The incorporation of a self-defense unit of study within secondary physical education programs is becoming commonplace in 21st-century curricula. The threat of crime to oneself, one's belongings, or one's home is very real and is a particular concern to youths, because teens and young adults experience the highest rates of crime as reported by the…

Teens with disabilities need information about risk topics such as addiction, abuse, sex, and delinquency to make healthy choices as they participate in mainstream society. This article presents questionnaire-based information provided by special educators in secondary schools about their efforts, limitations, and needs in providing risk reduction…

A special education professor who has written curricula for gifted/talented students and developed programs for underserved students answers questions concerning identification of students, including handicapped students, for gifted programs; the purpose of differentiated curricula for gifted/talented students; types of curriculum modifications;…

Parents should encourage schools serving the gifted to establish a futures studies curriculum and should instill positive attitudes about the future in their children. Exercises to help develop foresight and perspective regarding the environment, technology, and human dignity are provided. (JDD)

Fifty-four gifted junior-high students were surveyed to explore their feelings about being gifted, perceptions as to why they do well, the challenge of schoolwork, feelings concerning their classmates' and teachers' views of them, male versus female respect, and preferences among school-based programing options. (JDD)

After interviewing Jewish teenagers about death, finds Reform Judaism teachers teach about love and marriage but not death. Observes students know little of Jewish customs related to death. Notes Jewish doctrine focuses on the needs of the living. Considers elements that will be necessary to provide for effective death education in Reform Jewish…

Few historic episodes in American history have imparted a more potent plea for social justice and inclusion than the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. In the past two decades, legendary activist Bob Moses has channeled the best of the civil rights tradition into a campaign of school reform and curriculum development with the nationally…

Guidelines are presented to assist in establishing programs to meet the needs of students who are both gifted and learning disabled. The guidelines suggest focusing attention on development of the giftedness, offering a nurturing environment that values individual differences, teaching compensation strategies, and developing awareness of…

The superintendent claims an advanced placement (AP) European history course was eliminated and an AP course in comparative government was added to provide a little more coherence, not to create a multicultural approach. A parents' committee claims they formed over the issue of academic rigor, not multiculturalism. (MLF)

Proposes a precrisis curriculum for nursery and elementary schools to prepare healthy young children for hospitalization as an alternative to current preadmission preparation programs. Key elements include such stress-immunization techniques as systematic desensitization, modeling, and rehearsal. (AS)

It appears extremely advantageous for highly gifted children if their parents can work in close collaboration with education authorities. How an individualized education program for one child was devised, and comments on preschool and tertiary education are given. (MNS)

Reviews major tenets of the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments of 1997, including strengthening of the role of parents, ensuring access to the general education curriculum, modification of discipline procedures, and changes in how Individualized Education Programs are developed and written. Discusses potential…

Parents and PTA members are actively involved at every level at the Applied Learning Academy in Fort Worth, Texas. This year-round public middle school is driven by applied learning. Parents are involved in school planning and design and actively participate in student assessments. (SM)

With the recent rise of childhood obesity, teaching children with developmental disabilities about healthful lifestyle choices has important implications for special educators. Designing instructional interventions for children with developmental disabilities in the areas of nutrition and weight management poses challenges to educators, who must…

Summarizes "First Lessons," the author's 1986 report on elementary schooling. Acknowledges society's complexity, the nation's ethnic and socioeconomic diversity, parents' importance, and changing family structure. Examines curriculum content and quality, principal and teacher effectiveness, and school policy issues, including the need for rigorous…