This newsletter reports the results of a study that explored the relationship between the organizational culture of secondary schools and students' progress, that is success, failure, and dropout. Three secondary schools were examined in the study, and the results showed that the organizational culture of schools is a useful concept for…

This practicum was designed to bridge the gap between strong values held by a Lutheran school and output from learners in the school that reflected these values. Using the "I Can Make a Difference" model, students in grades five through eight worked during weekly enrichment periods for 12 weeks to select and solve real life problems. The…

This book argues that the most basic purpose of America's schools is to teach children the moral and intellectual responsibilities of living and working in a democracy. It contains essays that explore the meaning of democracy and its implications for preparing teachers and teaching students. The book contains a discussion of critical questions…

This paper reviews the book "Building Community in Schools," by Thomas Sergiovanni. The book's thesis--that schools are better understood as social rather than as formal organizations--is based on the assumption that the universal need for belonging and connection too often is unfulfilled in schools. The book recommends that school-reform efforts…

Although educational researchers are beginning to recognize the influence of organizational culture on organizational productivity, the term "organizational culture" has been defined from a variety of perspectives. This paper presents findings of a case study that investigated the cultural characteristics of a junior high school recognized for its…

These materials explore the decisions that face the United States as a result of the changes in the past decade in the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The background readings allow students to examine such questions of values and foreign policy as: (1) Should the United States remain committed to its Western European…

This exploratory study examined how students responded to, and approached learning from, case-based instruction. Students' responses were defined in terms of their perceived interest, relevance, and confidence for learning from this method. Students' approaches were defined by goals, self-regulation strategies, and the evaluation criteria they…

This document describes a project whereby a researcher spent time in a fifth-grade classroom teaching students to use electronic mail. For two 40-minute periods each week over a period of 18 weeks, 28 students received instruction on mechanics such as sending and reading mail, attaching and retrieving files, and forwarding messages with their own…

There is a resurgence of scientific and public interest and controversy centering on four interrelated themes: (1) intelligence testing; (2) racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic differences in measured IQ; (3) genetic and environmental influences on abilities; and (4) the role of scientific research in social policy. Given the polarization of views,…

This paper discusses the concept of literature as a moral laboratory in which author and readers run complex thought experiments about human actions and their consequences. The paper warns that discussion of the role of literature in building moral character and moral communities needs to be based on a better understanding of what literature is…

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study of the nature of teachers' connections with their African American students. It is based on three rounds of interviews with six African American women teachers who had used the social justice curriculum "Facing History and Ourselves." The teachers ranged in age from the mid-twenties to…

Career counseling is central to the counseling profession. The Career Development, Assessment, and Counseling (C-DAC) approach to career counseling, which facilitates the career development of people throughout their lives, has received wide attention; an analysis of the theory and research from which this model was derived are examined here. The…

This book is of the opinion that school reform does not reform schools. The reason is that reform movements conceptualize schools as transmitters of knowledge. The book asserts that, rather, schools are involved in the construction of meaning and morality in the lives of students and communities. Successful reform must, therefore, be based on an…

This curriculum guide provides teachers with materials on Asian-American history and culture that include some of the most recent scholarship in the field. Although it is not a comprehensive treatment of history and culture, it examines many important topics and events. The guide is organized by theme. The themes, each of which is introduced by…

This book is a collection of 10 teacher-developed instructional units at the elementary/middle grade level which are compatible with the principles and theories of the North Carolina Curriculum Framework for Gifted Education. The units can be used in a variety of settings, are designed to develop basic competencies, and include specific strategies…