Notes little empirical research exists on mental health issues of lesbians/gays. Contends that whether researchers choose to define sexual orientation by sexual behavior, self-definition, or membership in lesbian and gay community groups will impact results. Sees mental health research that includes lesbians, gays, and heterosexuals allowing…

This descriptive study of first-year university students (3 samples of 271, 356, and 266) demonstrates the usefulness of goals in differentiating students' motivational orientations. The relationship between perceived ability and motivation and the consequences of simultaneous orientation toward mastery and performance goals were explored. (SLD)

A focus group was formed at Brigham Young University (Utah) to gain student perspectives on advising services and materials. The approach has helped the institution refine its materials and content to match students' developmental needs, involve students in program evaluation, and improve administrator sensitivity to student needs. (MSE)

Describes a unique contract among the Dade County (Florida) School Board; Education Alternatives, Inc. of Minneapolis; and the United Teachers of Dade. The contract establishes South Pointe Elementary as a public school, staffed and managed by public school employees, governed by a school-based management cadre, and supported by the teachers'…

Examines the concept of induction for beginning school managers and offers a series of alternative purposes, including remediation, orientation, and socialization. Distinguishes among three kinds of socialization (anticipatory, professional, and organizational). Precedes this discussion by considering various definitions of induction, along with…

A recent action research experiment comparing individualistic and cooperative learning results in two seventh grade classrooms found that retention scores slightly favored the cooperative learning method. Questions arose concerning grade-sharing, relative difficulty of subject matter and multiple-choice questions, and student attitudes about the…

First-year college students (n=182) were tested to determine their beliefs about and approaches to creative endeavors. Students self-identified as creative employed a greater number of techniques such as brainstorming and were less motivated by the goal of developing a final product, compared to those identified as least creative. (JDD)

Although U.S. Education Secretary Lamar Alexander's strategy includes a track for today's students, emphasis has been on the new generation of schools advocated in the America 2000 plan. This article pleads for concrete steps to improve the education of today's students and recommends a book ("How to Shape Up Our Nation's Schools") to…

New school board members need orientation and training as an ongoing process to function effectively as team members. Offers general principles and specific suggestions. Includes 10 guidelines for board behavior and demographic data about board members. (MLF)

School boards and superintendents must cease their enmity and become allies. The board-superintendent relationship can founder over ambiguous goals, rules, and expectations; mutual mistrust; interpersonal sabotage; bickering among board members; and superheroic expectations for superintendents. Boards should focus on the big picture, identify…

Group counseling is discussed as a form of treatment with distinct advantages for assisting adolescents with learning disabilities, to enrich their social and emotional well-being along with their academic skills. The importance of goal setting by LD adolescents is emphasized. (JDD)

An instructional method called Transformation-Based Writing is presented that encourages second graders to engage in writing strategies that are typically more advanced. The method begins with writers establishing goals centering on content and genre and achieving the goals through iterative application of problem-solving operations. (Author/JDD)

The distinctive banners flying over the 227 public and private institutions selected as 1991-92 Blue Ribbon Schools signal a two-fold achievement: national recognition for educational excellence and continuation of the award program itself. The selection process began belatedly after former Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander restored $885,000…

A study of first-year University of South Carolina students indicating interest in a orientation course found that of the 77 enrolling and 80 not allowed to enroll, a higher retention rate was found among enrollees. Results indicate the course is successful in increasing retention rates among interested students. (Author/MSE)

Through their involvement with the Coalition of Essential Schools, the two high school teachers profiled here reenergized their daily lives and motivated their students toward exciting learning gains. Both teachers changed their practices because their students were not responding as they had hoped. Students' roles have also changed, as they…