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Issue Information Issue Informationpp. i - vi Abstract Keywords: |
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Original Articles Heuristics and NCLB Standardized Tests: A Convenient LieArnold Dodge pp. 6 - 22 Abstract The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires public schools in the United States to test students in grades 3-8. The author argues that this mandate has been supported by the public, in part, because of the “availability heuristic,” a phenomenon which occurs when people assess the probability of an event by the ease with which instances or occurrences can be brought to mind. These “mental short cuts,” which tend to oversimplify complex issues, are being employed by policy-makers in promoting standardized testing as the panacea for the problems of the public school system. The premises of this campaign include the “good intentions” to “leave no child behind,” the promise of improved accountability through high-stakes testing and the purported worthiness of test results. The author claims these premises are specious and examines their harmful potential for diverting resources, distracting educators and alarming children. Keywords: |
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Preparing White Student Teachers through a Critical Consultative Interaction Model
Danné E. Davis pp. 23 - 43 Abstract Demographic trends suggest that most Latino and Black schoolchildren attending city schools will have White classroom teachers. Consequently, the potential for cultural mismatches may impede meaningful teaching. In response, many teacher educators mull over approaches to prepare student teachers to effectively instruct all schoolchildren, especially Latino and Black youngsters. While many approaches, particularly methods pertinent to multicultural education, have become commonplace throughout teacher education programs, purposeful consultations between student teachers and schoolchildren about teaching and learning, are rare. This paper presents a “critical consultative interaction” model, comprising “the three r’s” of: (a) regarding Black and Latino schoolchildren as resources, (b) raising the right questions of them, and, (c) reflecting on schoolchildren’s responses, as an additional approach to prepare student teachers for city classrooms. Implementing this model positions future teachers to obtain pedagogical information from schools’ primary constituents— schoolchildren. Doing so exemplifies democratic practice in a political yet public place called school. Keywords: |
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Educational Policy vs. Culturally Sensitive Programs in Turkish Educational System
Hasan Arslan pp. 44 - 57 Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of elementary school teachers about the sensitiveness of principals, teachers, and curriculum on multicultural education. Education provides the transmission and the advancement of its culture while it is developing and enhancing the common values, the integrity and the progress of multicultural society (Sahin, 2006). If the society has multi-ethnic culture, the educational policy should cover all kinds of multi-ethnic cultures to exchange cultural values each other. The findings of this study indicate that Turkish educational system ignores multiculturalism in their schools. Curriculum does not cover cultural differences. Principals and teachers performing their responsibility relatively show respect different cultures even if it is not at the expected level. Keywords: |
International Association of Educators.