Involving adolescents in school-improvement activities is essential for a total quality school but can create discomfort for teachers inured to traditional class-control mechanisms. This article profiles two initiatives to encourage student involvement through the Quality Student Leadership process in Chicago area schools and in rural Michigan.…

Discusses the need for students to take more responsibility for their learning when learning at a distance. Topics include metacognition, student journals to record their study habits, and the need to form some type of collaborative study groups for online learners by using collaborative software environments. (LRW)

Minor disagreements can quickly escalate when a child feels threatened with losing face or fears retaliation. Peer-mediation programs can help students refocus their energies while learning communication skills they can use in other situations. The benefits of an Oregon elementary school's peer-mediation program are discussed. (MLH)

Offers an overview of the information prepared by the MLA (Modern Language Association) Committee on Academic Freedom and Professional Rights and Responsibilities. Discusses recruitment and application, advising and course work, standards for teaching and other professional experience, and grievances. (CR)

Analyzes codes of conduct that are a charter component of the "Schools of the Future" initiative in Victoria (Australia), a school reform effort that involves nearly 300 schools. Results show that schools need to emphasize a closer connection between students' rights and responsibilities, align discipline and rewards, and focus on…

Suggests that standards-based reform is doomed to fail unless states use their newly established, more rigorous standards to develop interventions that provide teachers with the skills and knowledge required to teach to the higher standards and students with additional opportunities to achieve the higher standards. (Author/SLD)

Strategies-based instruction aims to help learners become more responsible for learning and using the target language. In an SBI classroom, teachers describe and model potentially useful strategies; elicit additional examples from students; lead group discussions about strategies; encourage student experimentation; and integrate approaches into…

Presents a portrait of Japanese elementary schools--stressing close human connections, social and ethical development, and an indepth curriculum--that differs profoundly from the U.S. mainstream media's version. In Japanese elementary schools, learning is cooperative; success depends on setting and meeting rigorous personal goals and performing…

The implications of regarding teachers as accountable for student progress in learning are discussed with reference to teacher work, teaching as a profession, and the meaning of "reasonable and defensible" standards of student performance. A realistic balance of teachers' ethical obligations, citizen reliance on teacher accountability,…

Survey of college students who managed credit cards wisely and those who did not (N=310), revealed that responsible users were more likely to have acquired credit cards before matriculating in college. Discusses implications for future personal-debt management and for institutions of higher education with regard to credit-card vendors. (EMK)

Examined the role of classroom discipline in promoting student responsibility for the protection of learning and safety rights in Australian classrooms. Surveys indicated that students believed teachers reacted to classroom misbehavior by increasing their use of coercive discipline, which inhibited development of student responsibility and…

After-school tutoring sessions focused on developing long-term skills can help at-risk students become independent, successful learners. Strategic tutoring teaches students strategies for learning and performing while receiving help with class assignments. There are four instructional stages: assessing students' strategies and constructing,…

A study involving 10 mothers and 10 teachers of children (ages 10-14) with disabilities found both groups ranked "to be responsible" and "to be respectful" as the two most desirable characteristics of students with disabilities. Teachers and parents also agreed about the least important characteristics in children's development. (Contains…

Students live in a world that is powered by petroleum and other energy resources to an unsurpassed degree. The United States today consumes more than 24% of all the energy used in the world--and about 60% of this energy is provided by petroleum (oil and natural gas). The availability of abundant, inexpensive energy is the main reason that the…

College students resist required reading assignments. Likewise, faculty are reluctant to quiz on reading assignments for fear of evoking disapproval. Measurement of reading compliance allows instructors to demonstrate a connection between reading preparation and subsequent success on final exams. The first study suggested that self-reports of…