American Educator
Spring 1995

 

Table of Contents

Classrooms Held Hostage
The Disruption of the Many by the Few
By Albert Shanker

It only takes one or two disruptive students in a classroom to jeopardize the learning opportunities of all the rest. And if we let that happen, our public school system may not survive.

What We Can Learn from Japanese Teachers' Manuals

Here's a firsthand look at a unit from a third-grade Japanese math manual. Its depth, focus, and meticulously thought-out approach stand in sharp contrast to the often disjointed and superficial character of the U.S. manuals we compared it with.

Time on Our Side
By Donna Fowler

Who's in charge here—time or learning? For as long as most of us can remember, time has had the upper hand, forcing learning to bend to its rigid schedules. But things are changing, and here are five schools that have "reset" their clocks.

Why Is Algebra Important to Learn?
By Zalman Usiskin

How many students sit grudgingly through algebra class wondering why they have to learn linear (not to mention quadratic) equations, logarithms, and formulas for determining combinations and permutations? "What's the point?" they ask. Here's the answer; we hope you'll share it with your students.

A Sense of Proportion
By David McCullough

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author fondly recalls his rich exposure to the arts as a child in the Pittsburgh public school system and shows how a strong arts education benefits us all.

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