Given how China has been the top source of international students worldwide, there has been growing media and research interest in Chinese international students. However, much of the narratives tend to focus on their struggles. In this commentary, I draw upon insights from my personal experience as an international student and, consequently,…

What is known about college students' search for purpose more than ever before due to the scholarly attention devoted to purpose development over the past two decades. This growing research on purpose increasingly makes it clear, as Tim Clydesdale ( 2015 ) writes, that when colleges "launch sustained conversations with students about…

Recent literature debates the effectiveness of the senior year, stating that it is an unproductive and unrealistic time for many students--either because they are, by that point in their school careers, disengaged and waiting to graduate, or because they are so stressed from taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams and writing college essays that they…

Principals in urban high schools can play an important role in improving school effectiveness by adopting an educational philosophy that focuses on development of the students' sense of self-worth. (PGD)

When design teachers ask questions about design decisions, and about the works that result from those decisions, they are seeking an explanation and an evaluation of the process that led to the creation of the work. Additionally, they may seek an explication and evaluation of the work itself, apart from development and process issues. These kinds…

Observes that children are ready to write when they understand what writing does, when they are interested in writing, when they want to communicate through writing, and when they understand that written symbols represent meaning. (RL)

Constructive developmental theory is offered as a useful framework from which to encourage greater college student ownership of the educational planning process and to inform the direction and content of advising. Methods of assessing and enhancing development are suggested, and two cases that depict advising from this perspective are presented.…

A former intern at Merrowvista Education Center reflects on her experiences learning to facilitate adventure programs, and discusses the value of interning at a residential center, changes in her attitudes as her skills developed, and the importance of reflection for staff as well as participants. (SV)

Both marginality and moving between cultures are concepts which need to be discussed in college classes. While America and the rest of the world are becoming more multicultural through marriage, immigration, sojourn, etc., little is being done to prepare students to interact effectively with other cultures. In Milton Bennett's (1986, 1993)…

A student of the 1950s reflects on how moral issues were ignored in both the college curriculum and campus activities, and reviews research on moral development. Milestones in research on moral development since then are reviewed and applied to circumstances of individual colleges to encourage the creation of opportunities for student moral…

This article identifies problems commonly attributed to acceleration for gifted students. Specific student concerns (such as friendships) and administrative concerns (such as difficulties in awarding course credits) are addressed. Five suggestions are made to help districts plan for providing accelerative options. (DB)

A graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland recounts her experience on two of the college's service learning trips, one to Guatemala and one to the Gambia. She reports that the international service learning experience had a great impact on her in the areas of career choice, cultural understanding, and personal reflection. (DB)

In an interview, Amitai Etzioni, a social scientist and director of the Center for Policy Research at George Washington University, discusses his ideas for stronger schools, at the heart of which are self-motivated students who are self-disciplined and responsible. (JMK)

Describes the development of a safe, caring community in the classroom where students feel cared for, where they are able to learn, and where they learn to care for others. Describes the implementation of an assortment of community-building activities divided into two areas: establishment of rules and establishment of rituals and routines. (VWC)

This paper notes that gifted education has been dominated by psychology and proposes, in contrast, to de-psychologize the concept of "giftedness-at-risk" with an alternative model which sees ontological giftedness, becoming the best one can be, as not the property of an elite few but a permanent positive human possibility for all.…