Resilience is a set of attributes providing people with the strength and fortitude to confront overwhelming obstacles. The best way to prepare resilient youth for an uncertain future is to help them develop feelings of competence, belonging, usefulness, potency, and optimism via authentic, ongoing school experiences and critical examination of…

The California 3Rs project aims to prepare educators and community leaders to use First Amendment principles to address issues of religious liberty and religious/ethnic diversity and to help educators teach about religion and cultures in constitutionally and educationally sound ways. The project helped school officials and conservative Christians…

"Let's Celebrate Uniqueness" is a one-semester whole class program designed for fourth to seventh grade gifted and non-gifted students. Specific activities are suggested for the four program steps: (1) understanding the concept of uniqueness, (2) recognition of uniqueness of self, (3) recognition of uniqueness of others, (4) and valuing uniqueness…

A unit using hula hoop activities helped 15 educable mentally retarded elementary students improve physically and socially and increased their self-esteem. (CL)

The 33 modules of a Utah district's successful Resilient Youth Curriculum pilot program provide guidelines for initially working through students' protected exteriors to establish trust and facilitate the resiliency-building process. Students then develop ownership of the program by participating in planning, shaping, and implementing the…

The article describes a program used to increase the self esteem of children with learning problems. (CD)

Participation by first grade repeaters in a self-enhancement activity group was cited by teachers and the children themselves as helpful in achieving a positive adjustment. (Author)

Describes a needs assessment conducted for elementary school students (N=120). Focuses on procedures used, results obtained, and implications for guidance programs. (RC)

Educational and developmental researchers suggest that children who have experienced homelessness suffer both in self-esteem and in literacy development, although early research is not complete. The Reading Connection (TRC), a community-based nonprofit organization in northern Virginia, focuses on the social aspect of reading, rather than…

Provides elementary teachers and counselors with a systematic method for identifying self-esteem problems. Through use of a self-esteem matrix, practitioners will be able to make systematic interventions using individual or group counseling, family counseling or class guidance. Specific activities are suggested. (JAC)

Describes a schoolwide project at Central Elementary School in Morgantown, West Virginia, called the "Worlds of a Reader's Mind." Describes the deliberations among both students and teachers that went into establishing the project, how the project is run, and the "enormously beneficial" impact on students' achievement and self-esteem. (SR)

Profiles some of the efforts of Appalachian educators to connect area children with their heritage while combating the trends toward school dropout and poverty. Teaching students the history behind their own dialect and customs helps them accept the customs and speech of others and helps them overcome stereotypes. (SLD)

Describes Project P.R.O.M.I.S.E., a school/university/community collaborative effort designed to address the needs of African American male elementary school students by providing adult African American male models involved in education at the university level. The history and components of the program are described, and plans for its evaluation…

In a Canadian program, adult volunteer mentors meet with elementary student mentees for an hour each week during school. An evaluation of five such school-based mentoring programs found that mentored students developed a more positive attitude towards school, achieved higher grades, and improved relationships with adults and peers. Mentors report…

Classroom discussions focusing on four topics relating to racial prejudice were used to strengthen students' self-esteem and change attitudes. A series of detailed stimulus questions were provided to help children explore the issues, understand them, and stimulate positive action. Results indicated the program activated positive racial attitudes.…