Notes that young adolescents arrive at school greatly influenced by their home environments and are then influenced by school experiences. Notes that students with risk factors at home and school have difficulty succeeding. Recounts story of a young adolescent male to illustrate impact of school and home on school performance, highlighting the…

A rural Missouri school district considered student records and parents' and teachers' needs in formulating changes to accommodate its increasing Hispanic population. Teachers took Spanish classes at an area college; limited English speaking students took special English classes; small group instruction, mentors, and peer helpers were used; and a…

An international study of the principal's role in developing and supporting information-literate school communities was conducted in Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Japan, Scotland, and South Korea. The study sought to inform the efforts of principals and teacher-librarians throughout the world seeking to develop such communities. Researchers…

Award-winning teachers from rural Oregon, Alaska, and Idaho discuss their innovative programs and the advantages of small-town life and small schools. Teachers, students, and community members know each other and participate in school activities, teachers have more flexibility and control over what they teach, bureaucracy is minimized, and…

Describes the Health Promoting Schools Framework and its implementation in schools to prevent eating and body image disorders, examining the efficacy of preventive school-based strategies. The framework encompasses: school curriculum, teaching, and learning; school ethos, environment, and organization; and school-community partnerships and…

Discusses the first plane of development in the context of language work of the age 3-6 classroom. Examines the connections between spoken and written language and explains how literary images reflected in prose and poetry all contribute to a child's development as a reader and a writer. (TJQ)

Details delivery of Individual Education Program objectives to K-3 students with low-incidence disabilities. Presents data on which teachers were present in the classroom and who delivered the teaching opportunities, frequency of IEP instruction, and instructional context of the lesson. Discusses the low level of IEP-related instruction in terms…

May 17, 2004 marked the fifty years that have passed since the United States Supreme Court handed down one of its most famous, compelling and iconic decisions, "Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas." Certainly the decision itself, labeling the practice of "separate but equal" as unconstitutional, deserves the fanfare…

We use dialogic theory to frame our conversation about how we are completing our Ph.D.s, in an attempt to help other students finish their degrees. Dialogic theory allows us to document how we think through the Ph.D. process, critically evaluate our experiences in graduate school, and transcend solely individualistic or structurally oriented…

Prejudice and discrimination against lesbian, gay and bisexual students, faculty, and staff on college campuses is an important issue that demands attention. Intolerance for the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) community is often intensified by a lack of knowledge and understanding between heterosexuals and the LGB community, a problem that could…

In physical education, playful teaching practices are essential to relationship building and creating "connections" for successful group dynamics. Perhaps most importantly, playful teachers develop positive attitudes in their students and help students understand that learning can be fun and joyful. Playful teaching practices also greatly enhance…

Planning is essential to creating safe schools and it is required by the Federal No Child Left Behind legislation (U.S. Department of Education, 2004) and implemented via district local education action plans. The implementation of these plans involves continuous monitoring and reevaluation of information pertinent to each campus. As such, this…

This case study characterizes the inscriptional practices demonstrated by seventh graders, particularly their use of data tables and graphs, in an inquiry-based learning environment. Using a naturalistic approach, we collected multiple sources of data during an 8-month instructional unit that emphasized water quality and relevant concepts. The…

Blaming unsatisfactory student achievement on the middle school concept is a case of mistaken identity. Too many middle schools have failed to fully implement the middle school concept. Based on statements from the Carnegie Council and the National Middle School Association, the middle school concept calls for improved academic achievement for all…

Reports on the school climate for gay and lesbian students in the United States suggest that negative attitudes toward gay and lesbian individuals are quite common in adolescence. Very little research, however, has investigated adolescents' sexual prejudice from a developmental perspective. In this study, 10th- (N = 119) and 12th- (N = 145) grade…