Common instructional practices in the teaching of language minority students are described. The case study of a fourth grade classroom in Longmont (Colorado) illustrates how a teacher's enthusiasm for literacy instruction creates an environment where all students, including the Hispanic language minority, can be active participants. (SLD)

Interviews Turkish adolescents who have graduated from the West German education system to reconstruct problems faced by children of Turkish immigrants in West Germany as they confront a modern education system that clashes with traditional home environments. Argues that, the more independent students become to complete school, the more conflict…

Discusses a collaborative project between education and anthropology which qualitatively studies the establishment of strategic connections between households and classrooms in Arizona's Mexican communities. Teacher-researchers visit households, assume the role of learners, establish connections with parents, and develop instructional activities…

Presents activities appropriate for levels K-2, 2-4, 4-6, 7-8, and for student-parent interaction that connect the Van Hiele levels of thinking in geometry with stages of thinking outlined by art educators. Activities utilize the context of art to examine visualization, figure recognition, geometric transformations, and real-life applications of…

This study of diversity within a Catholic high school in a midwestern city examines the effect of the "caring community" on the achievement of African-American and other minority students. Through teacher, student, and parent interviews, analyzes caring and helping offered, uses of humor, and involvement in school activities. (JB)

Explores violence and weapon use among high school students. Both are on the increase. Schools have a responsibility to stop the overflow of street crime into the schools, but they cannot accomplish this without the help of parents. Parents must learn how to teach their children alternatives to violence. (SLD)

Reports on the effect of external political pressure on the distribution of influence in school districts. Focuses specifically on the influence exercised by school-level administrators and teachers on school-level policy. Expounds on a theory of local variation across institutional organizations using the High School and Beyond study. (CFR)

Examined role of home social relationships as predictors of social functioning in first years of school. Found that the quality of different family relationships provided relatively independent and complementary information about early social functioning in school, with more limited evidence for compensatory or protective processes at work.…

Discusses why college admissions officers, high school guidance counselors, or independent counselors must be prepared to help prospective college students understand how to afford a college education and benefit from financial aid. Provides a model, Financial Aid F.A.C.T.S., to help explain the world of financial aid. (Author/JDM)

The project described in this article investigates student explanations of truancy and dropout, and associated demographic and academic variables among Cambodian students (N=23) at a comprehensive high school. Results suggest that students at high risk of truancy can be identified before they start high school on the basis of their behavior in…

Assesses the creative writing of 23 black seventh graders enrolled in a weekend science enrichment program to determine their thematic choice, self-expression, career interest, racial/gender identity, and evidence of parental influence and expectations. Analysis revealed few examples of racial or gender issues, but many expressed keen interest in…

In the "Just Do It, Jr." program, 81 at-risk fifth-grade students in rural Nevada attended life skills training sessions, then taught self-esteem concepts to second graders. The fifth graders averaged a 16% improvement on self-observed school attitudes and self-esteem, and the second graders thought the programs were well taught. (TD)

Utilizes evidence from the 1860 federal census to determine rates of school attendance in Chicago (Illinois). Employs multivariate statistical techniques to establish the correlates of those rates. Considers the impact of the Irish immigration and the role of the Catholic Church. Includes eight tables of statistical data. (MJP)

Coordinates ethical codes for psychiatry, psychology, and social work and discusses their implications for child sexual abuse assessment in child protection and divorce/custody/visitation cases. Guidelines developed by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children are also considered. Confidentiality, protection from harm, and bias…

Past failures in American Indian education are linked to lingering assimilationist practices, outdated curricula, and low expectations of Indian youth. A key to improving Indian education is changing school culture and increasing the numbers of Indian teachers and administrators. Elements of a model teacher education program are presented, and…