American Educator
Spring 1990

Employers might like to use technology to "deskill" work—it is, after all, easier to supervise workers who have no autonomy and whose jobs leave no room for creativity. But, the author argues, new economic forces preclude this strategy. The result: Jobs of the future will require that our students be much more skilled and educated than they have been, not less, as some experts had predicted.

Diversity and Democracy
Multicultural Education in America
By Diane Ravitch

America is a multicultural society and its students need a multicultural education. But what kind? The author argues for a multiculturalism that provides students with both an appreciation for America's racial and cultural diversity and a commitment to the common culture that unites us all.

The Death and Life of Freedom
A Collection of Teaching Materials on the Rebirth of Democracy in Czechoslovakia

Recent events in Eastern Europe have reshaped the postwar world. They also offer teachers an opportunity to connect the past to the present and to teach about the ideas and principles of democracy for which Eastern Europeans risked their lives. We present this collection of maps, literature, photos, and more to assist such teaching.

The Hard and Stubborn Life of Vaclav Havel
By Josef Škvorecký

Part of our teaching package, this profile of Czechoslovakia's new president, by an exiled Czech novelist, is also a profile of Czechoslovakia's bitter history.

Anyone Can Learn Math
New Programs Show How
By Robert Nielsen

Manipulatives, technology, and a revamped curriculum that introduces algebra and geometry to elementary students: These are some of the ideas behind successful new programs that seek to make American students more competitive in math.

Classics Are for Kids
By Joy Hakim

Plato in fifth grade? The Odyssey in first? Elementary school teachers around the country are showing that it can be done and that kids love it.

Articles not posted online are available. To receive a copy, send an e-mail to amered@aft.org.

Current Issue

Periodicals For:

About American Educator

American Educator is a quarterly journal of educational research and ideas published by the American Federation of Teachers. Recent articles have focused on such topics as reducing the achievement gap between poor and affluent students, heading off student discipline problems, teaching an appreciation and understanding of democracy, the benefits of a common coherent curriculum, and other issues affecting children and education here and abroad. Total circulation, as of our most recent issue, is over 900,000.