A high school English teacher describes personal experiences in "untracking" instruction and offers insights into techniques and considerations for making untracked instruction effective. Issues addressed include attendance and missed work, deadlines, classroom communication, assignments, student choice in reading materials, and student…

A survey of 2,216 low-SES Mexican American students in grades 4-6 investigated family, social, and psychological risk factors related to substance abuse. Use of major and minor substances was related to respondent score on an index of 11 risk factors. Relationship between major substance use and risk index was significantly greater for females…

A study investigated the extent to which college student commitment to promoting racial understanding is related to the characteristics of entering students and of the college environment. Variables examined include demographic characteristics, living arrangements, institutional characteristics, peer attitudes, faculty attitudes, cocurricular…

Twenty students (ages 11-15) with disabilities used a consensus-based group evaluation system to evaluate their group's behavior during a specified time period. Comparing team ratings to teacher ratings and delivering reinforcement (based on group behavior and team accuracy in rating behavior) was found to be an effective strategy for modifying…

Evaluates a model for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk reduction through training popular opinion leaders. Interventions in three gay communities produced dramatic reductions in the gay male population's high-risk behavior. Results support the utility of norm-changing approaches to reduce risk…

Examines the use of mediation skills in elementary and secondary education. Discusses the rise in school violence; and describes mediation techniques, the rationale for their use, school programs to introduce mediation, peer mediators, and long-term benefits to students and the school community. Offers resources. (JB)

A recent structural model suggesting that nine factors exerted effects on seventh grade students' mathematics achievement and attitude was further tested with a national sample of 2,500 tenth grade mathematics students. The structural model, evolved and cross-validated with the younger sample, significantly accounted for variance in mathematics…

High School and Beyond data for 1,332 male and 1,608 female African Americans indicate that several domains of influence help predict African-American males' postsecondary educational attainment. Family socioeconomic status, educational plans, father's influence, and peer influence are important predictors and indicate areas where student…

Surveyed 1,913 students on extent and type of influence they thought desirable in developing moral judgment in elementary, secondary, and college students. Average response across subjects, year of administration, and age of individuals for whom item was being tapped was highest for influence of individual him/herself and relatively high for three…

Reviews research in which computers have provided support for collaborative learning. Asserts that the technology itself is not neutral with respect to learning activities. Concludes that computer interface with the learner involves more than just the interaction with the computer. (CFR)

Reports findings from Canadian surveys on adolescent female health-risk behaviors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and sexual activity. Discusses whether the school system has a responsibility to provide related prevention programs and whether the school actually contributes to the development of these problems. Supportive school…

Explores issues of whose work is actually being evaluated when raters outside the classroom context make judgments about students based on work composed with the support of peers, teachers, and parents. Data from an evaluation of a statewide assessment and a study of scoring elementary school writing portfolios illustrate the issues. (SLD)

Used ethnographic methods to examine, over six months, the relationship between gender and open-ended computer software use to compose stories for 36 first graders. Found that females in mixed-gender groups were more likely to have their competence or work laughed at or criticized than when working alone or in all-female groups. Females used…

Research investigating perceptions of guns, gangs, drugs, and violence in rural schools surveyed 266 principals and counselors in rural elementary, middle, and high schools in northern Missouri. Smaller schools and elementary schools had fewer problems than larger and middle/high schools. Community collaboration is essential to solving…

Peers of a socially rejected seventh-grade girl were rewarded for publicly reporting positive aspects of the girl's behavior. Results indicated that positive peer reports reduced negative social interactions to near zero and increased positive interactions to above 70%. In addition, social acceptance ratings of the girl increased from…