Analysis of questionnaire responses of 44 minority (African American, Hispanic, or Filipino) gifted students attending a high school preparatory program, and follow-up interviews with 24 students, identified themes of locus of control, peer relations, leadership, and community orientation. Responses differed between genders. The role of school…

Describes an inquiry-based project on kinematics piloted at a rural middle school in 1996 by a Maine collaboration of university faculty, graduate students, and K-12 teachers. The group examines the new science standards, develops new curricula based on physics education research, helps middle-school teachers implement that curricula, and assesses…

Teachers can help prevent drug and alcohol use. Surveys of middle and high school students reveal that only 30% have parents who talk with them about drugs but almost 90% have teachers who do so. Parents and teachers need to collaborate for effective drug education, encouraging in- and after-school drug education and violence prevention programs.…

Uses data from the 1990 Census Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) to provide several explanations for the educationally disadvantaged position of Mexican-origin adolescents. Considers the influence of socioeconomic family backgrounds, English-language ability, and migration history. Includes a discussion of research methodology and statistical…

Evaluates how Puerto Ricans in the United States are worse off relative to other groups, and whether their disadvantage remains after the controls of family background and ethnic status are added. Results suggest that, compared to Whites, Blacks, and Mexicans, Puerto Ricans have a unique educational disadvantage that contributes to their having…

Examines the nature/prevalence of sexual content on television and in magazines. Describes theoretical mechanisms outlining potential socializing influences. Reviews evidence indicating that frequent/involved exposure to sexually oriented media genres relates to greater acceptance of stereotypical/casual attitudes about sex, higher expectations…

Describes steps in creating a high school social studies lesson about the Holocaust using the World Wide Web: (1) designing the lesson; (2) conducting research; (3) writing learning objectives and lesson content; (4) designing student workbooks; (5) delivering the lesson; (6) evaluating student learning; and (7) conducting follow-up. Includes…

Describes a middle school curriculum that integrates service learning and civic responsibility skills into the core academic program. The "CityYouth" curriculum consists of 32 multidisciplinary lessons divided into four units of eight lessons each. Examines how schools have incorporated the units into community activities. (MJP)

Examines sources of influence on inner-city students' initial middle school placements in English and mathematics and continuity and change in placements through the end of middle school. Discusses the various academic and socioeconomic influences and how they change throughout the middle school years. Includes data from a longitudinal study. (MJP)

Examined contemporaneous and predictive relations between parenting styles, adolescents' attributions, and educational outcomes. Found that adolescents who perceived their parents as nonauthoritative were more likely than peers to attribute achievement outcomes to external causes or low ability. The higher the proportion of dysfunctional…

A year-long study followed two bilingual (English/Spanish) middle school teachers as training helped them to develop a new way of interacting with students during content teaching. To enhance student comprehension, the teachers moved away from concurrent translation and made efforts to distribute language usage so that they spent equal amounts of…

Examines the stories that teachers tell each other in the staff room. Identifies and characterizes these stories according to what they reveal about teachers' concepts concerning power and the teachers' role. Explores how these concepts develop in the wider sociocultural climate of the school. (MJP)

This study examined relationships between high school students' early sexual intercourse and selected risky and preventive behaviors as a function of race and gender. North Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey data indicated that several health-risk behaviors significantly associated with early onset of sexual intercourse, with both racial and…

Report on research from 18 states that concludes that high-stakes tests do not lead to higher student achievement. In addition, such tests can decrease student motivation to learn and lead to higher student retention and dropout rates. (Contains 2 figures and 21 references.) (WFA)

Presented are practical activities relevant to teaching mathematics in the American Indian culture that can be used in the non-Indian classroom. Discussed are tessellations, exercises that allow for artistic creativity and geometric exploration. The use of Pascal's triangle is included. (KR)