During the past few years a new trend in day to day schooling has developed, namely independent studies, that involves learning experience between people. This monograph presents the idea that there is a relation between independence in school programs and a desire for "community" (the coming-together of people) which is mutually nourishing.…

The effect of social studies instruction on students' attitudes toward school and society for two years is analyzed. The social studies variables examined for their influence on the trends across time for nine attitudes were the number of social studies semesters, the extent of controversial issues treatment, treatment of more than one side of…

The recent drug scare has intensified some programs' social control functions. Through drug abuse prevention programs in particular, schools have encouraged the accumulation of social skills as a means to ensure success, and they have increasingly applied authoritarian sanctions along with psychological manipulations in an attempt to regulate…

A Montana study of 46 Native American high school dropouts found salient factors were perceived irrelevance/cultural insensitivity of curricula, perceived teacher indifference/failure to help with students' work, desire to be with other dropouts, problems at home, and the requirement that students attend school for the entire senior year. (MH)

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) "R" is for Resilience: Schools Turn to "Asset Development" to Build on Students' Strengths (Nancy Walser); (2) Beyond Bargaining: What…

Intended to educate youth and parents about the rights and responsibilities of youth in society, this manual outlines the prevailing rules as well as U.S. and Illinois laws applying to youth. Separated into four categories, the manual explores the relationship of youth to society, youth to family, social controls on youth, and the rights and…

This action research project implemented and evaluated an intervention for improving student engagement in the learning process. The targeted population consisted of first, third, and fifth grade students in a small, traditional, middle class community, located in central Illinois. Evidence of non-engaged behaviors were documented from teacher…

This paper identifies and discusses the connections between the way individuals frame their world based on the language they use and the impact of language and stereotyping on the perception that computer technology is primarily for certain individuals. The study explores how some of the dimensions of the language of computers and technology,…

This paper examines, through the eyes of Benjamin, a troubled Hispanic high school student in the Bronx, how the character of the school is reflected in the way that it flows around, or evades, its more troubled students. The paper discusses a relatively new school's attempt to understand itself and to define its point of intersection in the life…

This paper reviews research on best practices for preventing students with mild disabilities from dropping out of high school. Findings from the literature review indicate there is a consensus among the researchers that warning signs for school dropout among students with mild disabilities include: poor attendance, academic difficulties,…

Discusses the development of adolescent peer groups, student cultures, school violence, and effective interventions. Contends that the likelihood of violence increases when mediation boards and peer counseling are unavailable or ineffective. Includes a bibliography of 12 teacher resources on school violence. (CFR)

Discusses concepts of social agency, cultural mediation, and constitutive action for understanding inequality in schools. Describes the sociolinguistic argument about the structure of language, the interpretive school, and the demands of capitalism. Urges transcending the macro-micro or structure-agency dualism by demonstrating the situated…

This paper explores the nature of multilingualism in an English-language international school environment through observations and interviews with students of Yamato College in Japan. It examines the institutional conflicts that result when pupil-generated multiculturalism is constrained within an ideologically narrow educational framework. (41…

Describes a preschool teacher's transition from a traditional kindergarten to a multi-age, multi-year (looping) program. Lists common complaints heard from more-traditional teachers receiving children from more-developmentally appropriate classrooms. Explains the importance of using whole language with quality children's books for Spanish-speaking…

Maintains that art education curriculum actually consists of four different curricula. These curricula reflect the administration's policy guidelines, the teachers' classroom instruction, the students' interest and influence, and the effects of national competitions. Argues for a single curriculum incorporating input from the teachers and the…