Meta-analysis was used to review 56 programs designed to promote family wellness and prevent child maltreatment to determine program effectiveness and identify positive factors. Intensive family preservation programs with high levels of participant involvement, an empowerment/strengths-based approach, and a component of social support had higher…

Parents have used their empowerment under the 1997 Amendments to become the advocate for the child not only in the classroom, but also in the courtroom. Generally, the courts have been quick to reject nonattorney parents' request to represent their child. Those parents who are licensed members of the bar may be allowed to represent their child,…

Presents case study data on one sixth-grade classroom of Kids as Global Scientists (KGS) project participants during the eight-week program. Finds that students made significant gains in weather content knowledge, and interviews revealed a high level of student motivation and satisfaction with the project. (Contains 38 references.) (Author/WRM)

A study explored the perspectives of nine participants engaged in a specific person-centered future planning model for individuals with disabilities and their families. Focus group themes included: evolution of person-centered planning circles or teams, inhibitors to the person-centered planning process, supports to the person-centered planning…

An experiential practitioner discusses the foundations of his ethical perspective on challenge by choice--participant choice within adventure activities. These foundations include existential and experiential philosophy, leisure theory, and the adventure-based counseling model. The ethics of choice and informed consent is discussed in relation to…

The 1988 Education Reform Act and subsequent legislation sought to impose on English and Welsh educational services a form of site-based planning called "school development planning." This paper identifies key problems with this approach and instead proposes strategies for managing change and school improvement based on North American…

Examines how Aboriginal groups and communities have taken leadership by developing their own holistic approaches to healing/wellness, based on their worldviews. Argues that a reflection on this process with an awareness of Aboriginal worldviews and cultural imperatives offers possible approaches that facilitate empowerment in working with…

Describes the lessons learned from the Baltimore City Healthy Start Men's Services program, the goal of which was to encourage fathers' involvement in their children's lives. Notes that the right philosophical mindset of actively seeking out fathers was crucial for Men's Services, and could be crucial to Head Start's efforts to reach fathers. (SD)

Addresses psychological issues of elite female athletes preparing for Olympic competition. Perpetual social and gender role issues make women more receptive to psychological services. As women enter their final preparations for the Olympic Games, sport psychology is held to be of critical importance to help them with performance enhancement and…

Describes a study investigating the relationship between Hong Kong principals' vision and leadership behavior in 48 secondary schools, half of which participated in a school-based management pilot scheme. Statistically analyzed results suggest that five leadership behavior dimensions were significantly related to principals' vision for both types…

Proposes that higher education, particularly community colleges, be evaluated not solely on institutions' functional merits or impact on student income but on their value in developing active citizens. Of special significance is the finding that community college attendance is associated with an increased sense of self-empowerment, and may offer…

Illustrates the use of multigenre research reports, a collection of student responses to a topic that incorporates several different writing modes. A ninth-grade global issues class was assigned a multigenre research project on Latin America. Reveals the results of the projects and provides an appendix. (CMK)

Materialism and the commodification of knowledge and education have left students alienated and disinterested. In response, some Chicano students have revolted against educational dehumanization and are engaged in a process of spiritualization through indigenismo. Chicano studies provides a potential path toward educational transformation by…

Explains that individualized still-life arrangements steer students away from duplicating cultural forms as subject matter and replaces them with the process of training the eye to observe line, space, proportion, texture, and color in changing settings. Describes how students can create their own still-life arrangements. (CMK)

Describes the use of a token economy in a fifth-grade classroom that teaches students economic concepts and helps develop their decision-making skills. States that students learn about scarcity, savings, price, inflation, insurance, rent, and utilities. Includes additional resources. (CMK)