Reports research designed to develop a reliable and valid instrument to assess the relationship between locus of control of reinforcement and environmentally responsible behavior in (n=853) undergraduate students. Results suggest that the Environmental Action Internal Control Index can accurately predict environmentally responsible behavior.…

The Johnstown (Pennsylvania) Middle School has adopted a simple, practical school bus discipline program that refers disruptive students to the bus-duty teacher to discuss the incident. The bus driver's written report activates the bus-rider training program, featuring temporary loss of riding privileges, a simulated bus ride, a safety video, a…

This hypothetical letter to a junior high school student with visual impairments stresses the child's abilities and possibilities rather than limitations as well as the importance of the child's individual development and assumption of personal responsibility. The letter is primarily intended to help teachers think about how to best help such…

In peer mediation, students can resolve conflicts and orchestrate their own solutions. According to the National Association for Mediation in Education, school-based mediation teaches students how to deal with anger constructively, communicate feelings without using violence and abusive language, think creatively about alternative solutions, and…

Notes that resurgence of open racism has occurred at institutions of higher education in recent years. Discusses dialog as means for working toward solution to racial conflict. Suggests dialog as alternative to codes and policies to help students develop ethic of responsibility that enables them to understand and accept inherent diversities in…

To shorten the line at his desk, a fourth-grade teacher tries to build thought and work habits that will inspire his students to strive for excellence and achieve it in every assignment. Each lesson incorporates an experience, criteria for excellence, student practice, a rubric, examples, self-evaluations, peer and teacher evaluations, revision,…

Effective discipline is not about punishing but about teaching responsibility. Article provides six strategies for helping youth learn responsibility. The six steps include: (1) establishing sensible limits; (2) confronting misbehavior with dignity; (3) providing healthy viable choices; (4) helping students learn from consequences; (5) eliciting a…

Discusses connections in undergraduate study between liberal learning and work, including internships, service learning, volunteerism, work-study programs, and students who work for a living. Focuses, however, on students who "work at learning," as a student culture which recognizes that in the final analysis, students themselves must work at…

Describes a social action model for teens to address concerns in their community with adult assistance. Identifies five program principles: (1) adult faith in youths' capacity to contribute meaningfully; (2) preparation and support for roles young people select; (3) student selection of the project; (4) acceptance that problems occur; and (5)…

A Rhode Island elementary school decided to include students in their parent-teacher conferences. The idea was to increase student responsibility for learning and improve student achievement. Revamped portfolios that focused on the quality of student work provided the key to success. (MLH)

Considers some frightening facets of the Internet that cannot in principle be solved with mere technological advances, including: (1) the overwhelming amount of information; (2) the relative lack of authoritative information; and (3) a general lack of explanation for individuals using the Internet. Urges higher education institutions to foster…

Discusses the relevance and importance of seriousness in education, explaining that schools do not coherently teach the kind of monitoring and personal engagement required of a serious student, probably because the nature and need for it is not recognized. The paper suggests that no type of moral or serious education is possible without a basis of…

Inspired by William Glasser's Reality Therapy ideas, Control Theory (CT) is a disciplinary approach that stresses people's ability to control only their own behavior, based on internal motivations to satisfy five basic needs. At one North Dakota high school, CT-trained teachers are the program's best recruiters. (MLH)

Student activity involvement contributes to leadership skills and the ability to plan, manage, organize, implement, and evaluate. Three experts view responsible participation as useful for building character, learning the value of trustworthiness and reliability, and promoting positive public relations throughout schools and communities. (MLH)

Schools and communities must break the adolescent code of silence concerning threats of violence. Schools need character education stressing courage, caring, and responsibility; regular discussions of the school discipline code; formal security discussions with parents; 24-hour hotlines; and protocols for handling reports of potential violence.…