The Healthy for Life (HFL) program was an efficacy test of an adolescent health promotion program designed specifically for use with middle school students. Four conceptually distinct, but inter-related, components were designed to influence young adolescents in school, with their peers, in their families, and in the communities. HFL was unique in…

This book focuses on transition--the facilitation of the postsecondary adjustment of students, particularly those with disabilities, to work, leisure, and independent functioning in the community. Chapter 1 reviews definitions of transition, highlights a transdisciplinary transition model, and reviews federal legislation to facilitate transition.…

A middle school teacher of writing to learners of English as a Second Language describes two techniques used to improve student participation and guide the writing process. The first is to select a writing topic to which all students can relate. In this case, the teacher asked students, in a class discussion, to give their own definitions of…

An alternative curriculum program, a School-to-Work Transition Academy, has the potential to assist secondary special education students in developing workplace skills, knowledge, and competencies. Major elements are as follows: a collaborative team of special, regular, and career/technology teachers; advisory committee; transition-specific,…

A study was undertaken at Georgia's Gainesville College to compare the distribution of grades awarded in academic courses in fall 1990 with those in fall 1996. Study findings included the following: (1) the overall college-wide pass rate in academic courses rose from 65.1% in fall 1990 to 68.6% in fall 1996; (2) excluding students who withdrew by…

This guide provides information about the services available to schools through the High Schools That Work (HSTW) and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and how to build a strong support network for teachers and schools. The following topics are covered: (1) the benefits of networking; (2) the link between networking and HSTW services;…

One of the primary themes of this drama unit is to help students develop an appreciation and respect for diverse traditions. The unit focuses on Jerusalem in the state of Israel, where Jews, Moslems, and Christians find religious inspiration within the walls of the Old City. According to the unit, it is important that students be able to…

The Texas Education Code requires the Commissioner of Education to develop and propose alternative methods of assessment for students who have not passed the exit level test. The goal of this requirement is an alternative mechanism by which a student can demonstrate the knowledge and skills measured by the exit level test and thus earn a high…

This report describes a program for improving the retention of science concepts and motivation through the use of technology. The targeted population consisted of seventh grade students in a suburb of a large Midwestern city. The problem, due to lack of access to technology, was documented through student surveys, teacher observation, previous…

This paper focuses on investigating the purposive design of learning environments to counter the erosion of social capital in communities and schools in contemporary society. Can schools intentionally replenish stocks of social capital by creating normative systems conducive to the optimal academic and social development of students, and by…

This collection of papers examines pre-college enrichment programs that offer a specific remedy to the problem of low income and underrepresented students' access to higher education. The 10 papers are: (1) "Pre-College Outreach Programs: A National Perspective" (Watson Scott Swail and Laura W. Perna); (2) "The Relationship between…

The purpose of this book is to help guide the inquiry of people who want to improve high schools. It presents 11 general issues, assertions, or principles needed to create a good high school. The issues and their accompanying assertions come from national curriculum standards developed by research centers; authoritative educational research;…

Greyhills Academy High School in Tuba City (Arizona) is a federally funded tribal-grant boarding school operated by the Navajo Nation. The Exceptional Student Services (ESS) department and the regular education department work together to include students with disabilities in general education classrooms to the maximum extent possible. The degree…

Although the emphasis elsewhere is on learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder as possible causal factors for high dropout rates and associated student deficiencies in adult education (AE), a project explored an alternative etiology: intention deficit disorder. The hypothesis was that higher level "executive" regulatory…

This booklet contains three articles that explain the importance of English, mathematics, and science subjects in every student's career preparation. For students with an interest in or aptitude for a subject, the articles explain the link between that subject and a number of careers. Each article also describes how people use English,…