Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) was a pioneer in studying the behavior of children in their natural life space of family, school, peer group, and community. His concept of the ecology of human development is transforming practice for effective work with children and youth. Bronfenbrenner's research highlights the power of human relationships to…

Although many correctional education studies have identified various treatment programs as being effective for reducing recidivism, few, if any, of these studies appear to be above reproach when assessing their methodological vigor. This paper highlights the shortcomings in the current post-treatment quasi-experimental design primarily used to…

How do and should students develop--emotionally, socially, intellectually, morally, and spiritually--on a college campus and, more particularly, as members of a residential learning community? What advantages does a learning community offer over the more fragmented and specialized cafeteria of courses in place on most campuses? What new structures…

Education in many countries is used to initiate children and young people into publicly accepted forms of knowledge and to further a common identity among members and citizens of the nation-state. This study discusses both an uncritical initiation to such knowledge and the value of criticality as an educational goal in terms of critical thinking,…

This document reviews the literature about the variety of instructional methods to teach social studies concepts. Divided into five parts, part 1 investigates current curriculum goals in social studies. Part 2 examines the literature on the use of textbooks and stategies in social studies instruction. Part 3 explores the use of textbooks…

The goals outlined in the California Language Arts Framework (1987) include a call for Language Arts instruction that promotes a love of reading through a sense of personal fulfillment, a sense of effectiveness through which students acquire a range of lifelong learning strategies that foster full participation in the world of work and the access…

Many military veterans struggle with substance abuse, homelessness, physical and emotional disabilities, disappointing work histories, and low income. A vocational rehabilitation program at a Veterans' Administration medical center, designed to help veterans with some of these struggles, is described here. Personnel work within the context of each…

Texts and courses related to research methods generally teach students essential research designs, data analysis techniques, and interpretation guidelines. However, students are less likely to learn how research techniques function holistically. To provide this holistic understanding, a classroom activity has been developed at St. Mary's College…

The "Writing What You Read" (WWYR) rubric was designed for large-scale assessments, and differs from most narrative rubrics in its narrative-specific content and its developmental framework. The rubric contains five analytic subscales for theme, character, setting, plot, and communication, and a sixth holistic scale for overall…

In spite of a widespread commitment to the comprehensive high school, the nation has long had specialty or theme schools and schools that target particular children. Magnet schools, alternative schools, and Catholic schools illustrate that the idea of specialized schools is not new. Recently, the concept has received a boost from a study by the…

The curriculum renewal movement has two interconnected goals--to empower both teachers and students and to move from a skills-based curriculum to a process-based one. With so much educational effort focusing on reading and writing, and with new information supporting holistic approaches coming from psycholinguistic and language arts studies, it…

Kurt Lewin's seminal work in organizational communication could potentially help solve many dilemmas faced by workplace literacy programs as they attempt to ensure that program participants not only learn basic skills but also use them in the context of work. According to Lewin's "field theory" approach, an individual's behavior is a…

This book is intended to motivate persons working in the human and social service occupations toward fuller personal development as well as to improve professional competence. The first part discusses the process of becoming a more fully functioning person. Human potential, barriers to personal growth, self-fulfillment, and seeking pathways to…

A practicum was developed to empower pre-service teachers to become more confident in their attempts to motivate and encourage young children to write. Emphasis was placed on the use of holistic philosophies relating to writing, in contrast to more conventional methodologies. Student participants included junior teacher candidates enrolled in…

The Science of Alcohol Curriculum for American Indians uses the Medicine Circle and the "new science paradigm" to study the science of alcohol through a culturally relevant holistic approach. Intended for teachers and other educational personnel involved with American Indians, this curriculum presents a framework for alcohol education…