American Educator: Spring 2002

  • Notebook

    New Funds, New Rules in New Federal Education Law

    Funding for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has been increased to over $22 billion, that's 27 percent more than last year. Along with the increase come new rules that continue a decade-long effort to push districts and states to adopt clear standards for student achievement, tests...

    Read more

  • The Story of the Atom

    (aimed at middle-schoolers, fascinating for adults) Joy Hakim

  • Mystic Chords of Memory

    Cultivating America's Unique Form of Patriotism Walter Berns

    From the beginning, America's public schools have been charged with instilling in students a love of country. Many believed this emphasis had waned in recent years—partly in response to complaints of "ethnocentrism"; partly because the need for patriotic citizens seemed remote; partly...

    Read more

  • Lincoln, Patriotism's Greatest Poet

    The Constitution and Slavery

    [Slavery] is hid away, in the constitution, just as an afflicted man hides away a wen or a cancer, which he dares not cut out at once, lest he bleed to death; with the promise, nevertheless, that the cutting may begin at the end of a given time. Less than...

    Read more

  • The Road to Interest and Curiosity

    It Begins with a Deliberate Choice Ron Rude

    "But I'm not interested," cried the child.
    "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! The child is bored," lamented the reformer,
    waving his hands and running about in circles.
    "Hurry! Hurry! We've got to rebuild the universe to suit her."
    "No," muttered the cynic    ...

    Read more

  • A Different Kind of Book Club

    Gerard Lesperance

    Becoming acquainted with the pleasures of reading while attending parochial school in Brooklyn during the 1950s was a simple matter. Once the good sisters "suggested" that a trip to the local library would be beneficial, my arrival there was ensured. Since my world at that time consisted of a...

    Read more

  • Resources to Inspire Young Readers

    Ready to encourage more reading in your classroom, school, or neighborhood? The following diverse set of resources will give you plenty of ideas.

    National Geographic

    As part of its nonfiction literacy campaign, National Geographic launched the Book Club for Kids with a wide range...

    Read more