The University of Michigan's Detroit Community Outreach Partnership Center fields student-faculty teams who work on community-development projects with community organizations. Projects are designed to enrich students' experiential learning and build communities' organizational capacity. The relationship has exposed a culture clash between…

In an interview, former Georgetown University (District of Columbia) basketball coach John Thompson offers comments on the debate over the use of standardized test scores to determine college athlete eligibility, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and its regulations, academic standards and graduation for college athletes, and the nature…

Presents the experience of an English instructor who worked with members of the Physics Department to revise a technical physics class. Discusses the impact of learning communities at Henry Ford Community College (Michigan) on faculty development, student performance, and institutional culture. (VWC)

Investigates the effects of familiarity with a teacher and rehearsal context on students' interpretations of teacher verbal praise. Finds that students could distinguish between deserved and instrumental praise, could make the distinction better with familiar teachers, and were not unanimous in their interpretations of the same signal. (DSK)

In a study of college students' experiences at a public, four-year comprehensive university, 10 students took photographs representative of their impressions of the university and discussed the underlying themes of the photographs in focus-group interviews. Several primary themes emerged, including perceptions about the physical environment,…

Examined teacher/student interactions and relationship quality among poor, urban, African-American third through fifth graders expressing differential school satisfaction. Found that perceptions of a caring, supportive relationship with a teacher and a positive classroom environment were related to school satisfaction as early as third grade.…

Used focus groups with 23 Head Start staff from 5 urban programs to identify naturally occurring strategies to cope with children's inappropriate behavior. Found that horizontally managed centers used a more collaborative approach, whereas vertically managed centers required that teachers consult with a gatekeeper before consulting with others.…

Presents vignettes from grade five, seven, and eight bilingual classrooms with a linguistically and culturally diverse student population, focusing on specific ways that teachers can aid students in constructing meaning in English, promote two-way communication between teacher and student and among students, foster social integration and…

Describes a study of Australian independent schools that assessed the use of laptop computers in science classrooms in grades eight and nine. Highlights include students' perceptions of teachers' interpersonal behavior; associations between teacher-student interpersonal behavior and students' attitudes to science and their enquiry skill…

A study of college student persistence decisions found college experiences, academic achievement, and environmental pull factors contributed most to persistence decisions, with differential effects for gender and ethnic groups. No precollege factors were significant. For minorities the strongest factors in dropping out were family responsibilities…

Reports a study that examined similarities and differences in perceptions of K-12 school administrators, counselors, and teachers about student self-esteem, and how they perceived their impact on student self-esteem. Surveys yielded noteworthy similarities and differences in their perceptions of student self-esteem and statistical significance…

A middle school teacher asked her students how they felt they learned best and how they felt a teacher could assess what they learned. Students perceived a large gap between their learning and what tests reflected they had learned. They provided suggestions for a more effective tool for measuring learning. (SM)

Abuse of medical students is discussed, based on recent national surveys and focusing on the most common forms, belittling and humiliation, which appear to be misguided efforts to reinforce learning. It is argued that use of such aversive methods is likely to foster insensitive and punitive behaviors, passed from teacher to learner and potentially…

Notes that young adolescents arrive at school greatly influenced by their home environments and are then influenced by school experiences. Notes that students with risk factors at home and school have difficulty succeeding. Recounts story of a young adolescent male to illustrate impact of school and home on school performance, highlighting the…

Award-winning teachers from rural Oregon, Alaska, and Idaho discuss their innovative programs and the advantages of small-town life and small schools. Teachers, students, and community members know each other and participate in school activities, teachers have more flexibility and control over what they teach, bureaucracy is minimized, and…