Camps should have emergency protocols in place and involve appropriate personnel in their development. Staff should be certified in first aid and CPR, a recordkeeping system should be established, and mock emergencies should be practiced during staff orientation. It may also be advisable to involve campers in practice situations. First aid/CPR…

Discusses training in the field of school psychology in relation to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (sexual minority) youth. Using the NASP Principles for Professional Ethics, explains how ethical principles are used to advocate for sexual minority youth. The final section describes specific strategies that school…

A superintendent describes his district's use of an assessment tool to diagnosis internal conditions and relationships in the district and then prescribe action plans for improvement that were implemented through the remainder of the year. Also contains a six-point list of leadership belief statements. (MLF)

Investigates the effects of medium of instruction and ability grouping (banding) of schools on students' learning and achievement orientation. The results showed that students studying in upper band schools (i.e., low-ability schools) used fewer strategies in learning, had lower self-efficacy, higher surface goal and lower attainment scores than…

Hope theory integrates the conceptualization of goals, along with the strategies to achieve those goals, and the motivation to pursue those goals. In a 6-year longitudinal study, individual differences in hope, as measured by the Hope Scale scores of entering college freshmen, predicted better overall grade point averages. Hopeful thinking in…

Explores assumptions about employment interviewing and suggests an integrated agenda for discovery, learning, and engagement that diverges from conventional thinking. Notes that in attempts to establish just procedures and outcomes in interviews, identities associated with race/ethnicity, sexual-social orientation, ablebodiness, class, gender, and…

Drawing upon queer legal theory, historical policy analysis, and social, legal, and educational history, explores the legal foundations and maintenance of what is described as the assimilationist imperative for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered administrators working in public schools. (Contains 81 references and 12 case law citations.)…

Considers three aspects of support offered by principals and reading supervisors to beginning teachers: instructional models, instructional materials, and mentoring. Argues that providing support for beginning teachers (particularly those using literature-based instruction) should not be left to chance but requires conscious effort and planning.…

Examined why individuals engage in exploratory activity in late adolescence and early adulthood. College students (N=106) completed measures of goal instability, career decision-making self-efficacy, and environmental and self-exploratory activity. Results suggest that self-efficacious beliefs about career decision making and goal-directedness are…

Describes an activity-based formula developed to comply with a judicial mandate that standards for specialized and mixed caseloads be established. Discusses considerations involved in determining maximum caseload size, approaches used, formulas which have evolved, and circumstances in which the activity-based method works best. (NH)

The study compared the effectiveness of using the Sonicguide, a device using echoes to aid orientation and mobility, with five blind children aged 5-48 months. Results found that children at all age levels were able to use the guide. These results conflict with previous results suggesting a critical age for device usefulness. (DB)

The study compared social interaction behavior between eight nondisabled and eight disabled elementary students in either an individualistic goal-structured condition or a cooperative condition. For disabled students, the cooperative condition was associated with more social interaction during activity sessions, but not during free play sessions.…

Among 1,035 full-time college freshmen surveyed during their first week of classes, first-generation students reported stronger institutional commitments but did not differ from their peers in goal commitment, self-rated academic ability, or predispositions to academic or social integration. Contains 12 references. (Author/SV)

Freshman orientation programs at the University of Puget Sound, Dartmouth College, and Bard College are easing the trauma and stress that high-school graduates feel as they adjust to course work and campus social life. They are also enhancing retention rates, improving faculty teaching, and strengthening the sense of community. (MLW)

California Lutheran University's seven-week freshman seminar focuses on building relationships and helping students make decisions about their college and occupational careers. Issues arising in the course's evolution include the role of peer advisors, major vs. non-major advising, maintaining institution-wide support, and credit and academic…