The need for a collaborative effort between school and family in the area of career guidance is considered in this digest. Issues relevant to this effort are discussed, including family determinants of children's career development, stages of children's career development, counselor guidelines for starting parent programs, and counselor…

Current approaches to educating at-risk students are the result of several shifts in thinking over the last 35 years, and a new way of defining at-risk students is needed to permit changes in school policy and practice to meet these students' needs. Cultural deprivation was originally considered the single cause of at-risk status. Subsequently,…

This digest examines recent literature on factors related to resilience, well-being, and school success for American Indian and Alaska Native students. The characteristics of resilient Native youth are discussed, including the ability to bounce back from adversity, and protective factors that enable high-risk resilient children to avoid negative…

This digest discusses the difficulty of assessing the speech and language of culturally and linguistically diverse students and recommends strategies for identifying communication disorders. It begins by reviewing what qualifies as a communication disorder, discussing the limitations of speech and language tests, and outlining test considerations.…

This digest discusses the most frequently diagnosed mood disorders in children and adolescents, including major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. The symptoms of these disorders are described, along with family and genetic causal factors, biological causal factors, and cognitive causal factors. The digest then…

Many American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth are repeatedly exposed to opportunities to participate in self-destructive and illegal behaviors. This digest examines risk factors associated with four contexts: peers, family, school, and community. Recent research has shown that, relative to national averages, AI/AN youth have higher rates of…

This digest in Spanish describes the key elements of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). CPTED is based on the recognition that the physical environment influences human behavior. It is different from conventional security measures, which many times are based on prohibitions, in that it focuses on desired behaviors and attempts…

This digest describes the key elements of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). CPTED is based on the recognition that the physical environment influences human behavior. It is different from conventional security measures, which many times are based on prohibitions, in that it focuses on desired behaviors and attempts to solve…

Children whose parents are involved in their formal education, among other things, have better grades, test scores, and long-term academic achievement than those with disinterested mothers and fathers. Tutoring is probably the best way for parents to participate in public education, but parental attitudes and expectations toward academic…

Intended for administrators and policymakers as well as teachers, this digest discusses the nature of narratology and how it relates to language arts instruction. The digest first defines narratology as the structuralist study of narrative aimed at understanding how recurrent elements, themes, and patterns yield a set of universals that determine…

Efforts to fight drug abuse must occur in the schools, as well as in homes and the community, since schools provide one major influence in transmitting values, standards, and information to children. This digest discusses the extent of drug abuse among youth, why drug abuse occurs, the effects of drug abuse, what schools can do to combat the…

Research suggests that teacher quality is the single most important factor in determining student achievement and that the impact of a teacher is cumulative. Students with less exposure to qualified teachers are far less likely to achieve academic success than students with more exposure. Research also shows that teachers majoring in the subject…

This digest examines the pressures that have led to school consolidation, what consolidation has achieved, the role of community in education, and the ways that school consolidation undermines that role. Belief in the principle of economies of scale and the pursuit of national educational goals related to economic competitiveness have led school…

Since the 1980s, shared decision making (SDM) has become a significant part of school-reform efforts. Advocates say that SDM will improve student learning, create teacher satisfaction, and develop new forms of leadership. This digest presents an overview of research that investigated whether SDM delivers on these promises. Studies indicate that so…

This digest discusses factors affecting the achievement of gifted minority students, particularly Black students. Problems associated with underachievement definitions and the influence of social, cultural, and psychological factors on student achievement are examined. Suggestions and recommendations for reversing underachievement among gifted…