High school students continue to struggle in algebra, especially in large inner-city schools with underprivileged students. Students are not the only ones skirmishing with algebra. Teachers and school leaders are just as frustrated as they search for answers to complex teaching and learning problems. Two high school principals report the results…

The assumption that as teacher empowerment increases in restructuring schools teacher job satisfaction will increase was explored in a study using a large sample of classroom teachers working in schools initiating self-designed restructuring efforts. Study participants were 10,544 classroom teachers working in 307 Venture Capital Schools funded to…

Rereading the history of basic writing can serve as a context for and a springboard to a reading of selected contemporary basic writing textbooks. For critical scrutiny, articles by Joseph Harris and David Bartholomae offer retellings of the history of basic writing, retellings that challenge the more "heroic" tellings that have become…

Academic Development Program students face a special challenge. Within a few short weeks, they must hone their reading, writing, and speaking skills while scrambling to adjust to life in college. Usually, pre-freshmen enrolled in the Academic Development Program are not familiar with the demands of academic reading, writing, and oral response. For…

This study examined perceptions of vocational rehabilitation administrators and counselors of the meaning, importance, and impact of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992. A questionnaire was completed by 251 administrators and 254 counselors from 25 states. Respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which changes had occurred, based on…

This paper examines the historical silence of women and how that is replicated in the schools. The work focuses on the narratives of 31 college-aged women as they reflect on the experiences of their middle school years. This qualitative analysis of recollected narratives of girlhood is based on listening to the powerful voices of young women in…

This paper presents the results of a factor analysis that identified five emerging constructs of power from surveys administered in two southeastern states of residence: Florida and Alabama. The five constructs were named the "Five Dimensions of Power" and are: autonomy, resources, responsibility, political efficacy and expertise, and…

The Empowering Learners Project, a collaborative effort of five United Way agencies in the St. Paul (Minnesota) area, produced this manual to outline some strategies for assisting English-as-a-Second-Language learners in becoming effective learners and critical thinkers. Ideas in the manual came from project agencies and research in critical…

Providing effective parent education for teen parents can be a challenge for educators. This guide for cooperative extension facilitators provides workshop outlines for teen parents regarding their social world, infant and toddler development, and health and safety. The guide's introduction discusses the challenges of parenting, the Eriksonian…

This feature issue of "Impact" focuses on person-centered planning with youth and adults who have developmental disabilities. Featured articles include: (1) "Centering on People: A Quiet Revolution" (Judith A. Snow); (2) "Look-and Understand-before You Leap" (Brian Abery and Marijo McBride), which describes the basic principles and values…

This 1998-2000 State Plan for the Texas Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities presents the Council's future goals and objectives to enable people with developmental disabilities to be fully included in their communities and exercise control over their own lives. Section 1 provides information on the Developmental Disabilities and Bill of…

Instructional designers regularly engage in a process of professional and personal transformation that has the potential to transform the culture of institutions through faculty-client relationships. Instructional designers promote new ideas and understandings in social contexts that include other designers and clients, among others. This research…

The author defines her terms of goodness and empowerment in a context of studying school environments. "Good" schools are then described, the settings in which the field work was conducted are given and the methods of student and teacher empowerment at six good high schools are discussed. (JL)

A program should be made available to families that offers them differing ways of becoming involved. The progress of one such program, Family Matters, is detailed, and the results discussed. Although Family Matters empowered parents to a degree, the program failed to address several issues. (BJV)

Consistency Management and Cooperative Discipline (CMCD) is a research-based K-12 discipline management program that builds on shared responsibility for learning and classroom organization through the cultivation of democratic and participatory practices that are fair, inclusive, and caring. CMCD seeks to provide a stable and orderly learning…