Discusses alternative programs and schools visited by the Hispanic Dropout Project. Notes a pervasive "disconnect" between alternative programs and "regular" schools, and outlines lessons alternative programs have to offer traditional schools. (SR)

Reviews Supreme Court case, New Jersey v. T.L.O., that established the right of school officials to conduct searches of students when the purpose is to maintain discipline, order, and safety in the educational setting. The need to have reasonable grounds for suspicion before conducting the search is emphasized. (CR)

Suggests a new conceptualization of homework as a task that infiltrates family and peer dynamics and the nature of teaching in community organizations and in school. Argues that homework has important benefits for peer communication, thereby increasing a sense of community. Asserts that students can develop an aptitude for future homework from the…

Explores concepts of college "networking" in the context of improving student retention and success, including student-to-student networks, faculty-to-faculty networks, faculty-to-student networks, institution-to-student networks, institution-to-faculty/staff networks, and institution-to-local community networks. Considers the need to address…

Each year, millions of Canadian taxpayers' dollars are spent on repairing or replacing school property because of student vandalism. The literature reveals that there is no single factor that fully explains the causes of student vandalism. Includes strategies for combatting school vandalism that focus on the school environment, the school system,…

Investigates the feelings and levels of comfort Russian students most often experience during their vital activities in school. Indicates that the focal point of relations in school is the interaction between students and teachers. Concludes that only by objectively correlating the students' opinions will it be possible to solve the accumulated…

Examines the influences that are changing school planning and design to better satisfy the student's learning experience. The emergence of high technology in the learning environment, facility adaptability, stimulating and easily navigable interior spaces, and the educational facility's relation to the surrounding community are addressed. (GR)

This study explored the impact of a Cultural Self-Analysis (CSA) Project on early childhood undergraduate preservice teachers' cultural awareness and dispositions toward working with culturally diverse students and families. The project was based on the ABC's of Cultural Understanding and Communication, a model designed to facilitate the…

This study applies the family--systems concept of differentiation (the balance of autonomy-granting and connectedness) to another primary system of adolescent development--school. This study assessed the relationships among levels of family and school differentiation to the externalizing and internalizing behaviors, peer group membership, and…

This report contains case studies of five interagency collaborations that represent a variety of approaches to organizing and implementing school-community linkages. Within demographically different communities, the collaborations described ranged from localized efforts that concentrate social services at a single school site to county-wide…

By devolving authority to local schools, the 1988 Chicago School Reform Act sought to weaken central power in the school system and to promote greater site-based control. This report presents the voices of Chicago Illinois public school students regarding their school experiences--how they describe their teachers and peers, their classes, and…

This review of the literature considers three issues: how out-of-class experiences of undergraduates contribute to the goals of higher education and valued outcomes; the institutional conditions that encourage students to use out-of-class time in educationally purposeful ways; and the role of all members of the campus community to foster such…

This study assessed the learning environment resulting from a reformed first-year curriculum at the University of Michigan Medical School. First year medical students (N=435) provided demographic information and rated their academic and clinical preparation, aspects of the learning climate, and the level of their cognitive and behavioral skills…

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of 14 adults (ages 21 to 37) with learning disabilities (including 7 enrolled in college) regarding their K-12 school experiences. Personal interviews were used to elicit those dimensions of the school experience perceived as most positive or most negative. The critical incident technique was used to…

The goal theory of achievement motivation establishes that goals stressed by schools dramatically affect whether children develop a success orientation or give up when faced with failure. This paper examines how Australian children from diverse cultural backgrounds view achievement and success in the classroom. A questionnaire derived from the…