Teachers/parents of third- and fourth-grade students at four randomly selected Gary, Indiana, schools participated in a study of effects of age, occupation, race, and education on parent-school communication. Parents who were housewives, high school graduates, and/or 20- to 30-years-old were particularly satisfied with teacher-parent interaction.…

School-related research is reviewed under seven categories of nonverbal communication: environmental factors, proxemics, kinesics, touching behavior, physical characteristics, paralanguage, and artifacts. (Author/MH)

Describes the insecure, control-hungry personality often found in principals and the dependent personality often found in their faculties. Explains how these two personalities affect a school and its students, who can learn freedom and independence only from a free and independent teacher. (SB)

An historical and sociological explanation is presented for the occurrence of overrepresentation of racial minorities in special education classes for mentally retarded school children discovered in the California public schools. (Author/MH)

Gives examples of major sources of unreliability in multiple choice items in health professions classroom achievement tests (clues to response combinations, mutually exclusive alternatives, implausible distractors) and offers some suggestions for eliminating them when writing such tests. (MF)

The issue of whether scientific research is included within the system of protected expression afforded by the first amendment is addressed. Examined is the applicability of constitutional doctrine to state action to prohibit, burden, or decline to fund research because the area of inquiry itself is considered inappropriate or suspect. (AF)

Hands-on science activities and first-hand experiences of kindergartners studying trees demonstrate the true meaning of authentic assessment. The activities and teacher interactions had several things in common: (1) they asked students to perform or create something; (2) they invoked real-world applications; (3) they showed that there is more than…

Identifies 11 pitfalls to avoid when implementing character education in a classroom or school. Some pitfalls include reduction of literature study to the search for a moral lesson; the "do as I say, not as I do" mentality; and reliance on posters, slogans, and glitzy gimmicks. (MJP)

Profiles the Community of Caring, a character education program in California that has been in existence for 12 years. Explicates some of the qualities that mark the program as a success. These include longevity, acceptability, comprehensiveness, evaluation, academic improvement, cost-effectiveness, family/community involvement, and professional…

Defines character education as the intentional teaching of ethical reasoning and analysis, the nurturing of moral emotions, and the encouragement of, and insistence upon, moral behavior. Maintains that schools, parents, and communities are all responsible for the moral development of children. Briefly discusses the work of the Ethics Resource…

Provides background information and learning activities for six areas of inquiry concerning media literacy and violence. These are (1) "Monitoring 'Action' in TV Cartoons"; (2) "To Market, To Market (Share)"; (3) "What's 'Educational' Anyway"; (4) "Rating the TV Rating System"; (5) "Nine Risks of TV Violence"; and (6) "Teenagers in the News." (MJP)

Case law concerning standards of care provided by health care practitioners in training is examined. Currently, medical students and residents are being held to the same standard of conduct as practicing professionals, and supervising faculty have a parallel duty to provide supervision to meet both that standard and legal requirements.…

This article discusses "difficult discourse" or the psychological and sociological difficulties that arise in the conflict of language, ideology, and cultural identity occurring between students/families who are limited English proficient (LEP) and the American mainstream education system. A case example of a fifth-grade Asian student is provided…

Discussion of academic medical centers (AMCs) looks at: change due to heavy federal funding in recent decades; adverse consequences, including deemphasis on education in favor of research and clinical service delivery, and discrepancies between AMC internal and external labor markets; and challenges to medical education in research, education, and…

A formal faculty development exercise designed to enable pharmacy faculty to solve instructional problems is described. Faculty were surveyed to identify and rate problems, and scenarios for each were developed. During a retreat, they discussed the scenarios and proposed solutions. After the retreat, both faculty and student leaders rated the…