The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and a geographically large rural school district in Nevada conducted a program providing life-skills education to high-risk 5th graders. A survey of 92 8th- and 10th-grade students who had participated in the program indicated that the program produced long-term benefits in student attitudes and…

Compulsory attendance policies have been instituted in higher education with the expectation that academic achievement will improve, but empirical research on this relationship is equivocal. One theory of motivation posits that students' motivational beliefs, classroom context, and student behaviors are important variables in academic achievement.…

One Maryland school district incorporated conflict-resolution strategies with learning opportunities, infusing it into the regular K-12 curriculum. Teacher workshops produced seven conflict-resolution tools: brainstorming, questioning, active listening, conceptual thinking, role playing, triggering, and problem solving. Teachers received training,…

First Step to Success is used at the outset of a child's school career, when making changes in antisocial behavior is easiest. The short-term program provides positive reinforcement for desirable behaviors and has a home component that draws on parent support. Sidebar profiles programs that promote positive behaviors in older children: Project…

A nationally acclaimed antiviolence program, Second Step teaches three basic skills needed for living peacefully in society: empathy, impulse control, and anger management. In Bethel (Alaska), where student gunfire killed a student and principal in 1997, Second Step is used enthusiastically, having been modified to fit Yupik Eskimo culture and…

Investigated characteristics of students voluntarily seeking human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody testing at a university health center. Data from student surveys indicated that: 59% were women; reported rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases were low; nearly one-third had had previous HIV testing; 40% reported…

Examines the difficulties of engaging students who lack motivation to learn and attend sporadically in an urban high school science class. Contains 17 references. (Author/WRM)

Investigated patterns of participation in high school extracurricular activities, using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1998. Students of upper socioeconomic status and higher ability were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities; girls were more likely to participate than boys (except in sports); and…

Evaluates the extent to which social class conditions, peer group influence, parenting, and student behavior are key factors in causing black student underachievement in Great Britain, noting that these factors are typically overlooked by researchers. Discusses recommendations from the Macpherson report (which investigated the murder of a black…

Examines whether students who are intrinsically motivated about learning procrastinate less than those students who are externally motivated and also explores the consequences of procrastination. Indicates that students whose motivation is external are more likely to procrastinate while procrastination is associated with poor academic performance…

Explores the different responses to a whole-language curriculum of two average third-grade students. Describes the teacher and the curriculum, and the contrasting literacy behaviors of the students. Discusses how this year-long observation challenged the author's beliefs about children's need for whole-language instruction. (SR)

Considers how curricular self-analysis of patterns of classroom talk provides teachers with an important opportunity to consciously consider the ways their talk works to define the nature of literacy events, students' roles, and the literacy strategies children come to use and value. (SR)

Surveys of students attending Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) high schools assessed sexual and drug-use behaviors that placed them at risk for contracting or transmitting HIV. Comparison of the results with data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicated that SDA students had lower rates of sexual intercourse and substance use. Parental…

Most of the data on the outcomes and effects of school uniforms come from elementary and middle schools. In many cases, school uniforms are only one part of an overall reform effort. More research is needed. Offers suggestions to help schools work on developing school-uniform policies and summarizes the legal view. (15 references) (MLF)

Examined preservice teachers' journeys toward becoming reflective professionals within the context of a reading/language-arts methods course and elementary field experience. Observations, journals, surveys, and interviews indicated that participants' behaviors were grouped into three categories: questioning as a way of learning, constructing a…