Showing papers in "Harvard Educational Review in 1983"
TL;DR: Giroux as discussed by the authors analyzes the major positions of these theories, finding them inadequate as a foundation for a critical science of schooling, and outlines the directions for a new theory of resistance and schooling which contains an understanding of how power, resistance, and human agency can become central elements in the struggle for social justice in schools and in society.
Abstract: In the past ten years radical educators have developed several theories around the notions of reproduction and resistance. In this article, Henry Giroux critically analyzes the major positions of these theories, finding them inadequate as a foundation for a critical science of schooling. He concludes by outlining the directions for a new theory of resistance and schooling which contains an understanding of how power, resistance, and human agency can become central elements in the struggle for social justice in schools and in society.
1,060 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that the characteristics of parent-child interaction which support language acquisition, such as semantic contingency, scaffolding, accountability procedures, and the use of routines, also facilitate early reading and writing development.
Abstract: Drawing upon recent research findings and upon a case study of a child learning to talk and to read, Catherine Snow outlines the important similarities in the development of both language and literacy. The characteristics of parent-child interaction which support language acquisition—semantic contingency, scaffolding, accountability procedures, and the use of routines—also facilitate early reading and writing development. The author dismisses the explanation that variations in the level of literacy in the home are responsible for social class differences in school achievement. To explain such differences, Snow emphasizes distinctive ways in which middle-class families prepare preschoolers to understand and produce decontextualized language.
876 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, Nona Plessner Lyons offers interview data from female and male children, adolescents, and adults in support of the assertions of Carol Gilligan (HER, 1977) that there are two distinct modes of describing the self in relation to others, as well as two kinds of considerations used by individuals in making moral decisions.
Abstract: Nona Plessner Lyons offers interview data from female and male children, adolescents, and adults in support of the assertions of Carol Gilligan (HER, 1977) that there are two distinct modes of describing the self in relation to others—separate/objective and connected— as well as two kinds of considerations used by individuals in making moral decisions— justice and care. She then describes a methodology, developed from the data, for systematically and reliably identifying these modes of self-definition and moral judgment through the use of two coding schemes. Finally, an empirical study testing Gilligan's hypotheses of the relationship of gender to self-definition and moral judgment is presented with implications of this work for psychological theory and practice.
642 citations
TL;DR: Bolster, Jr. as mentioned in this paper examines the genesis and perpetuation of divergent perspectives of teachers and educational researchers concerning how knowledge is formulated and determined, and advocates a sociolinguistic ethnographic approach as the research methodology most likely to generate knowledge that is both intellectually rigorous and helpful in teacher development.
Abstract: Classroom teachers wish to improve their craft and educational researchers want to generate useful knowledge, yet educational research seldom influences classroom teaching. Reflecting on twenty years' experience as a junior high school teacher and as a university professor involved in formal studies of classroom teaching, Arthur S.Bolster,Jr. examines the genesis and perpetuation of the divergent perspectives of teachers and educational researchers concerning how knowledge is formulated and determined. He advocates a sociolinguistic ethnographic approach as the research methodology most likely to generate knowledge that is both intellectually rigorous and helpful in teacher development.
218 citations
TL;DR: Sirotnik et al. as mentioned in this paper found that the majority of class time is spent in teachers lecturing to the class or in students working on written assignments, and questioned whether this type of teaching fulfills our idea of what functions schools should serve.
Abstract: Based on data gathered from over 1,000 elementary and secondary classrooms, Kenneth Sirotnik finds that there is little variety in teaching practices across schools in this sample —the majority of class time is spent in teachers lecturing to the class or in students working on written assignments. After examining the literature of earlier classroom observation research and comparing it to the findings of this study, Sirotnik notes the persistence of such teaching practices over the course of the century. He then questions whether this type of teaching fulfills our idea of what functions schools should serve in our society.
195 citations
TL;DR: DerSimonian and Laird as mentioned in this paper present a quantitative analysis of published results on the effect of coaching programs on SAT scores, and they find that studies which compare the gains achieved by coached students to national norms yield estimated "coaching effects", which are four to five times greater than corresponding effects estimated for matched or randomized evaluations.
Abstract: DerSimonian and Laird present a quantitative analysis of published results on the effect of coaching programs on SAT scores. Their analysis differs from previous methods of combining evidence from different sources by separating out the within-study sampling error from the variation in coaching effectiveness. They explicitly model the methodology used in each study in order to analyze the variation in study results. They find that studies which compare the gains achieved by coached students to national norms yield estimated "coaching effects, " which are four to five times greater than corresponding effects estimated for matched or randomized evaluations. In addition, the matched or randomized evaluations show a much greater degree of consistency in their results than do less well-controlled evaluations. The authors conclude that the data do support a positive effect of coaching on SAT scores, but that the size of the coaching effect estimated from the matched or randomized studies (10 points) seems too s...
114 citations
TL;DR: Sheingold, Kane, and Endreweit as mentioned in this paper investigated three geographically distinct school districts with diverse microcomputer applications at both elementary and secondary levels and found that the impact of microcomputers on education is only beginning to be studied systematically.
Abstract: The impact of microcomputers on education is only beginning to be studied systematically. In this article Karen Sheingold, Janet Kane, and Mari Endreweit report on three case studies conducted to reveal how different school systems used microcomputers for instruction. They also develop an agenda for future research. Through interviews and observations, they investigated three geographically distinct school districts with diverse microcomputer applications at both elementary and secondary levels. Six trends emerged which raise important questions for future study: access to microcomputers; emergence of new roles in response to microcomputers; integration of microcomputers into elementary classrooms and curricula; quantity and quality of software; preparation of teachers for using microcomputers; and effects and outcomes of the instructional use of microcomputers.
102 citations
TL;DR: Johnson et al. as discussed by the authors conducted a study of teacher unions in six school districts and found that labor relations at the school level vary widely within districts, influenced by such non-contractual factors as administrative leadership, staff allegiance, and student needs.
Abstract: Does collective bargaining standardize school practices, formalize relationships between principals and teachers, and reduce faculty commitment to meeting the needs of students? Susan Moore Johnson's study of teacher unions in six school districts addresses these questions, describing the variation in enforcement of contract provisions at both district and school levels She concludes that labor relations among the districts vary in response to and enforcement of specific contract provisions More importantly, labor relations at the school level vary widely within districts, influenced by such noncontractual factors as administrative leadership, staff allegiance, and student needs
25 citations
TL;DR: The cultural heritage of American Indians and their responses to oppression have intrigued countless investigators of social behavior as discussed by the authors. But the biased assumptions found in much of this kind of research are exemplified in studies that link mental illness to traditional healing, or propose that Indians are underdeveloped in areas of reflective verbal thought.
Abstract: The cultural heritage of American Indians1 and their responses to oppression have intrigued countless investigators of social behavior. Researchers from numerous disciplines have sought to describe and measure tribal social phenomena, discover cultural patterns, and explain the current conditions and practices of these diverse native groups. Most research has taken a culturally myopic view and has been devoid of findings that would be helpful to its subjects. Social science literature, for example, rarely accounts for the positive elements of Indian cultures. The biased assumptions found in much of this kind of research are exemplified in studies that link mental illness to traditional healing (Devereux, 1961), or propose that Indians are underdeveloped in areas of reflective verbal thought (Schubert & Cropley, 1972). Typically, American Indians are treated as sources of data rather than being invited to contribute to the complete research venture, including problem formulation, interpretation of data, an...
21 citations
TL;DR: McCarthy as discussed by the authors considers the legality of MCT diploma requirements applied to the handicapped in light of their constitutional and statutory rights to nondiscriminatory treatment, their statutory right to an appropriate education, and their constitutional right to substantive and procedural due process.
Abstract: Many states are facing the issue of how to apply minimum competency testing (MCT) mandates to handicapped students. In this article, Martha McCarthy considers the legality of MCT diploma requirements applied to the handicapped in light of (1) their constitutional and statutory rights to nondiscriminatory treatment, (2) their statutory right to an appropriate education, and (3) their constitutional right to substantive and procedural due process. She also offers a brief discussion of some unresolved legal issues surrounding the use of competency tests, including test validity, the controversy over individualized and standardized diploma requirements, and the identification of minimum competencies.
16 citations
TL;DR: In the Paideia Proposal, formal education is the center of our social universe, and without it, we starve spiritually, and our society decays as mentioned in this paper. But without formal education, we are democratic, collectively creative, productive, and even moral.
Abstract: Reading The Paideia Proposal, one gets a sense of deja vu. Almost three generations after John Dewey, we are reminded once more that education and learning are the qualities which separate humans from other creatures. In the Proposal, formal education is the center of our social universe. Without it, we starve spiritually, and our society decays. With its energy, we are democratic, collectivelycreative, productive, and even moral. We are transformed from an emotional, irrational mob to a higher form of political actors.
TL;DR: The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) as discussed by the authors has been used as a "objective" means to legitimize inequality and is used to winnow applicants for admission into post-secondary schools and to allocate desired resources.
Abstract: Each year hundreds of thousands of hopeful individuals who compete for acceptance into undergraduate, graduate, law, and medical schools confront one major barrier—the standardized entrance exam. That such tests are used as "objective" means to legitimize inequality has been articulated elsewhere (Bowles & Gintis, 1973, 1976; Bowles & Nelson, 1974; Rosenbaum, 1976). Test results are used to winnow persons for admittance into post-secondary schools and, thus, serve to allocate desired resources. They represent a social issue that deserves careful study. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate two of the fundamental assumptions of one standardized exam—the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). In addition to presenting data that call the assumptions of the LSAT into question, we also stress the need for a public policy of open access to standardized exams, if additional research is to continue.
TL;DR: The Paideia Proposal is the latest exchange in a debate that raged with some ferocity more than forty years ago as mentioned in this paper, as progressivism became the ascendant ideology and pedagogy among professionals in schools of education, state education departments, and such influential groups as the National Education Association, critics such as Mortimer Adler, William C. Bagley, and I. L. Kandel inveighed against it.
Abstract: The Paideia Proposal is the latest exchange in a debate that raged with some ferocity more than forty years ago. In the late 1930s, as progressivism became the ascendant ideology and pedagogy among professionals in schools of education, state education departments, and such influential groups as the National Education Association, critics such as Mortimer Adler, William C. Bagley, and I. L. Kandel inveighed against it. The critics, who were then known as "essentialists," believed that the version of progressivism that had triumphed in pedagogical circles put too much emphasis on differentiation of coursework among students of varying ability and interest, and unwisely denigrated the value of the common cultural and intellectual heritage.
TL;DR: In the Paideia Proposal as mentioned in this paper, a fundamental difference in perspective distinguishes the practitioners' and the academicians' approaches to educational improvement, as evidenced in The Wizard of Oz.
Abstract: Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, educators hold a vision that somewhere—perhaps over the rainbow—a place exists that is free from all the knotty and nagging problems of everyday life. For teachers and school administrators, this "Oz" includes classrooms of endlessly inquisitive and motivated youngsters; instructors with a bottomless reservoir of energy, dedication, and talent; and schools free from yearly political haggles over funds needed to buy the texts, hire staff, and heat buildings. Frontline educators —classroom teachers, principals, and the like—as well as researchers and theorists, work toward the attainment of such an educational paradise. However, as evidenced in The Paideia Proposal, a fundamental difference in perspective distinguishes the practitioners' and the academicians' approaches to educational improvement.
TL;DR: The Paideia Proposal as discussed by the authors argues that the success of our schools is closely linked to the success and survival of our political, social, and economic institutions, and that reform of public schools will lead to a properly educated electorate, which in turn will ensure "innovative leadership and the likelihood of our solving our national problems".
Abstract: In The Paideia Proposal, the success of our schools is closely linked not only to the success of our political, social, and economic institutions, but also to their survival. According to Mortimer Adler, public schools do not simply reflect social upheaval and shifting values; they cause many of these fundamental changes. On the negative side, the failure to challenge and stimulate students in the classroom "leads to boredom, delinquency, lawless violence, drug dependence, alcoholism, and other forms of undesirable conduct" (p. 36). The "abominable discrimination" of the tracking system threatens the quality of citizenship and the democratic process (p. 15). On the positive side of this potential to alter society, school reform will lead to a properly "educated electorate," which in turn will ensure "innovative leadership" and the likelihood of our solving our national problems. According to the Proposal, the reformed public schools will "carry us over the threshold" to an "earthly paradise." The brick bu...
TL;DR: The Paideia Proposal needs emendation, for it extends certain principles beyond the bounds of their appropriate applications as discussed by the authors, leading to the danger of suffrage without schooling and the consequent importance of establishing substantive curricular requirements.
Abstract: I wholeheartedly subscribe to the central theses propounded in The Paideia Proposal: the danger to democracy of suffrage without schooling; the consequent importance of establishing substantive curricular requirements; and the related need for teachers and administrators to maintain high standards of achievement. Indeed, if our schools adopted the reforms advocated in the Proposal, the quality of U.S. public education would be dramatically increased. My enthusiasm, however, must be tempered. The Proposal needs emendation, for it extends certain principles beyond the bounds of their appropriate applications.
TL;DR: This article put the Paideia Proposal in context by considering earlier trends in education in the United States with little attention to history or context, and proposed a new curriculum for education in America.
Abstract: Trends in education in the United States are elaborated and dismissed with little attention to history or context. To put The Paideia Proposal in context, we need to consider earlier trends.
[...]
TL;DR: In the fall of 1982, the editors of the Harvard Educational Review informed me of their plan to publish a symposium of comments on The Paideia Proposal and asked me whether I would be willing to respond to the essays included in it as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In the fall of 1982, the editors of the Harvard Educational Review informed me of their plan to publish a symposium of comments on The Paideia Proposal and asked me whether I would be willing to respond to the essays included in it. I replied that I would.