Describes a successful experiment in an Idaho school district in which all middle and high school students were divided into "families," intended to prevent social, academic, and behavioral problems. (SR)

Offers 10 brief contributions exploring the authors' own experiences with schooling and social differences; probing the connections among schooling, social difference, and conflict; describing programs; and reviewing books for adolescents. (SR)

Describes mental health service needs in rural America and barriers to improving its quality and availability. Federal programs, especially the Office of Rural Health Policy, are described and policy recommendations for improving rural mental health care are presented. (DM)

Discusses the concept of "partner schools," which reconceptualize teacher education around a model of exemplary "practice" or "teaching" schools linking colleges of education and school districts in the simultaneous reform of teacher preparation and schooling. (RS)

Discusses the role that feminist issues played in a summer institute at the Literature Institute for Teachers and the role of feminist theory in teacher education. Shares thoughts about the role of feminist theory in the classroom. (MG)

Discusses eight myths about school choice and attempts to settle some of the main arguments on the basis of experiences in Minnesota and elsewhere. Reviews some of the variety of established choice policies and describes the components of an effective program. (SR)

Discusses benefits and problems of locating a communication department in a professional college, thus identifying it is an applied professional program rather than a liberal arts course of study. (SR)

Describes how the whole-language philosophy undergirds the teaching approaches used in a nontraditional special education program designed for students with language and learning disabilities. (SR)

The Ethics Forum at Buffalo State College (New York), a program in which new ideas for addressing long-standing problems are fostered among faculty and staff, is described in the framework of a situational leadership model. The model allows analysis of the groups's highly directed, coaching, supporting, and autonomous activities. (MSE)

Describes the Flint Youth Theatre's presentation of Saphira Linden's "Tribe," which was sponsored by A World of Difference, a prejudice awareness and reduction organization. Describes the project's treatment of the North American Indian theme, the involvement of Flint, Michigan's North American Indian community, and the process of…

Describes four mentoring programs: Atlanta's Project Success; and in Washington, D.C., Mentors Inc., the Community of Hope, and the Futures 500 Club. Most are school-based programs providing guidance and inspiration in a one-to-one relationship. The best programs also provide training for mentors. (DM)

The theory of foster-adoptive programs is explained and analyzed. The term "flexible family resource" describes the acceptance by trained families of children who have not yet had parental rights terminated, and thus may return to their biological parents at some time. Although this idea is promising, further research is indicated. (DG)

Presents annotations of nine conference papers and practica in the ERIC database that deal with spelling research in the primary grades. Notes that the entries in the annotated bibliography were published between 1990 and 1992. (RS)

Describes the Geraldine R. Dodge Theatre Program for Teachers and Playwrights that serves New Jersey drama teachers and professional playwrights, actors, and directors. (SR)

Describes implementation of a staff development project on cooperative learning. Notes that an important by-product of this project was the informal communication that occurred among teachers as a result of their common experiences. (RS)