Battleground: Schools: [2 Volumes](Battleground Series)

No topic sparks an argument faster among the American public, even with relatively apolitical people, than how their children are taught. In schools across the country, school boards, parents, teachers, and students themselves debate issues ranging from charter schools, to the first amendment rights of students, to the efficacy of the No Child Left Behind Act. School districts in Georgia and Pennsylvania have seen battles over the teaching of evolution; places as diverse as Colorado, Washington, and Kentucky have had debates over how best to protect children while at school. Battleground: Schools provides an in-depth, balanced overview of these controversial topics and enables teachers, students, and their parents to better understand the foundations of these conflicts.

Table of Contents:
Guide to Related Topics Preface Introduction Entries Academic Freedom for K–12 Teachers Accountability Afterschool Programs Alternative Schools Alternatives to Schooling Art Education Assessment Bilingual Education Bullying Business and Corporate Involvement Character Education Charter Schools Children's and Students' Rights Citizenship Education Civil Rights Class Size Clothing and School Uniforms Commercialization of Schools Compulsory Schooling Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Evolution Critical Pedagogy Culturally Relevant Education Curriculum Desegregation Discipline Dropouts Drug Use and Prevention Early Childhood Education E-Learning English Language Learners Evaluation Finance Foreign Language Education Foundations and Schools GED (General Educational Development) Credential Gender Gifted and Talented Education Global Education Government Role in Schooling Grading Policies Head Start Homeless Children and Schools Homeschooling Homework Human Development Inclusive Schooling Integrated Mental Health Services in Schools International Comparisons of Student Achievement Knowledge Leadership Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Queer Youth Literacy Education Mathematics Education Media and Schools Mental Health Middle Schools Military in Schools Moral Education Motivation and Learning Multiculturalism No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Nutrition in Schools Parental Involvement in Schools Pedagogy Physical Education Popular Culture and Schools Progressivism Purpose of Schools Race, Racism, and Colorblindness in Schools Religion and Public Schooling Retention in Grade Rural Schools Safety and Security in Schools School Choice School Counseling Science Education Sexuality Education Single-Sex Schools Small Schools Social Studies Education Sports in Schools Standardized Testing Teacher Education Teacher Knowledge Teacher Licensure Teacher Unions Teaching Technology and Schooling Textbooks Time in School Tracking Urban Education Youth Activism General Bibliography Editorial Advisory Board Contributor Biographies Index

About the Author :
Sandra Mathison is Professor of Education at the University British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada E. Wayne Ross is Professor, Dept. of Curriculum Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He is the General Editor of the four-volume Defending Public Schools, and Co-General Editor of the four-volume series Race, Ethnicity and Education.

Review :
The book has a nice selection of topics and all topics are well presented. In addition to illuminating different views on each issue, most articles also provide a historical perspective of the controversy, with summaries of important court cases, legislation, events and theories that have influenced the practice of education.