An exploratory study of a small rural high school in upstate New York investigated students' perceptions of safety at school and empowered students to develop solutions to school violence. A mixed-methods approach drew on action research, youth-based phenomenology, and a general systems frame of reference. Data collection included two surveys of…

Students who achieve a GPA of 1.50 or lower over 12 credits at Douglas College are placed on academic probation. If their performance does not improve, they may be required to withdraw from the college temporarily or permanently. Academic probation is intended to provide an early warning and lead to remediation, rather than to be punitive. This…

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students strive to maintain their heritage while learning to be successful in the dominant culture. Although academic and career success are worthy goals, AI/AN students can pay a heavy price to achieve them. To provide effective and responsive career and academic guidance for AI/AN youth, teachers and…

This paper looks at how institutional perceptions of marginalized groups of students affect their achievement, and argues that an "identifying process" involving students' own construction of themselves is necessary to academic success. In New Zealand, schools focus on the ethnicity of Pasifika (Pacific Islander) students in terms of low…

This book reviews research and theories concerning environment-behavior relations in educational settings. Chapter 1, "The Ecosystemic Metaphor," presents the school as an open system, considers psychological theories of human behavior, and defines the environment. Chapter 2, "The Behaviour Setting," looks at relations between…

As schools and youth-serving agencies struggle to meet the needs of at-risk children and families, interagency collaboration is being proposed as an effective, efficient means of service delivery. However, most writing on interagency collaboration has been from the perspective of service providers, not schools, and has given little consideration…

This book answers the question of whether or not the American prep school tradition has constructive use to all American schools. This is done by identifying useful lessons in the text's three sections: community, standards, and personalization. Part 1--"Community" includes the following chapters: (1) The Vulnerability of Educational Communities;…

Based on the rural life experiences of Iowa children who grew up during the great farm crisis of the 1980s, this book focuses on successful adolescent development and its links to the social resources of families with ties to the land. In 1989, the Iowa Youth and Families Project began a panel study of 451 two-parent families in north central…

This booklet addresses student membership on local boards of education. It is intended to serve as guide for boards considering adding youth to their membership. It discusses the following topics: (1) the benefits to both students and the board of youth serving as board members; (2) researching issues before accepting students on boards; (3)…

This digest explores several key factors that contribute to the academic persistence and achievement of migrant high school students. The discussion draws from research on one California high school and from the literature on promoting educational success for working-class minority youth. National studies have estimated that only about half of…

This brief highlights some of the reasons that low motivation may prevent students from reaching their full educational potential. It begins with a discussion of some of the factors that contribute to this problem, including lack of relevance, fear of failure, learning problems, lack of challenge, and emotional distress. Most of the brief is…

The four issues of the journal SKOLE published in 1998 contain articles, personal narratives, and interviews about educational philosophy, small alternative schools, freedom and democratic practices in education, and the overuse of Ritalin in schools. Feature articles discuss holistic education, how classroom technology promotes passivity and…

Founded in 1969 in an inner-city neighborhood, the Albany Free School is based on real freedom, community, democratic principles, and affection and trust between teachers and students. This book provides an in-depth history of the Free School, including a brief analysis of its place in the broader scheme of things; describes the school with…

The German education system is directly influenced by a set of principles which come from social, cultural, and political realms in Germany. This document provides a detailed and comprehensive treatment of four key academic and nonacademic factors that are of interest to U.S. policymakers. They are: (1) national standards in education; (2)…

This book seeks to examine the residential liberal arts colleges as an institution, from its role in the lives of students, to its value as a form of education. It explores the threat faced by liberal arts colleges, as well as the transformative role, but positive and negative, information technology will play in future development and survival.…