Provides a historical background on the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer/questioning (GLBTQ) legal turf, describing legal tools available for challenging school violence and harassment. Discusses the related legal work on behalf of GLBTQ teachers in public schools and addresses the legal defense of student groups, which play a…

A phenomenological study of a 26-member involved-parent culture unearthed a conception: involved parents participate in their own and other children's lives both inside and outside schools. The portrait of an involved parent is more multicultural (and multifaceted) than commonly portrayed. Educators should welcome minority parents. (Contains 34…

Like other parents who phoned her at work, a dedicated associate commissioner of education grew increasingly frustrated with a system that failed to challenge her children. She enrolled them in a private alternative school that stressed community and viewed education as a privilege demanding great student effort. (MLH)

Discusses how libraries contribute to a community's quality of life. Topics include economic impacts; equal access to information resources; children's introductions to libraries; the future role of libraries; the impact of physical development on the sense of community; life skills, including accountability and responsibility; and career paths…

Reviews four books on urban education, discussing prospective policy solutions to improve its condition. Discusses how the books agree or disagree with emerging policy patterns and perspectives and argues that the solution is not linking urban schools to the suburbs, but rather centering the education policy discussion on urban students,…

Instead of working solely to control young people and to put offenders behind bars, society should be trying to build a responsible community in which young people, aware of their value, act responsibly because they have seen responsible behavior in action. The importance of ritual and initiation for youth is discussed. (SLD)

Describes five school crises. In each case example, errors in crisis management by school staff exacerbated the crisis and resulted in deleterious consequences for the school, its students, and the surrounding community. Identifies common themes of leadership, teamwork, and responsibility that are critical to successful crisis management.…

Discusses the large-scale reemergence of homelessness within the last 20 years. Examines the characteristics of the newly and chronic homeless. Considers a number of economic and public-policy factors contributing to this situation. Outlines a classroom presentation using graphs, statistics, and discussion questions to illustrate this information.…

Delineates some of the general objectives and goals of citizenship-education programs being proposed throughout Canada. These offer an ongoing dynamic program of education in history, government, and ethics, with the aim of instilling in youth a willingness to think about the problems facing our society. (MJP)

Examines how curricular approaches have helped build positive interethnic relations in a large, ethnically diverse high school, documenting four curricular approaches teacher leaders used to address issues of race and ethnicity and exploring the impact of those approaches on student learning. Illuminates how teacher leaders and administrators…

States that tribal colleges are not Ivory Towers standing above and beyond their communities. American Indians have higher rates of poverty, unemployment, sickness, mortality than others in the United States. Tribal colleges must provide health services, childcare and other community services as well as education to meet the needs of their…

In an era of high-stakes testing and prescriptive teaching styles, a San Diego charter high school embraces project learning, multilevel classrooms, and video portfolios of student work. The school lacks dining, music, and athletic facilities, but features hefty teacher salaries, student freedom, and real-world problem solving. (MLH)

Examined whether differentiating processes existed for 7 composite indices of positive and negative adolescent adjustment in 720 sibling pairs. Found that siblings born 1 year apart at Time 1 were more similar to each other than were siblings born 2 years apart, suggesting that shared environmental influences counteract sibling differentiation…

Research that studied 120 youth organizations in 34 different communities discovered that most disadvantaged participants gained academic life skills lasting into early adulthood. Schools can help by sharing space and facilities, establishing institutional collaborations, connecting mutual goals, supporting teacher participation, and developing…

Reviews recent research on citizenship education in Canada. Discovers that, although citizenship education is widely promoted, little is known about actual classroom practices, and wide disparities exist about the very definition of citizenship. Some evidence suggests improvement; however, more research is needed. (MJP)