As some educators try to eradicate homophobia among their students, the literature on how classroom interventions lessen homophobia has netted inconsistent results. Most studies have found modest curriculum effects, while some have not. In addressing these inconsistencies, this study investigates the way some mitigating factors may either augment…

This qualitative investigation examines factors and processes associated with high school graduation in a high-risk urban context. Participants include 11 graduating seniors with learning disabilities, all of whom are African American from low-income backgrounds. These youth are interviewed on multiple occasions to determine how protective factors…

This paper examines some of the determinants of the length of time, in terms of Carnegie units of mathematics taken, that individuals spend studying mathematics in high school. Particular attention focuses on how gender and race combine to influence the amount of mathematics students take. Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of…

Suicide attempts and suicidal ideation among adolescents have been increasing faster than those for adults. This study addresses three questions on adolescent suicidal behavior: (1) Why do some adolescents with psychiatric disorders have a history of suicidal behaviors and some do not?; (2) How do intrapsychic and interpersonal underpinnings of…

About 60,000 Bedouins live in the Negev Desert, which comprises 60% of Israel. Of these, about half live in towns, a third live in settlements of huts for all or part of the year, while a sixth continue to follow traditional nomadic practices. The number of Bedouin children enrolled in school has grown from 150 in 1950 to about 16,000 in 1986.…

To identify patterns of first names over three generations, two samples of 100 Jewish families representing over 1,400 individuals from the former Soviet Union were interviewed. Sample 1 came mainly from Ukraine and European Russia; Sample 2 came from Uzbekistan and Tadzhikistan. Individuals in the samples were born between 1886 and 1992. Both…

As part of a larger study by Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK), the PDK chapter in southeastern Kansas examined at-risk factors and "school effort" to address such factors in its geographical area. Data were obtained from the files of 270 "typical" students in Grades 4, 7, and 10 of three rural schools and from interviews…

Observation of 60 mother-father-third-grade-child triads supplied information as to the interactional context of the children's producing novel solutions to various problems. Unpredicted cross-sex differences appeared. Mothers trying to assist their children had the effect of narrowing the children's freedom to be original. Fathers seemed to be…

The stated objectives of this article are to examine two contrasting theories on the role of the extended family structure on upward mobility, and to present the author's conceptualization of these theories; author asserts that the two theoretical approaches as both operative, but at different periods within the life of a upwardly mobile black…

Investigates how structural circumstances condition the meaning of the father-son connection and the effects of father-absence: examining a sample of white and black adolescents, the research sought father-present/father-absent differences in personal identity and orientation toward the conventional success goals of early adulthood. (Author/JM)

Considering the family as an important agent of political socialization, the influence of parents on their children and the sources of parents' views are examined. Three-generational data on political party identification, drawn from a national survey of high school seniors, their parents, and their grandparents, is analyzed. (Author/ND)

To increase interactions and to improve communication between the school and home, the TransParent School concept was developed. The TransParent School Model (TSM) includes computer-based calling from the school and uses electronic mailboxes so parents can call and hear a message from the teacher every day. The model, first implemented in a school…

A pictorial interview with indirect questioning techniques was used to examine the effects of family structure on children's perceptions of parental roles. A total of 121 4-year-olds participated. Interviews focused on caregiving, companionship, and housekeeping, and compared families headed by single custodial mothers, single custodial fathers,…

Research indicates that the family has a great influence on a child's employment and educational decisions. Family-oriented career development programs are needed for several reasons. Parents indirectly increase their children's career options and career development by enhancing their own employability and career planning skills. Research…

This paper presents a rationale for using a biographical approach in understanding how teachers think and act and how they have come to think and act in the way they do. This approach is seen as being able to provide a fundamental understanding of the teacher's perspective. Understanding how teachers individually and collectively think, act,…