The institutional environment of America's schools has changed substantially as government regulation has focused increasingly on the core technical work of schools--instruction. The authors explore the school administrative response to this changing environment, describing how government regulation becomes embodied in the formal structure of four…

The developmental origins of respect and disrespect among American children are seen in early childhood and in the transition to the school years. This chapter presents the first published research to focus on the development of both respect and disrespect as distinct concepts. The findings are examined in the context of both sociocultural and…

Background: Truancy is a serious concern that affects most school districts in the United States; however, we do not have accurate estimates of the prevalence of truancy due to inconsistent tracking and reporting practices of schools. As a result, our best current estimates of the national state of truancy may be from self-reported data. In this…

Compared to traditional, non-Western cultures, emerging adulthood (18-25 years of age) may look considerably different in cultures that place emphasis on the group (i.e., collectivistic) over the individual (i.e., individualistic). However, within minority cultures, individual members vary on the extent to which they identify with their heritage…

The work of J. Eccles and others (1983) in proposing an integrative theoretical model of achievement behaviors was extended using data from the Second International Mathematics Study. Strong support was found for the constructs identified by the model as determinants of the intention to take more mathematics courses. (SLD)

Empirical research on the role of school recess is reviewed. Effects of child-level and school-level variables on recess behavior and the impact of recess on classroom behavior and social and cognitive competence are discussed. It is concluded that recess has important educational and developmental implications. (SLD)

As new technologies become less expensive, provide greater access to various forms of multimedia, and are integrated into all aspects of everyday life, online learning environments are becoming more prevalent. Online education, as experienced through course management systems, is being heralded as meeting the needs of students' lifestyles by…