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This examination emanates from the rise in nativist populism across the United States and Europe. Nativist populism is fueled by charismatic leaders who advocate isolationist, neoliberal policies that ostensibly aim to help the economic fortunes of those left behind by rapid globalization; however, these same policies could very well be creating even worse conditions for those individuals, their nations, and the world. One such condition is the state of public education, which plays an integral role in the creation and sustainment of social stability within nations and across the globe. This article explores the rise of nativist populism and the turmoil it creates, negatively affecting public education as well as the social stability of the United States and Europe.

School reform in the past several decades has taken a "modernist" bent in that it has focused on quantitatively based accountability systems modeled after business (Ravitch, 2013; Tienken & Orlich, 2013). The author uses a model devised by a Finnish scholar to demonstrate that 1) these reforms are indeed modernist, and 2) the private good is being promoted over the public good, and 3) that privatization and standardized tests are the primary tactics used to force schools to comply with this vision for schooling.

Many factors inhibit college completion by African-American high school graduates who come from low socio-economic backgrounds. Some factors are "cognitive," while others can be classified as "non-cognitive." Variables in the latter classification are examined in this study conducted at an urban high school in the Midwest with an African-American student population five times the national average, and in a city with a median income well below that of the nation. An instrument designed and validated to predict success of impoverished minority students in college was administered to over 200 students at this school. This paper outlines the connection between findings and specific curricular plans put forth by high school and district staff, assisted by two researchers from an area public university, as a way to prioritize the school resources aligned with non-cognitive variables leading to curriculum enhancement and successful student transition to college.

This essay describes the broad consideration of educational standards that occurred with a cohort of masters' licensure students in public, urban university and high school contexts. This deliberation over standards was rooted in the model of standards development presented by these future teachers' licensure program and called upon this next generation of urban educators to develop standards for their own teaching practices. Relying upon a set of urban standards, this program (the Master of Urban Secondary Teaching, or MUST, program) has attempted to focus its constituents--its interns, mentors, and university faculty--on preparing novice teachers to work in urban schools and to be responsive to their urban communities and students. This standards development method first allowed a cohort of teacher candidates to consider the nature and specifics of the current emphasis on standards that is increasingly a part of every educational context. It then provided these pre-service city teachers with both a process for integrating relevant community experiences into their teaching practices, as well as specific criteria that might make their teaching responsive to the intense urban conditions of their students' lives. These methods allowed these teacher candidates to "see" how the sources for their own educational standards are present in the spaces and environments of their schools and communities.

A multi-site case study of three Swedish schools examined the dimensions of trust, responsibility, shared power (democracy), and global workforce competence as required by a decade-old national education reforms. A key finding was the existence of progressive educational practices including constructivist epistemology, evidenced by the schools' organizational structure, the instructional methods employed, and the various roles engaged in by the teachers, students, and administrators. These progressive practices and the mechanisms used to sustain them in one Swedish public school system may be conducive to effective preparation of workers and citizens for the post-industrial economy and to live in a participatory democracy. (Contains 3 tables and 9 footnotes.)

Argues that U.S. students are not being educated to succeed in a world dominated by the globalization of the economics, politics, and cultures of developed and developing countries. Suggests what educators can do to remedy this situation based on observations of Swedish school system. Suggestions include restructuring education, empowering students, changing the curriculum, and deemphasizing testing. (Contains 15 references.)

We analyze a suspended pipe with the application to offshore pipelaying and suspended production risers. Basic equations from the planar theory of elastic rods are reduced to a second-order ordinary differential equation with special end conditions that is solved numerically. Dimensionless results are given for the maximum curvature in the sag portion of the pipe and the slope angle at the upper end of the pipe in the absence of hydrodynamic forces. Both a rigid and a compliant seafloor are treated. We find that tension is highly effective in limiting curvature. A equation is found for the applied tension at the upper end of the pipe. Our results are intended for preliminary design studies that can be followed by more sophisticated analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After observing the Swedish school system, Mr. Nordgren concludes that the educational priorities of the U.S. are misplaced and will fail to teach students the skills they will need as [...]

The author examines major school reforms in the U.S., the most recent of which ushered in the "Age of Accountability" that controls schooling today. These reforms are Modernist in their approach, perhaps inadequately preparing graduates for success in the 21st century economy, if preparedness is to be measured by results on standardized tests. A Post Modern approach, which the author proffers, will better prepare citizens for the global economy as well as active participation in a democratic society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examine the beliefs of one school of education's faculty members regarding education policy, teaching and learning, and curricula, through the construct of postmodern and modern ideologies. A survey based on a theoretical framework using the tenets of postmodernism and Pasi Sahlberg's "Finnish Way," provided insights into these faculty members' stance toward P-12 schooling. Survey data were analyzed against current accountability measures. Although findings suggest that a definite majority of faculty members agree with postmodern statements, some discrepancies exist that could impact the mission and work of the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daniel Pink, in Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us introduces "Motivation 3.0"; that is, essentially, what most will recognize as intrinsic motivation. In this article, the author uses Pink's principles of autonomy, master, and purpose to examine education reform and its impact on school leaders while relating experiences in Sweden where the present author has been and is studying federally mandated student-centered practices and environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worried about indoctrination of his students, an education professor devised an activity asking groups of students to determine what P-12 graduates should know, do, and "be like," and how a school and schooling process could be designed to effectively support these outcomes. The author's hypothesis was that left-leaning education courses would influence students' beliefs about both the purpose of schooling and how this process should be enacted. The analysis of data collected in seven graduate and undergraduate education courses suggests that education courses have little influence on these beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the end of the first decade of this millennium, the phrase "21st Century Skills" is becoming increasingly common in the general media and in scholarship. In this article, the author examine the implementation of an initiative involving three colleges within a university and nine public high schools addressing the teaching and learning of skills deemed necessary for success in the 21st century workforce. A total of 14 units of instruction were collaboratively developed by high school and university professors with the intent of fostering these skills in college and high school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]