Evaluates the extent to which social class conditions, peer group influence, parenting, and student behavior are key factors in causing black student underachievement in Great Britain, noting that these factors are typically overlooked by researchers. Discusses recommendations from the Macpherson report (which investigated the murder of a black…

Examines whether students who are intrinsically motivated about learning procrastinate less than those students who are externally motivated and also explores the consequences of procrastination. Indicates that students whose motivation is external are more likely to procrastinate while procrastination is associated with poor academic performance…

Explores the different responses to a whole-language curriculum of two average third-grade students. Describes the teacher and the curriculum, and the contrasting literacy behaviors of the students. Discusses how this year-long observation challenged the author's beliefs about children's need for whole-language instruction. (SR)

Considers how curricular self-analysis of patterns of classroom talk provides teachers with an important opportunity to consciously consider the ways their talk works to define the nature of literacy events, students' roles, and the literacy strategies children come to use and value. (SR)

Surveys of students attending Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) high schools assessed sexual and drug-use behaviors that placed them at risk for contracting or transmitting HIV. Comparison of the results with data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicated that SDA students had lower rates of sexual intercourse and substance use. Parental…

Most of the data on the outcomes and effects of school uniforms come from elementary and middle schools. In many cases, school uniforms are only one part of an overall reform effort. More research is needed. Offers suggestions to help schools work on developing school-uniform policies and summarizes the legal view. (15 references) (MLF)

Examined preservice teachers' journeys toward becoming reflective professionals within the context of a reading/language-arts methods course and elementary field experience. Observations, journals, surveys, and interviews indicated that participants' behaviors were grouped into three categories: questioning as a way of learning, constructing a…

Describes a study that analyzes variables affecting students' decisions to withdraw from liberal arts and science courses. Findings indicated that students with higher GPAs were more likely to withdraw from class than students with low GPAs, perhaps to preserve their averages and repeat the course with higher grades. Contains five data tables and…

Draws on contemporary sources to provide strategies for cultivating self-discipline. Advocates self-healing for the adult to be free from destructive attitudes and personal history that can keep adults from being mindful of the child's needs, perspective, and potential. Concludes with ways to facilitate a truly Montessori approach to discipline.…

Children who are exposed to violence may develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To effectively work with children's responses to trauma, school personnel must be familiar with symptoms of PTSD and prepare possible coping strategies. The paper presents examples of affective, cognitive, and behavioral coping strategies that are effective for…

Examined the relation of direct parental management of peer relationships with young adolescents' and their best friends' antisocial behavior and academic achievement. Found that subjects reporting higher levels of parental monitoring reported lower levels of drug use and delinquency. As hypothesized, patterns of results for perceptions of…

Examines three factors contributing to the perceived hostility toward women on university campuses dominated by science and engineering programs. Considers student resistance to direct instruction on gender issues and strategies for overcoming their resistance. Describes two courses that successfully used project-based learning to raise gender…

Compared outcomes of middle-school-age children born at very low (less than 750-g) or low birthweights (750 to 1,499-g) and full-term. Found that the very-low-weight group fared less well at school age than the low weight and term groups on cognitive functioning, achievement, behavior, and academic performance. Those without neurosensory disorders…

Advice for students taking distance education courses includes knowing the technology; finding ways to communicate with the instructor; showing initiative; being courteous; and being familiar with the policies on attendance, absences, technology failures, written products, and evaluation. (Contains 15 references.) (TD)

This article suggests that students with emotional/behavioral disorders may use disruptive behaviors to escape and avoid teacher instructional language for which they do not have comprehension skills and thus find aversive. Teacher instructional language thus maintains aberrant behavior through a negative reinforcement paradigm. Recommendations…