Too many student governments have agendas focused on social, volunteer, and fund-raising activities, not broader civic responsibilities. In student governments with responsibility for addressing school-community issues, participants may lack needed skills and habits of mind. The importance of advisers, due process, democratic selection, and…

After 4 years of debate, the National Collegiate Athletic Association agreed in January 2000 to accept high-school principals' descriptions of their courses, rather than to continue judging courses through the clearinghouse. Persistence, a sense of humor, and sympathetic journalists aided the protest effort. (MLH)

Provides an overview of the existing Web accessibility guidelines under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, reviews current laws and court cases involving Web accessibility issues, and discusses ways in which Web pages can be modified to meet the needs of all students. Includes online resources to help design accessible Web pages. (Author/LRW)

This article provides an overview of the characteristics of an effective arts education program, descriptions of the various options available for artistically talented students seeking specialized training through performing and visual arts schools, and guidelines to those interested in planning a new school for the arts. (Contains seven…

Examines the variability of Israeli schools' emergency preparedness and response to the Gulf War and the association of school culture with school effectiveness during this emergency. Policy guidelines should include recommendations for diagnosing and identifying dimensions of school culture (including religious beliefs and school ideology) that…

This article summarizes guidelines developed by the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Early Childhood Research Institute for selecting and adapting materials for young children and their families. Recommendations are provided that community teams should consider in collecting, selecting, and reflecting on materials. Tips are also…

Presents guidelines for establishing and maintaining Young Adult services in the library. Discusses identifying the needs of young adults; developing the collection; marketing; programming; school outreach; networking; community visits and raising community awareness; popular culture; staff support and training; and professional associations and…

Accommodations are test-administration changes that do not change the underlying construct being measured. The Individuals with Disabilities legislation and regulations provide little guidance on implementing assessment accommodations for students with learning disabilities. Certain research-based checklists or rating scales help link…

A Minnesota study showed that changing school starting times to accommodate adolescent sleep patterns profoundly affected many families. Implementation processes substantially influenced how families received changes. Policy makers should inform and involve all stakeholders, allow ample time, provide research-based justifications, support…

Describes an exercise used in Sociology of the Family classes, in which students interact with international students through electronic mail to promote cross-cultural conversations. Explains that students gain an "insider" view into another culture and an "outsider" view that helps them see their own culture from another perspective. Includes…

Describes the use of electronic field trips in a fourth grade classroom that used "Journeys to Wilderness Canyons", a four-part learning experience that meets national science standards. Discusses the video segments, the Web site, guidelines to evaluate instructional media, and team efforts. (LRW)

Kidskin was a sun-protection intervention study involving 1776 children attending 33 primary schools in Perth, Western Australia. There were three study groups: a control group, a moderate intervention group and a high intervention group. In addition to receiving a specially designed curricular intervention (1995-1998), the moderate and high…

Higher education scholars and institutional researchers rely heavily on self-reported survey data in their work. This chapter explores problems associated with self-reports and provides questions and recommendations for their use.

Examinations are conventionally used to measure candidates' achievement in a limited time period. However, the influence of text layout on performance may compromise the construct validity of the examination. An experimental study looked at the effects of the text layout on the speed and accuracy of a reading task in an examination-type situation.…

The purpose of this study was to examine the special education referral and decision-making process for English language learners (ELLs), with a focus on Child Study Team (CST) meetings and placement conferences/multidisciplinary team meetings. We wished to learn how school personnel determined if ELLs who were struggling had disabilities, to what…