Notes the harm caused by exaggerated reports of violence in schools, clarifies the distinction between violence and discipline problems, provides a perspective on the actual extent of these problems, describes factors encouraging good school discipline, and suggests reasonable approaches for governments and schools to take. (PGD)

Describes a student mediator program developed in elementary schools in San Francisco and New York City that successfully trains students to mediate conflict resolutions between students. A key to developing such programs is to educate the students in how the system works before getting into the process. Includes a resource list. (MD)

Describes a classroom management system that increases both the students' positive attitudes toward general physical science and the teacher's enthusiasm for teaching it.

The degree of implementation of the Adaptive Learning Environments Model in special education and its association with efficient use of student's time and other classroom resources and processes were examined. Primary grade teachers were able to establish and maintain the model at moderate to high criterion levels. (Author/DWH)

A national study of 2,000 secondary school students found that the work experiences available to teenagers have little or no effect on their tendency to delinquency, their academic learning, or their psychological well-being. Earlier studies suggest that coordinating work with education more systematically could provide social benefits. (PGD)

Assessed the behavioral meaning of scores from a teacher-judgment measure of social competence as it reveals itself in the classroom behavior of kindergarten children (N=l00). Results supported the validity of teachers' judgments of interest and participation displayed by the boys and cooperation and compliance displayed by the girls. (LLL)

Presents ethnographic data drawn from observation of three elementary school classes in Kiryah, a development town in Israel. Determines that pupils' classroom seating expresses teachers' behavior patterns, which are said to derive from external social and professional frames of reference. (KH)

A school nurse recorded the characteristics of elementary school children who visited her office over a six-month period. Observations showed that: (1) health-seeking behavior is a learned process; (2) no differences were apparent in how often boys or girls visited the office; and (3) recurrent health problems contributed to visit frequency.…

Reviews legislation and court litigation dealing with liquor law liability on the college campus and presents some risk prevention recommendations for administrators, including becoming familiar with the law and reviewing student life policies that pertain to drinking. (JAC)

An analysis of the kinds and uses of laughter in five adult introductory foreign language classes is presented. The importance of this form of nonverbal communication in the teaching situation is examined in the context of classroom ritual's effects on learners' nonverbal behavior. (MSE)

In response to questions by the editors, Dr. Bell touches upon a few current issues and challenges facing the Nation's schools. (Editor)

A review of the literature in social sciences instruction which deals with developing student competence and increasing student motivation is presented. Tables identifying four teacher and student behavior models are included. (Author/DB)

This longitudinal study identified twenty-five K-6 teachers as high (H) or low (L) graders and tracked their students' deportment and absence rates for two successive years. Three behavior patterns were identified. (Editor)

Education reforms such as "A Nation at Risk" and "Goals 2000" have come and gone. However, educators can be confident that the goal of student improvement shall not pass if the core mission is student learning. The true mission of learning has prompted educators to ponder the following questions: (1) How should each student to…

"Facing History and Ourselves" aims to promote core character education values and to help middle and high school students develop moral reasoning skills. Students examine historical events, in particular the events that led to World War II and the Holocaust. Teachers participate in professional development seminars and apply the content…