Notes that, despite declassification of homosexuality as mental illness, efforts to sexually reorient lesbians and gay men continue. Examines construct of sexual orientation. Reviews literature in psychotherapeutic and religious conversion therapies, finding no evidence that such treatments are effective in their intended purpose. Establishes need…

Professional traits include having goals; a desire for continuous learning; the ability to hire the right people; and attributes such as initiative, integrity, far-sightedness, and the ability to create quality products and services. Continuing professional development can be fostered through the American Camping Association Professional…

Self-monitoring procedures were effective in increasing the number of daily homework assignments completed by eight secondary level students with learning disabilities. A daily listing of all assignments given by regular classroom teachers was used. Goal setting and self-graphing of data appeared to increase self-monitoring effectiveness. (DB)

The key to renewal is emphasis on results and the conditions favoring them. Short-term results are pivotal to improvement efforts, particularly for automobile plants and schools striving to apply Deming's TQM principles. Success depends on regular collaboration focused on well-defined, measurable student performance goals and frequent monitoring…

Eleven preservice technology teachers kept journals and participated in life history and follow-up interviews that elicited their backgrounds, attitudes toward teaching, and experiences. It appeared that flexible and well-delivered teacher education can help students examine and possibly change their values, beliefs, and attitudes. (SK)

Hope is defined as the process of thinking about one's goals, along with the motivation to move toward those goals and the ways to achieve them. After discussing other related concepts, the scale for measuring hope is introduced, and the role of hope in the counseling process is described. (Author/JPS)

School systems are driven to redraw boundaries by population growth and changing geographic distribution of the student population. To make a safe passage, administrators must plan the crossing, prepare a comprehensive road map, and carry the community along. Goals statements should specify educational objectives as well as school loading, fiscal,…

An effective approach to camp staff orientation involves veteran staff leading orientation groups for new staff. In addition to familiarizing staff members with the camp, group leaders are responsible for making members feel at ease through activities. Details a highly successful five-day orientation led by veteran staff. (LP)

The New Teachers Workshop assists Missouri's beginning teachers in the field of gifted education. The two-day workshop includes discussion sessions led by experienced teachers, panels of gifted students answering teacher questions, and take-home activities and projects teachers can implement in their new positions. (JDD)

What happens just after new teacher is hired establishes teacher's future attitude about profession. To keep teachers from turning against management, districts must create induction connection, network of people who will work with the teacher throughout year. These can include teacher sponsor, support staff, personnel office staff, curriculum and…

Describes the development, use, promotion, and student evaluation of a 25-minute audiocassette tour of the Louisiana State University library, which was developed as a pilot project by the bibliographic instruction librarian in 1990. Notes that student suggestions have been instrumental in the development of more tool and subject specific…

This article describes the Social Security Administration's PASS (Plan for Achieving Self Support) program which is intended to assist persons with disabilities to achieve economic independence. The program allows Supplemental Security Income recipients to set aside funds to pay expenses required to reach a specific employment goal. (DB)

The minimalist hypothesis of inference processing is proposed. According to this hypothesis, the only inferences coded automatically during reading are those based on easily available information and those required to make statements in a text locally coherent. Five experiments with 249 college students support the hypothesis. (SLD)

Subjects that in middle schools are considered "exploratory" should not be abandoned because of increased emphasis on the basics. Through creative scheduling, these "encore" subjects, such as music, have strengthened and enriched the Great Falls (Montana) middle school curriculum. Success in music is likely to improve students'…

Perfectionists are accustomed to success and afraid of failure, have feelings of worth inextricably tied to the products they produce, impose a great deal of pressure on themselves, and may actually learn perfectionism from their parents. Counseling can help perfectionists realize that excellence is achievable but perfection is not. (JDD)