Advocates normalization in art for students experiencing disabilities. Argues against the use of therapeutic or remedial approaches that use art to achieve nonart objectives. Provides a problem-solving matrix to help art teachers meet the needs of disabled students. (CFR)

A survey of undergraduates taking non-course-related library tours found that 86% learned what they expected to learn, 96% believed they learned useful information, and 93% indicated feeling more comfortable about using the library after the tour. Overall use of the tours suggested a need for more promotion of the service. Includes the tour survey…

Discusses staff behavioral problems that prove difficult for successful library management. Suggests that reasonable expectations for behavior need to be established in such areas as common courtesies, environmental issues such as temperature and noise levels, work relationships and values, diverse work styles and ways of communicating, and…

In presenting a comprehensive, objective image of a school's program, administrators must communicate the district's total educational profile. Staff experience and diversity, program quality, and student achievement and stability are useful indicators. Sample profiles are provided for two exemplary high schools in Virginia and Florida. (MLH)

Presents a student's reaction to having American teachers at her Slovakian university. Discusses students' learning styles and expectations, which are quite different from what most American teachers are used to. (RS)

Examines the difficulties of engaging students who lack motivation to learn and attend sporadically in an urban high school science class. Contains 17 references. (Author/WRM)

Examined relationships between the way middle-school physical educators structured practice tasks and the amount of practice students received. Analysis of videotapes of eight teachers and their students during two class periods indicated that skill level, task structure, and practice were related. Task organization related to both the quantity…

Contains suggestions for lesson planning and instructional strategies that are based upon individual student needs and high teacher expectations within increasingly diverse classrooms. Discusses planning around the concept of a planning pyramid of student learning. Presents a sample lesson plan about immigration to the United States. (DSK)

How young mothers construct life aspirations in the face of new parent roles was studied (N=58). Adjustment of expectations in the face of parenting demands, changes in aspirations, support for pursuing life goals, and access to resources are discussed. Characteristics of the most resilient stories are examined. (Author/EMK)

According to William Spady's "Beyond Counterfeit Reforms," politically driven, mechanistic "reforms" box educators into smaller, limiting ways of thinking and running schools. Donald McAdams's book "Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools...and Winning!" shows the salubrious effects of high expectations and community…

State education agencies mandate lofty goals and give school boards the fewest possible resources to achieve them. The board's role is not to lead educationally, but take punches for other institutions' failings. Local control exists in name only. Boards at least keep instinctive self-seeking within bounds. (MLH)

This article provides guidelines and examples of effective use of inclusive language to empower students. Recommendations include focusing on the individual rather than the disability, articulating high expectations for all students, describing students in terms of academic achievements, and providing opportunities for all students to assume…

The real enemy is not working mothers, but a society that undervalues parenting. Schools can help parents address and manage their guilt and stress, stop the mommy wars (between working and nonworking parents), work to improve community childcare, include fathers in outreach efforts, and help employers become family-friendly. (MLH)

Institutional norms, practices, and unwritten policies that further mediocrity include transferring nonperforming staff to avoid problems, tolerating inadequate or misleading evaluations, ignoring student-performance data in supervisory interactions, and shielding staff from meeting standards through work assignments. Focus, persistence, and…

Compared parent and teacher expectations concerning development and learning in 3- to 5-year-olds in Finland and Ireland. Found that both Irish and Finnish teachers consider social skills with peers the most important for preschoolers; however, Irish teachers stressed language and preacademic skills, while Finnish teachers stressed…