On a cold and wet Friday night in January of 2006, thirteen undergraduate students gathered together in a small room on campus at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) to found Students Informing Now (S.I.N.). S.I.N. was created to support the AB 504 students, labeled in this country as "illegal aliens." Inspired by Paulo…

Asserts that the problems of struggling university students are neither entirely technical, as suggested by traditionalists, nor entirely social/structural, as suggested by postmodernists. Suggests that these students need an alternative epistemological view, one that enables them to see themselves as creators of personal knowledge rather than as…

Article discusses the After-School Girl's Leadership Program in Seattle designed to foster positive development in girls. Their ideas and concerns are at the center of the curriculum, and they are able to experience the power of positive peer support. The program empowers them to address the environmental concerns that impede development.…

Reports on the University of Arizona's Teaching Teams Program which allows students who know their course's lecture material and feel confident with their abilities to assist peers in understanding difficult concepts, completing projects, or solving complex problems. (Author/MM)

Urban writing programs help frustrated city youth to gain interest and find power through writing. Education leaders and urban writing programs along with classroom teachers will have to work collaboratively in order to motivate and empower students through the written words.

Sexual violence is a widespread problem for college communities. Students, faculty, and staff are increasingly involved in prevention efforts. To date, however, evaluation of sexual violence prevention programs has shown mixed results. One promising new practice teaches segments of college communities to be engaged, positive bystanders. It aims to…

Advocates applying communication theories and research to popular media artifacts to create the necessary and essential skills for media literacy. Suggests approaches that can be used in pursuit of this goal. Argues that it is the communication scholar's responsibility to empower students to critically evaluate mass mediated messages. (PA)

Uses classroom excerpts to examine issues of "playfulness" and "gaming" in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Offers theories and historical constructions of literacy and play for instructors to conceptualize the construction of boundaries between productive and nonproductive language behaviors in CMC. Argues that CMC's empowering capabilities…

Describes The Social Development Program, a way to foster social responsibility and in the process reduce unacceptable classroom behavior simply and easily. The strategy is based on several principles: positivity; empowerment by choice; the importance of self-evaluation and self-correction; assumption of social responsibility; and authority…

Presents an ecological approach (defining human problems as resulting from transactions between people and the environment) to social work practice for a minority. Emphasizes the strengths and limitations of the ecological perspective for practice. Focuses on Korean-American children and offers a case example involving a two-year-old boy. (RJM)

Describes how, in 1988, students at Gallaudet University led a successful movement calling for the appointment of the university's first deaf president; today, that sense of empowerment has carried over into addressing issues related to cultural and ethnic diversity. (EV)

Because elementary education is predominantly made up of women, it is interesting that not much research in the field has been conducted with an inherently feminist perspective. Lisa Goldstein notes that developmental psychology has been the theoretical foundation for early childhood education--an irony, especially considering the pervasiveness of…

An alternative high school in the US where democracy is truly enacted by the students is described. Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center, Colorado, is a unique school where the students' personal voices are valued that helps them develop power, responsibility, and authority over their education.

The emphasis in education policy over recent decades has been on inclusion in mainstream schools and colleges. There has also been a focus on promoting the emotional well-being of young people. The "What about us?" project enabled young people with learning difficulties in three localities to bring about changes in their schools and…

The society is violent, the urban neighborhoods are violent, and the schools are violent. People who want to teach in urban schools need to recognize the reality of the situation they will enter. Beginning teachers must recognize that preventing violence is an integral part of their legitimate work; the more effective they are at empowering…