This article favors providing both gifted and advanced placement programs for students. Three components of a unique gifted program are identified: (1) interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary courses; (2) character development; and (3) independent study. Advanced placement program objectives can be added to gifted programs but should not replace…

A program in Hungary counseled 34 families of gifted students (ages 5-8) over a 2-year period. Common questions included what school the child should go to, how to support special abilities, and how to deal with demands for autonomy. The services provided by the program are outlined. (CR)

Proposes that development opportunities designed to clarify one's values and beliefs as part of an overall leadership training model will help meet one of society's most pressing needs: leadership rooted in the cultural value of improving the human condition for everyone. (Author)

Examines Canadian education in general, and then focuses on the particular concerns of English as a Second Language (ESL). Presents items, events, and observations illuminating the context of ESL instruction and suggests that the first level of accountability of ESL teachers is to their students, to whom they have an obligation to help realize…

Claims that, to prepare students for the future workplace, some notions are best forgotten. Educators must design seamless learning approaches, and institutional policies and practices must engage students in a variety of learning activities. Schools should cultivate an institutional ethos that promotes involvement in educationally purposeful…

Discusses issues facing black male college students, and ways colleges and universities can support their growth more effectively. Identifies and explores students' unmet needs: to feel loved, feel accepted, feel competent, have power, resolve pain and anger from lack of appropriate male guidance, find meaning and purpose in life's struggles, and…

Survey data received from student development practitioners at 53 community colleges are used to investigate exemplary student affairs programs. Identifies six core elements that underlie successful student development programs, such as champions leading the way and meeting student needs in nontraditional ways. Uses examples from community…

Outlines 10 problems of teacher education and strategies to address them. Issues include negative perceptions of public schools, lack of educational foundations, unclear notions of teacher scholarship, student prior knowledge and experience, lack of attention to diversity, inadequate field experiences, student immaturity, college "turf battles,"…

A graduate student in a nontraditional experiential program in environmental education at the Audubon Expedition Institute (Belfast, Maine) reflects on an experience in which she and her peers faced an ethical decision about whether to pay a fee to paper companies in order to hike in the North Woods. Describes the processes that allowed the group…

Argues that student affairs contributes daily to student learning and academic success. Discusses friction over dwindling resources and issues over the purpose of student affairs. Provides results of a national survey regarding student affairs practices, which includes officials' high interest in examining present professional philosophies that…

Describes outcomes of Bassett School District's (in Orange County, California) implementation of the SCORE program, which helps at-risk students identify and stay focused on personal and academic goals. The program emphasizes study skills, academic support, guidance, parent involvement, and student motivation. Outcomes include an increase in the…

The relationship between students' gender, personality traits, predicted first-year grades, and quality of effort put forth in academic and personal/social activities with academic achievement and critical thinking was examined. Results show that some personality traits influence the quality of effort expended with academic and personal/social…

Examines what participation in a first-year residential learning community means to students 2-3 years after their involvement in the program. Results showed that participants valued greatly their involvement and can articulate how it helped them succeed. Most recall the sense of community that existed, the personal growth they experienced, their…

A language arts teacher, grades 6-8, reflects on her experiences implementing the Foxfire approach in a small tribal school and focuses on the successes of one American Indian student--development of interview skills and improvement of her standardized test scores. (SV)

During the first two years of college, students are experiencing two tempestuous explorations: advanced intellectual development and establishment of adult identities. If colleges and universities understand that today's students are arriving with a heavier burden of self-definition, they can design academic programs and extracurricular activities…