Reviews the March 1985 issue of the Annals of the American Academy of Political Science (vol. 478, pp.9-182) in which 18 authors describe and discuss various aspects of the problem of crowding in prisons and jails of the United States. (ABB)

Airplane travelers are dismayed by the long lines and seemingly chaotic activities that precede boarding a full airplane. Surely, the one who can solve this problem is going to make many travelers happy. This article describes the Jet Travel Challenge, an activity that challenges students to create some alternatives to this now frustrating…

Examined household crowding and loneliness and their effect on suicide ideation among a general sample of the population (N=247) in an urban area. Data indicated that the variables of household crowding and loneliness were significantly associated with the extent of suicide ideation. (LLL)

Compares the effects of interpersonal distance, number of people, acquaintance level, and sex on perceived crowding and discomfort in two cultures. Data obtained from 90 eighth and ninth graders indicate that distance is more important a variable than number and that males are more sensitive to crowding than are females. (Author/RH)

A combination class is formed when students from two adjacent grades are placed in one classroom under the supervision of one teacher. Two recent studies indicate that combination classes may contribute to lower student achievement in multitrack year-round schools. (eight references) (MLF)

Provides national data on the condition of public school facilities and the costs to bring them into good condition; school plans for repairs, renovations, and replacements; the age of public schools; and overcrowding and practices used to address overcrowding. Data are from the Public School Facilities Survey of the National Center for Education…

Discusses the easing of overcrowded schools through the use of portable classrooms and provides an example from Elk Grove Unified School District (California) which has opened entire elementary schools using only portables. Fifteen tips for installing relocatables are highlighted. (GR)

Examines housing strategies several college facilities managers used to cope with the problem of overcrowded residence halls. Also highlighted are tips to help facilities managers determine if their solution is to build additional housing. (GR)

Schools adopt extended year calendars for various reasons, including fuel conservation and improvement of educational opportunities for students. This article describes a program in Jefferson County (Colorado) established to alleviate overcrowding in a large suburban school district that failed to pass bond issues for funding new schools. (MLH)

The Vancouver Declaration on Survival in the 21st Century discusses the history of human activities that threaten the environment and an alternative set of human values that allow people to survive in harmony with their environment. Signatories to the declaration are listed. (BG)

When public schools opened in New York City in September 2003 amid reports of widespread classroom overcrowding, parents, educators, and policymakers demanded an explanation. There, at the ready, was Michael Winerip, the education columnist for the "New York Times." The crowding, wrote Winerip in the first of a series of hard-hitting…

A recent one-on-one attempt by 17 Brown University students to "shadow" high school pupils for 1 day disclosed the bewildering complexity of high schools and the difficulties inherent in categorizing or evaluating them. This paper discusses the nature of this complexity. First, most high schools are densely populated work places. This…

This report provides national data for 903 U.S. public elementary and secondary schools on the condition of public schools in 1999 and the costs to bring them into good condition. Additionally provided are school plans for repairs, renovations, and replacements; data on the age of public schools; and overcrowding and practices used to address…

Instead of selling the idea of a new middle school building, an Ohio school district engaged people in an 18-month conversation about community financial and educational needs. The plan succeeded, due to unconventional leveraging strategies, full staff participation, elimination of diversions, involvement of community leaders, personalized…

Discusses how to address the issue of a course becoming too popular. Uses as an example the Age of Dinosaurs course at the University of Texas at Dallas. Describes some issues that can arise such as classroom overflow, overwhelmed labs, cheating, testing methods, and asynchronous instruction. Recommends looking to web-based course management…