This article reviews federal and state legal mandates to report child abuse. It addresses the issue of immunity from civil suit and criminal prosecution for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect, along with the criminal prosecution that may result if suspected child abuse or neglect is not reported. (CR)

Explores teen-initiated communication with parents about same-sex attraction, coming out, and adolescent sexuality. Reports the findings of a qualitative study on teen and parent reactions as well as a number of strategies which emerged that may help maintain healthy relationships in the face of developing sexuality. (Author/SD)

Presents information on how the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) defines education records, guarantees parents review and appeal of records about their child, and restricts release of student records, discussing the provisions of the 1994 Improving America's Schools Act which amended several components of the FERPA. (SM)

Analyzes the California Supreme Court case "Randi W. v. Muroc Joint Unified School District." The court determined that letters of recommendation, which had omitted mentioning allegations of improper sexual conduct with students, were deceptively incomplete. Writers of letters have three choices: refuse to write a letter, write a fully…

Satisfaction with disclosure of the diagnosis of autism was investigated using a questionnaire completed by 126 parents. Results indicate 55% of parents were satisfied with the disclosure. Satisfaction was more likely if parents gave positive ratings to the manner of the professional and quality of the information. (Contains references.)…

Examines the process of requiring and evaluating personal growth group participation for students in counselor education programs. Discusses the key components in the dilemma of protecting privacy while evaluating competencies, including ethical practices and program alternatives to avoid evaluation. Proposes a model that will enable participation…

Presents three studies that investigate the following aspects of emotional self-disclosure: (1) males' and females' willingness to discuss emotions; (2) impact of gender and culture on emotional disclosures to males and females; and (3) impact of gender and masculine role on willingness to disclose emotionally to parents and therapists. (JS)

Social work students' responses to their professor's in-class disclosure of homosexuality are examined. Topics addressed include student awareness of gay/lesbian issues, reactions to disclosure, effect on learning environment, recognition of homophobia and heterosexism, classroom power balance, relationship between personal and political actions,…

This article argues that the debate over the public's right to know versus a public college or university's need to make some decisions in private often generates more heat than light, and that the most important interactions put at risk by open-meeting acts and sunshine laws involve board dynamics. Some suggestions are made for minimizing this…

A case study is presented of a first-year teacher with learning disabilities instructing students with learning disabilities. The case study discusses educational and employment background, teaching performance and instructional factors, disclosure of the learning disability, support systems, advocacy for change, and variables contributing to the…

College fund-raising situations in which prospective male donors make inappropriate sexual advances to female development officers are considered. Coping strategies, prevention, the supervisor's role, and development of institutional policy and policy statements are discussed. (MSE)

Explored adolescent age and gender differences in patterns of emotional self-disclosure to parents and friends among 174 junior high school students. Found that girls exhibited greater emotional self-disclosure to parents and peers than did males, and that emotional self-disclosure to friends was greatest among older adolescents. (Author/NB)

As colleges and universities increasingly seek for-profit corporate sponsors for their research programs, collaboration may be complicated by differential missions leading to potential conflicts of interest. Ethical issues include corporate influence on research topics, secrecy and publication restrictions, patent ownership, unfavorable…

A group of articles reports on trends in salaries of college presidents. Articles include a summary of federal tax data on executives' pay, discussion of presidents' perceptions of the issues, a report on compliance with federal disclosure laws, and a table detailing results of a national survey of compensation for private college presidents and…

Reviews suggestions derived from the clinical and experimental literatures for interviewing child witnesses to abuse. Guidelines for questioning children are provided and phases of a forensic interview are outlined in a step-by-step fashion. The suggestions presented highlight a developmental perspective designed to facilitate children's memory…