Examines the psychometric properties of the Early Screening Inventory (ESI), a developmental screening instrument designed to identify four- to six-year-olds at high risk for school failure. The ESI was found to be highly reliable and predictive, and it may be possible to increase its accuracy by combining it with the related Parent Questionnaire.…

Rates of retention over a five-year period were analyzed by grade, school, and the socioeconomic status of each of 32 elementary schools in a Midwestern district. Analysis of variance revealed that schools of middle socioeconomic status retained students at a significantly higher rate than did schools of low or high socioeconomic status. (SLD)

Identifies issues relevant to nontransfer college seniors who disenroll before graduating. Analysis suggests that nonretention of seniors was best predicted by dissatisfaction with academic guidance, access to school-related information, and quality of education, as well as by feelings of institutional alienation. Discusses implications for future…

Discusses academic failure from the perspective of student denial and educator enabling and codependence. Denial is described as an interpersonal process requiring the participation of others. Educators are urged to consider how these components of the process interact in perpetuating school failure. (MMU)

Explores causal attributions of success and failure as functions of religious orientations among a sample of Polish university students. Participants assessed secular and religious attributions on three dimensions: controllability, stability, and locus. Finds that religious and non-religious participants attributed both success and failure to…

Describes simple conceptual framework for academic intervention that extends functional-analysis procedures to basic academic skills. Organizes research into five hypotheses that can guide interventions. Presents treatment for six academic interventions and procedures for testing effectiveness. Discussion of procedures includes design issues,…

Describes the author's experiences as the parent of a son who struggled from preschool until high school graduation. Describes the lack of power and respect that parents of struggling learners feel and the damage to the student of being labeled a slow learner. Notes most teachers did not see his strengths, abilities, and interests, but only…

Discusses risk factors associated with sexual intercourse, gang involvement, and alcohol and drug use among adolescents. Different patterns of risk are found to predict the three problem behaviors. Discriminant analysis substantiates that delinquency was differentially associated with low problem vs. high problem urban adolescents. Results support…

A new report shows that the weaknesses of American education outlined in "A Nation at Risk" 15 years ago have not been remedied. Equal educational opportunity is the next great civil rights issue. Ten strategies are presented for educational improvement, and the signatories to the new report, "A Nation Still at Risk," are…

Discusses risks of school failure, suicide, and serious life problems among gay and lesbian youth and the need for counselors who will understand and work with them. Reviews court cases that demonstrate the liability of schools to protect gay and lesbian students from harassment. Recommends practical counseling strategies for gay and lesbian…

A study examined the types and extent of academic deficiencies of 130 adolescents held in a regional detention facility. Most participants' achievement scores in reading, language, and mathematics were below their grade-level placements, students with experience in special education scored lower than other offenders, and males scored lower than…

A study examined perspectives and learning experiences of 71 college students with learning disabilities who were granted course substitutions for foreign language requirements. Students rated grammar as the most difficult foreign language task and the majority said they would have enrolled in modified foreign language courses had they been…

An administrator of an Indiana alternative high school constantly battles negative public attitudes toward alternative schools. Schools or programs seeking to serve the variety of youths and families in today's society should not be separated out as "alternatives." Ensuring that all individuals have opportunities to succeed is a necessity, not an…

Discuses fear of failure (FF) in sports and physical education, reviewing literature on FF, recommending a multidimensional model of FF appraisals, examining research on the development of FF, and emphasizing three interpersonal paths of influence: family structure and climate, parental demands for independence and mastery, and parent-child…

Society is not meeting the needs of most children in U.S. urban schools. Although the articles in this special "Educational Policy" issue are provocative, contributors fail to recognize the subjectivity of knowledge accumulation. They advocate tactics to reinforce existing power imbalances in society, rather than suggesting ways to…