Outlines a working definition of school community, traces connections between definitional components of community and children's learning, and suggests ways to measure school community components to establish a school-improvement indicator. Results of a parent/teacher survey explore community components such as shared educational values,…

Explores the concept of enablement and provides a framework for the counselor and counselor educator to use in facilitating client- or student-directed goals. Examines use of enablement, enablement versus co-dependency, the use of the enablement framework in the counseling role, and clinical examples of the enablement framework. (RJM)

Discusses influences on the definition of scholarship (such as discipline, priorities of the institution and academic unit, and interests of the individual), traces recent developments in how the scholarly role of faculty members is viewed, and recommends an institutional approach for bringing fairness and quality into faculty reward systems. (EV)

Explores the operational definitions of community-based literacy learning, first by discussing literacy as situated activity and then by proposing three separate orientations to the concept of community as it relates to the literacy curriculum. Discusses three different orientations to community that appear in the literature on literacy reform:…

A new calculation and reporting method designed to improve accuracy in arriving at dropout figures was tested last year by 288 school systems. The study, called the Dropout Statistics Field Test, is sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (MLF)

Argues that use of intelligence as an aptitude benchmark in the definition of dyslexia conceals illogical assumptions about the concept of potential. Concludes that the validity of a severe discrepancy between aptitude and achievement as the defining feature of dyslexia has yet to be established sufficiently to justify differential educational…

This article explores issues related to the use of supported employment and time-related transitional employment for blind and visually impaired persons. It defines the concepts; describes the characteristics that distinguish these services from others; and discusses the need for these services from ecological, philosophical, fiscal, and learning…

This article considers problems in the federal definition of seriously emotionally disturbed, authority (state or federal) in determining program eligibility, the legislative history of exclusionary rules, and legal options available to those seeking access to special education for behavior-disordered students. (DB)

This article reviews the efforts made since 1962 to define learning disabilities, discusses 11 prominent definitions, identifies important conceptual elements on which the definitions differ, and calls for a consensual acceptance of the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities definition. (PB)

Presents views on how to define "family" theoretically as well as data from quantitative and qualitative studies. Finds that both researchers and members of the general population differ greatly on the concept of family. Shows that such concepts include not only persons from the immediate "nuclear" family but also kin of…

Explores how individuals' conceptions of their family vary across stages of family development. Compares several hypotheses of how key interpersonal relationships shape individuals' intrapsychic experience of their family. Finds scant support for socialization theory but considerable support for social transaction theory. (SR)

A definition of "activities of daily living" is offered to more specifically describe the abilities of handicapped individuals. The definition covers: operations needed for daily living, activities of daily living which use basic mental or physical functions, and ideas of daily living (pursuits with a shared value or common social…

This paper focuses on definitions, incidence, and characteristics of the multihandicapping condition known as "learning disabled, hearing impaired," in order to provide a means of identifying these children and determining whether or not they require different teaching strategies. (JDD)

Presents several stories about literate women from classical Greece through the Renaissance, focusing on the literacy experiences of women in the dominant class. Observes that literacy acquisition was no guarantee of power, personal advancement, critical thought, or cultural modernization. Urges teachers to create a classroom environment conducive…

Time-budget and interview study with 60 married couples analyzed household labor activities in terms of whether they were experienced as work or leisure, and in terms of their perceptual dimensions and objective situational contexts. Found women defined their household labor activities more often as work than did males, and that situational…