Drawing upon an ongoing school mental health survey being conducted in California, this article examines associations between high school students' mental wellness, including covitality (as measured with the Social Emotional Health Survey--Secondary), and school safety perceptions and experiences. Student self-reports reveal a strong positive…

Standards-based education, including over-packed curricula and high-stakes assessments, is here to stay--at least for the next decade or so. If this approach to teaching and learning is a reality that everyone must deal with, how can everyone leverage what is positive and reduce some of the negative aspects? In this article, the author discusses…

Presents essays that describe the fears, anxieties, hopes, problems, and triumphs of 11 students who chose to go to college early. Difficulties faced included initial academic failures due to immaturity and a lack of well-developed study skills; however, overall achievement was high and the experience was perceived as positive. (CR)

Each student has personal fears, anxieties, and insecurities about writing, which are productive only insofar as they force students into a reevaluation of the ways in which they perceive writing. Approached logically from a nonadversarial position, writing fears can easily be dispelled. (MLW)

This article offers ways to teach students about nuclear war. Suggestions include: (1) teaching problem solving; (2) presenting alternative views; (3) taking a factual approach; (4) thinking about possibilities; and (5) encouraging action. Included is a list of curriculum guides appropriate for teachers of intermediate grade students. (JMK)

The nation's public schools played a critical role in the response to Hurricane Katrina, and they continue to contribute to the recovery of individual families and entire communities. By enrolling displaced children with compassion and efficiency in areas unaffected by the storms, providing parents with information and assistance, and supporting…

Explores how students understand and develop strategies for handling the pressures of 10th grade, examining students' attitudes toward different learning contexts. Data from a longitudinal study of students' educational experiences suggested that 10th grade brought a considerable shift in learning pace and style, with students more pressured to…

Much school humor is more than playful behavior; it is also a form of coping behavior for both students and teachers. Humor aids in the development and formation of the self and in the preservation of dignity and self-esteem, even though it sometimes does so through the humiliation of another. (IS)

This essay addresses how to cope with several potential barriers to implementing effective service-learning projects. The discussion builds on experiences of developing and refining service-learning in upper-division communication courses. Difficulties arise in three areas: the institutional and physical setting, student attitudes, and community…

Examines the problem of blacks practicing a self-imposed segregation in colleges and universities. The paper argues that self-segregation appears to be a defense mechanism to insulate black students from the harsh realities of institutional racism. (GR)

Recommends that teachers nurture students' emotional intelligence by teaching coping skills, how to acquire and use information, how to work with others, and how to manage personal growth. Discusses usefulness of emotional intelligence during transition to middle school, and suggests educators involve students in common activities that foster…

This book approaches school reform from the perspective of high school students and their individual views of life within their high schools. Included are essays from students who have behavior disorders, attention deficit disorders, and learning disabilities. The introductory chapter suggests that administrators, teachers, and students all live…

This book uses poetry and essays to share how welfare reform has affected the lives of a group of female adult literacy students from western Massachusetts. After a brief explanation of the book's purpose, the women who presented their views in the book's poems and essays are profiled. Presented next are six poems that several of the women wrote…