Examines predictors of various types of self-reported use of violent media content by eighth graders. Indicates that gender, sensation-seeking, aggression, and frequency of Internet use had relatively strong contributions to explaining the use of violent media content. Notes that alienation from school and family also appeared to partially mediate…

Canadians do not have a common history, despite the English-speaking Eurocentric narrative that passes for Canadian history. Rethinking the history curriculum, combined with innovative practices such as using primary historical documents, conducting heritage fairs, and encouraging students to research and produce their own heritage minutes, can…

This study examined whether gifted high school achievers (n=122) and gifted underachievers (n=56) differed in their general academic self-perceptions, attitudes toward school and teachers, motivation and self-regulation, and goal valuation. The two groups differed in all measured areas except academic self-perceptions. Group membership was usually…

Discusses the impact of a "shy" student, and her subsequent death, on a middle school teacher. Suggests that it is up to middle school teachers to implement a middle school philosophy and to provide a sense of security and belonging to every student in every classroom. (RS)

Presents an interview with Ernest L. Boyer. Describes approaches to improving civic education. Identifies student passivity as the primary obstacle. Urges greater scrutiny of the information that teachers present to students. Proposes placing that information in historical, social, and ethical perspectives and integrating and applying it. (DK)

Native American college students often feel conflict between traditional holistic forms of knowledge and the compartmentalized knowledge encountered in college. University policies aimed at decreasing Native American student attrition must emphasize respect for cultural differences, education relevant to the Native American worldview, and…

As Minnesota's experience shows, school choice is not the panacea that John Chubb and Terry Moe have proclaimed. However, introducing a marketplace into public education helps create the accountability that school reformers have sought, even as it diminishes the necessity for prescriptive mandates. When students choose their schools, they…

States that students struggling to find ways of establishing independence need support from home, school, and community. Suggests books and activities suitable for classroom use dealing with moving, being different, money, family concerns, and death. (PRA)

Investigates the impact of job satisfaction and changing jobs among secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Finds teachers' job satisfaction is not high, and there is a low level of commitment to their profession and schools. Also significant was dissatisfaction with the nature of the job and social prestige of teachers. (NL)

Describes an ethnographic dissertation that portrays how patterns of culture and history in a rural community in Maine negatively influence many rural students' academic aspirations. Consolidated schools exacerbate the effect by separating students from their parents and communities and alienating them in school. (TD)

Supports Linda Darling-Hammond's contention that many adolescent difficulties are not intrinsic, but stem from mismatches between teens' developmental needs and experiences provided by most secondary schools. A depersonalized, punitive, rote-learning ambience cannot meet adolescents' needs for affiliation, autonomy, and cognitive challenges.…

A high school teacher recalls his own alienation from school as a high school student and relates it to the current overriding emphasis on school discipline. School discipline problems are a natural result of coercive educational practices, which have resisted repeated reform efforts. In an alternative educational model, (self-)discipline would…

This article summarizes findings from research using "My Worst School Experience Scale" and the new version of the "Student Alienation and Trauma Scale." Certain students report chronic ridicule and rejection from peers and/or adults leading to alienation and antagonism towards school. Positive and negative climates are contrasted and show how the…

Reports on qualitative study of focus group interviews with Chicano/Latinos who had dropped out of school. Responses revealed themes of alienation and discrimination in the school setting. Discusses roles of school counselors as multicultural advocates and community-family-school liaisons. Recommendations from focus groups centered on three areas…

Describes a summer science course in which an Internet-based computer network that allows elementary teachers to interact with each other and encourage more science instruction is designed, modeled, and evaluated. Contains over 20 references. (WRM)