Explores whether Postgraduate Certification in Education student teachers felt that the Individual Action Planning (IAP) process either gave them personal control or controlled them. Concludes that neither elements of empowerment nor discipline are an adequate conceptualization of IAP, although from the student perspective feelings of 'control'…

Makes the case for democratic education, criticizing critical pedagogy for its absence of a coherent, testable theory, lack of understanding of democracy, and inapplicability to the reality of classroom experiences. The paper presents six attributes of democracy that are generally recognized and applies them to education, adding a seventh that…

Discusses discipline in today's schools, examining common discipline problems, noting the effect of punishment; describing various disciplinary measures (peer mediation, peaceable schools, zero tolerance policies, and corporal punishment); emphasizing the importance of prevention versus punishment; discussing school safety; and highlighting the…

A study found college students majoring in "pure" disciplines were less likely than those in applied fields to hold naive beliefs in simple knowledge, quick learning, and certain knowledge. Gender, age, grade point average were also related to beliefs. Results suggest students' beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning are related to…

Discusses the use of distance education in rural public schools to improve academic achievement, based on experiences with eight networked school districts in Oklahoma. Addresses problems that were overcome, including discipline, homework, community and teacher acceptance, and lack of interaction with the teacher. (LRW)

A review of the literature on special education and school discipline in light of the 1997 Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act finds little evidence to support student suspension and expulsion. Support is offered for a unified system of discipline that preserves both a free and appropriate public education and a safe…

Describes the different types of graffiti: (1) private forms of graffiti (doodling and latrinalia); and (2 public forms (gang graffiti, tags, and pieces). Uses teenage psychology to interpret adolescents' involvement in graffiti. Examines graffiti art in relation to its educational implications for secondary art education. (CMK)

Evaluates the effectiveness of a family-school-community intervention model in an off-campus disciplinary alternative school. Finds positive changes in students' self-esteem and life skills and significant improvement in their attendance and grades while in the program. All except two students were still in school 1 year after leaving the program.…

Suggests that community college department chairs have an imperative to advance the discipline in three major ways: (1) to fight for required speech courses; (2) to hire only those people who are trained in their discipline to teach speech courses; and (3) to supervise in a way as to advance the discipline and the cause of teaching and learning.…

This article addresses the substantial changes that Congress made in the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act concerning discipline of students with disabilities. It analyzes both the procedural and substantive requirements related to suspending students, expelling students, and conducting functional behavioral…

Discusses four issues related to music: (1) music as a form of intelligence and the misconceptions that have arisen; (2) music as a discipline focusing on mastering the discipline of music and obstacles to musicality; (3) a rationale for music education; and (4) the future of music education. (CMK)

The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with early onset of sexual intercourse. Within an ecological system's conceptual framework, familial factors associated with early onset of sexual activity were identified in a sample of 425 adolescents from San Juan metro area schools. Measures included questions about sexual activity,…

The notion of "the school" as a set of institutional processes and practices that shape the possibilities of educational research forms the focus of this article. It is argued that the discursive and material practices that render schools agencies of cultural reproduction also have effects for what research can be undertaken in them and…

This article reports the findings of a 3 year research project which investigated disciplinary variation in student writing. Within an Open University course in the history of science, students from an arts background were found to achieve significantly higher grades than those from a science background. Textual and interview data suggest that…

School boards, who have been regarded as the keystone that links public education to ordinary citizens, are normally elected. However, these elections are usually low-turnout, low-interest affairs in which the vast majority of ordinary citizens play no role at all. In school board elections, the incentives of the teacher unions are strong and…