Middle school brings rapid developmental changes for adolescents, and parent engagement is as essential as ever. However, what worked for parent-teacher partnerships in elementary school doesn't fit so well in middle school. Adolescents are building their autonomy, and teachers must help empower parents' efforts to bolster students as independent…

Examines the formation of peer groups and the significance of peer relationships among teacher candidates in 29 selected teacher training institutions. Researchers found little evidence of strong community among education students. Future teachers are socialized to view teaching as an isolated activity, rather than a shared enterprise. Includes 10…

As teenagers mature, they seek to move away from the adult community's normative pressures. A 10-year survey of adolescents in 10 communities found more congruence than conflict between parent and adolescent world views. Seattle, Washington's innovative youth charter offers an ideal way to map out adult and adolescent roles. Includes nine…

To understand urban Native American students more fully, teachers must grasp the contrast between rural/reservation living and urban life (generally more hostile) for these students and their families. Teachers should determine students' home language and their degree of facility in school English. Teachers should also recognize Native American…

Reviews the design and conduct of the Study of the Education of Educators (SEE) project. Reports findings concerning institutional context, teacher candidates and their perceptions about becoming teachers, some characteristics and views of education faculty members, and the nature and conduct of the preparation programs studied. Includes 16…

Home-school partnerships improve academic achievement but can also widen the gap in performance related to social class. Educators can learn to adapt outreach policies to the values of working class families. (MD)

Examines the Home Tutorial Program in the San Fernando Valley of California in the areas of organization, parent attitudes, learning environment, achievement, and socialization. Compare the home program with the Los Angeles Unified School District. (IRT)

Children lacking sufficient mediated learning experiences (MLEs) are ill-prepared to handle the cognitive challenges confronting them at school and cannot benefit even from hands-on learning experiences. Reuven Feuerstein's theory of MLE holds that our cognitive abilities are modifiable, that we can change the course of a child's early cognitive…

Deinstitutionalizing the mentally ill failed because proper implementation required large-scale societal changes. Dumping disabled kids into regular education without appropriate supports could mirror that fiasco. Inclusion can help create a sense of community through promoting acceptance and respect among classmates. The Social Awareness-Social…

Many urban schools should be called cafeterias, recreation centers, or community centers, because more time is spent eating, playing, and socializing than on teaching and learning. "Schools" are day camps with compliant attendees or custodial centers with involuntarily managed inmates. Teacher effectiveness turns solely on classroom-management…

Discusses two areas (the socialization of new teachers and curriculum improvement) that might help urban teachers improve educational quality for urban students. Teachers new to urban schools need experienced professionals' help. The cultural deficit curriculum model must yield to a more challenging, meaningful approach. Includes 27 references.…

Presents research evidence that exposure to desegregated schools leads to desegregation in other areas of adult life. Includes a table summarizing results from studies on effects of desegregation. (MD)

Rules of development are the same for all children, but social contexts shape children's development into different configurations. To educate culturally and linguistically diverse children, teachers must be sensitive to the similarities and differences among themselves, their students, and students' families. They must create a classroom…

Building social capital for poor children is an important endeavor. Disadvantaged children generally lack a network that allows them to thrive in school and achieve a sense of belonging. Schools in impoverished neighborhoods can strengthen ties to students by building links to the community, becoming full-service community schools, and joining…

Before urban educators can teach work values to their students, they must first stop reinforcing youngsters' antiwork attitudes and their self-defeating "street" ideology. Teachers must stop relying on "nowness," or relevant, fun-time activities and work with students and parents to counter youngsters' passivity, excuse-making,…