiatives in public schools. Conflicting theories of educational change are examined in terms of their conceptual limitations and possibilities. 5. Personalized Instruction, James W. Keefe and John M. Jenkins, Phi Delta Kappan , February 2002 The authors argue that we must focus on "renewal" following the lead of Kenneth Sirotnik and John Goodlad, among others. They argue for various conditions and means for "personalized instruction." They argue for renewal of educational settings that will focus on bringing educators and students together in communities of learning. 6. Action Research for School Improvement, Emily F. Calhoun, Educational Leadership , March 2002 The author synthesizes some of the dimensions of action research in school settings. A "structured" action research model is described. Various approaches to developing learning environment goals as these affect instructional strategies in classroom research-based settings are examined. 7. The Dark Side of Nationwide Tests, B. K. Eakman, Insight , August 27, 2001 The author raises very important ethical issues related to the use of national databases on student performance on national competency tests. He demonstrates the psychological uses of testing the "psychographics" of testing. He also details the affective and emotive uses of allegedly "objective" test questions on prominent standardized tests now in use. The moral and ethical issues of what is reported are indisputable. UNIT 3. Striving for Excellence: The Drive for Quality 8. The Human Face of the High-Stakes Testing Story, Linda Nathan, Phi Delta Kappan , April 2002 The author describes the impact of a statewide standardized testing program in Massachusetts on the students in a chartered academy for the arts in Boston. How administrative staff at the school sought to enhance students' standardized test results is noted. Unmet promises of educational reform are addressed. 9. How and Why Standards Can Improve Student Achievement: A Conversation With Robert J. Marzano, Marge Scherer, Educational Leadership , September 2001 The author discusses under what schooling circumstances the implementation of standards-based instruction might be possible. Robert Marzano is interviewed regarding this issue. Schools need a series of "testing data waves" each year, at least one data wave of feedback each grading period. Once-a-year state standards data feedback is not adequate. 10. Standards: Here Today, Here Tomorrow, Matthew Gandal and Jennifer Vranek, Educational Leadership , September 2001 The authors support "successful clear standards," "well crafted tests," and "fair accountability," all of which require careful, just comparative analysis. This is about as strong a defense of the current approach to educational standards as one can read. 11. Where's the Content? The Role of Content in Constructivist Teacher Education, Sam Hausfather, Educational Horizons , Fall 2001 Here is an account of inquiry-based approaches to constructivist curriculum formation and development with reference to curricular content. This is a good contribution to the dialogue regarding constructivist curricular strategies. 12. Saving Standards, Charles Nevi, Phi Delta Kappan , February 2001 Charles Nevi explores the use of standardized achievement tests to assess the quality of student learning. He proposes having adults take state-required proficiency tests and then comparing the adults' results with the students' scores to develop a more reasonable assessment of what students should be able to achieve. 13. Welcome to Standardsville, Alan C. Jones, Phi Delta Kappan , February 2001 The author offers several interesting suggestions for improving the quality of students' work in schools. He lists several reasons for rejecting the ways in which standardized measures of students' achievement are used today. UNIT 4. Morality and Values in Education 14. Is the Supreme Court's Ruling "Good News" for Public Schools?, Martha M. McCarthy, Educational Horizons , Winter 2002 The author, a scholar in laws that affect schools, discusses the significance of U.S. Supreme Court rulings on church-state relations as they affect the public schools. She places federal court decisions affecting public schools in their respective constitutional, historical contexts. 15. Inculcating a Passion for Truth and Learning, Stephen Goode, Insight , August 27, 2001 Stephen Goode defends the moral value of traditional educational values as they are embodied in the liberal arts tradition.Schultz, Fred is the author of 'Education 03/04', published 2002 under ISBN 9780072548419 and ISBN 007254841X.