Examines ways in which a parent can measure and help to create a school environment that projects a positive climate in which a child can learn and grow. Suggestions are offered for setting up a school climate committee and for operating such a committee. (GLR)

Traces New Zealand's introduction to school mediation, reviewing underlying goals of nonpunitive dispute resolution in the United States and highlighting significant initiatives. The establishment of the Hagley School Mediation Service is described and compared with Hawaii's Dispute Management in the Schools Project. Recommendations for school…

A detailed discipline plan must be developed with the consensus of the school community. To be effective, the plan should have the following characteristics: (1) be understood by everyone; (2) be consistent in imposing sanctions; (3) specify good and bad behavior; (4) include instructions for emergencies and alternatives to out-of-school…

Presents a K-8 school design in Chicago that bridges the gap between the Hispanic culture of its students and an Anglo-American society by creating a Mexican feeling without making it look foreign to its surroundings. Describes the community in which the school resides, the planning strategy for its development, its architectural features,…

Examines current law on sexual harassment as it applies to higher education, asking what colleges/universities should be doing to review and update policies and procedures, and noting that while sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination, not all harassing conduct is necessarily discriminatory. Law and campus harassment policies must…

A study examining student feelings of empowerment in a rural Midwestern consolidated high school surveyed 54 students. Results indicate that students from the town where the school was located felt the most ownership in the school; most students were satisfied with the student council; and students were more involved in decision making in…

Examines black student's experiences in initial teacher education, and reveals what still needs to be done before these students can receive the same positive treatment as their white colleagues. The author presents research revealing the various forms of racism, discrimination, and stereotyping that create these negative educational experiences…

Self-managed peer group discussions were used to examine achieving high school seniors (n=40) peer relationships and attitudes toward school. Interviews, student-shadowings, field notes, and 25 hours of open student talk were analyzed. Findings are discussed in terms of overall communicative actions, content, group life, group culture, and…

Offers a narrative history of the life of one young reader, observing him at school and at home in grades K-2. Notes how the social practices and relationships he experienced at his blue-collar home bore upon the task of becoming a reader in school. Discusses increasing difficulties of negotiating between these two different cultural settings and…

A study of national longitudinal data examined effects of rural Catholic high schools on mathematics achievement, high school graduation rates, and the likelihood that high school graduates attend college. Findings indicate that rural Catholic high schools had a positive effect on mathematics test scores and no effect on graduation rates or rates…

As the study of student connection to school has expanded, so too has the lexicon of terms, concepts, and measurement tools. In summarizing the literature to guide current practice and future research, the various terms and definitions need clarification. The intent is not to settle on a single term, though agreed on language may benefit future…

Student use of the Internet for such purposes as sharing and downloading illegal copies of music and movies presents new and complex challenges in the relationship between the institution and student. This article reviews the development of the file sharing phenomena; and through analysis of existing institutional responses, legal advice, media…

Since Hirschi's (1969) seminal work with delinquent youths, researchers have included school bonding and related constructs in analyses of delinquency, school dropout, student motivation, risk and resiliency, and academic achievement. In addition to school bonding, researchers have studied school engagement, school attachment, school…

While most institutions know how many of their faculty members have terminal degrees and the number of books in the library, too few have reliable information about the frequency with which first-year students discuss ideas with faculty members outside class, how much time they spend on academic activities, or how often they interact with students…

This study used semi-parametric group-based modeling to explore unconditional and conditional trajectories of self-reported depressed mood from ages 12 to 25 years. Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 11,559), 4 distinct trajectories were identified: no depressed mood, stable low depressed mood, early…