Presents 1997 maintenance and operations (M&O) cost summaries from a sampling of chief business officers at public school districts across the United States. Nationally, results show 9.59% of a school district's net current expenditure was appropriated for M&O in the 1996-1997 school year, up slightly from fiscal year 1995-1996. Costs are shown to…

Studies the cultural images and knowledge produced by a Latin American organization in the U.S. south as it plans and produces a Latin American festival. In addition, the complexity of the ethnographic portrayal of the festival is described, with implications drawn for other ethnographic studies. (SLD)

Discusses the top challenges commonly confronted nationwide by college and universities, and similar facilities and businesses. Challenges include construction and repair, funding, housing, auxiliary services, maintenance and operations, marketing and recruiting, security and safety, staff training and retention, and technology. (GR)

Comparison of every-day and every-other-day instructional schedules with six preschool children (two with autism and pervasive developmental disorders) found the every-other-day schedule equally effective in fewer sessions and minutes of instruction than the every-day schedule. Generalization and follow-up were not differentially affected by the…

Thirty-six adults with moderate to severe mental retardation received either general case programming, rule learning, or attention control instruction in a table-setting learning task. General case programming and rule learning were successful in promoting generalized table setting. Only general case programming facilitated maintenance of…

The self-injurious escape behavior of an adult with developmental disabilities was treated with extinction. Results of a reversal design showed substantial bursts of responding when extinction was introduced and reintroduced: self-injury remained at a variable and elevated rate for some time before stable, low rates were observed. (Author/DB)

Families who adopt children internationally are faced with not only the acknowledgement of the adoption but also the recognition of the child's birth culture. Thirty-four families were surveyed to assess issues regarding the relevance, frequency, and means of acknowledgement of the adoption and of the birth culture. Findings suggest ways adoption…

Delineates the myths, mysteries, and distortions surrounding rites of passage for African American youth and investigates the educational implications of these rites. The initiation process is examined, and the importance of carefully resurrecting these rites of passage to the socialization of African American youth is discussed. (GR)

Examines the Chinese immigrant community in Auckland, New Zealand and how they address the question of first language maintenance in their largely new English-speaking environment. Shows that language maintenance, especially the written language is going to be an uphill struggle. (Author/VWL)

Managed care has profoundly altered system delivery models in mental health. Many school-based mental health professionals lack information on how professional practice is being reshaped. This paper reviews the confluence between managed care and school-based services. It provides a re-orientation framework to help give a clearer understanding of…

Analyzes responses to 1996 Australian census regarding language use and compares them with those in the two previous censuses. Discusses divergent trends in different states and between two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Comparison of language-shift rates between the three censuses and cross-tabulations with generation, age, gender, family…

Highlights a pilot study that attempts to implement technology in an appropriate manner and to surmount problems faced by out-group language researchers by training an in-group member, in this case a speaker of Navajo, in the methodology and technology necessary for recording and preserving her heritage language. Discusses the role of computer and…

Explores language dominance and cultural hegemony within the Franco-Ontarian community in Canada. Looks at within-group dominance, ethnolinguistic vitality, and ethnocultural equity, presenting a complex composite portrait of this minority language community. Suggests it is under the dominating influence of the majority English population, but…

Many state legislatures are authorizing the largest bond issues for campus facilities in years, in part for deferred maintenance and repairs. The robust national economy appears to be the main force driving the spending trend. Ironically, some of the states best positioned to give colleges large construction windfalls are those limited…

Presents a review of David K. Brooks' generic life-skills taxonomy. Discusses implications of a life-skills taxonomy in terms of its theoretical and practice fit with key features of mental health counseling. Argues that a life-skills approach based on developmental theory and research provides a practical framework to deliver effective treatments…