Court decisions enlarging the rights of pupils are eroding legitimate adult authority in the schools. (Author)

The first stage for school improvement is to find constructive ways to better serve students who are not realizing their full capabilities. Potentially marginal students pass through various levels (testing limits, coasting, retreating and rebelling), and deliberate and constructive intervention can be implemented at each level. (GC)

Resistance theory draws attention to the existence of conflict and antagonism in schools and in pupils' resistance to schools' authority and ideology. In "Learning to Labor," Paul Willis unduly romanticizes resistant practices by the subjects of his ethnography. An alternative view of resistance permits a more socially and historically…

A teacher's experience of being a student in high school for a semester is recounted. The wide differences between teachers' and students' perceptions of responsibility for learning and teaching are pointed out as well as differences in attitude toward school and the world in general. Some suggestions are made for improving teaching and rapport…

Reports figures indicating a rise in teenage suicide in Canada. Shows how the problem is compounded by silence resulting from official and parent reactions and social taboo. Discusses some of the causes of teenage suicide and explains the role of the school and family in suicide intervention and prevention. (SB)

The recommendations set forth in "Developing Character: Transmitting Knowledge," a recent statement signed by prominent scholars and educators, are reviewed here for principals. The statement focuses on the importance of education for character development. (Author)

This paper presents and discusses data based on the perceptions of 128 persistent school absentees on their initial and continued reasons for missing school. The findings suggest that a greater proportion of the students were inclined to blame their institutions, rather than social or psychological factors, for their behavior. (SSH)

Through the extensive use of teachers' reports, the many and varied stresses endured by teaching staff and their reactions to them are identified. In focusing on the dual problem of reducing pressures on teaching staff and strengthening their coping resources, this book calls attention to a series of issues within education. Chapters are devoted…