The report by the Ombudsman on violence in schools--bullying--served to highlight that there are instances of abuse and violent behavior among schoolchildren at the majority of educational institutions (AA.VV., 2000). From contacts with experts in teaching, we know that this phenomenon is frequently only made known to the educational community…

Recent empirical investigations and epidemiological trends promulgate the need for effective sexual health education and advocacy programs based on the needs of college students. While many peer-based programs are reliant on pedagogical strategies, additional advocacy programs are needed to resolve the difficulties associated with reaching target…

In this article, the authors describe the development of a pilot project called Writing Zones 12.5. Writing Zones 12.5 was created to help students find strategies for solving writing problems and help them become better writers at every stage of the writing process. The project touches on five of the nine principles that Center for Higher…

This article examines the relationship between ethnic group affiliation (one's sense of belonging to a primary ethnic group) and second-language (L2) pronunciation accuracy defined here as native-like, nonaccented L2 speech or L2 speech that contains no first language (L1) influences. The study addressed these questions: (a) Is there a…

In this study, the authors make use of an unusual property of a data set from Bogota--whereby some teachers teach math to more than one group of students--to determine the roles of teacher quality, peer group composition, and class size. They show that all three have effects on student achievement. They also show that the average attributes of…

Gangs are no longer the exclusive problem of large metropolitan areas. Suburban schools and communities are now vulnerable, and the problem is spreading. To combat the problem, it is essential to overcome denial in the school and community. The case study of Chris, a junior high school student, exemplifies suburban youth gang members.…

This study examined children's play interaction styles with unfamiliar peers; used mother-child and father-child dyadic qualities independently to predict children's social behavior; determined the relationship between children's individual behaviors and peer dyadic characteristics; and compared mother-child and father-child interactions on both…

This study examined loneliness, social support, and help-seeking behavior in children, ages 9 to 13. Participating were 330 fourth to sixth graders from middle and low income families from the Montreal, Canada region, who completed two questionnaires measuring feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction and help-seeking. Independent…

Learning communities, freshman interest groups, or cluster classes are a relatively new trend on college and university campuses. In addition to improving freshman retention and performance, these courses create a bridge between the basic course and other courses. Learning communities are curricular structures that promote academic success by…

A study determined if cross-age pairing of first-grade and sixth-grade students would have an effect on writing achievement. For 6 weeks, one group of beginning first-grade writers was paired with more able sixth-grade developing writers, while another group of beginning first-grade writers and sixth-grade developing writers was not cross-age…

This journal contains a wide ranging collection of articles on teaching English at all levels. Articles include: "Why Can't My Students Do It My Way?" (Thomas C. Thompson); "The First Step Is Fluency: An Interview with Richard Marius" (Carroll Viera); "Teaching Writing: The Dilemma" (Janet Sanner); "Teaching…

This report on the Peer Helper's program, assesses the effectiveness of the training and counseling of peer helpers, the training of peer helper facilitators, and its recruitment procedures. This program, introduced into 10 public schools in the 1992-93 school year, provides training to selected high school students to help them identify and…

A study investigated the development of theme as five fifth-grade students read children's literature, recorded their responses in logs, and discussed their ideas in small, student-led peer groups. The five students met together as one group over the course of 5 weeks as they read historical fiction focused on Japan during World War II. Data…

Peer action groups generally begin with adults who form a peer group because they are participating in the education or parenting of a common group of teenagers. This paper contains seven sections which address questions connected with establishing peer outreach groups for junior and senior high school students: (1) Who are "at-risk…

Inservice training for school administrators is often characterized as sporadic rather than sustained, as topical rather then developmental, and as externally planned rather than internally developed and controlled. There is little evidence to suggest that much of current inservice activity contributes to significant improvement in administrators'…