Alternative perspectives are presented on the issue of rational suicide. An operational definition is provided; areas needing clarification are highlighted. The meta-issues are reviewed with regard to specific points raised by Lokhandwala and Westefeld. Concerns with research often cited to question the possibility of rational suicide are…

Native American trickster stories teach lessons about inappropriate social behavior or roles through satire. Frequent targets of such lessons are gender relations, expectations, and transgressions, most notably male licentiousness. Lessons concerning inappropriate female behavior may be conveyed through female trickster stories, found mainly in…

Tests the proposition that middle-class dropouts are more likely to engage in delinquency as a result of dropping out than lower-class dropouts. Seeks to test social control and strain theory explanations for observed dropout-delinquency relationships. Results indicate dropping out is more likely to be associated with higher levels of delinquency…

Analysis of data from the National Survey of Families and Households suggests that parents' job characteristics, indicative of the primary- and secondary-sector labor market division, influence levels of parental supervision of children and children's feelings of attachment and efficacy, educational aspirations, and grade point average, all of…

Argues that contemporary interest in lifelong learning can be seen as a mechanism of social control. Compares strategies for the promotion of lifelong learning designed for those in "included social categories" with the policies designed for those in marginal and excluded positions. Concludes by citing positive learner experience in each case.…

External correlates of a teacher-rated typology of child adjustment developed using the Behavior Assessment System for Children were examined. Participants included 377 elementary school children recruited from 26 classrooms in the southeastern United States. Multivariate analyses of variance and planned comparisons were used to determine whether…

This paper argues that the "old paradigm" in education is a collection of assumptions, beliefs, and values that underlie the workings of present-day schools. The old paradigm is based on the notion of education as a meritocratic enterprise, institutional rationality, the positivist approach to truth, commitment to efficiency, and…

This issue of a newsletter from the American Bar Association emphasizes teaching about crime and punishment. The first article offers an overview of the diversity and common assumptions that underpin the teaching of criminology. Student interest in crime and criminology creates an opportunity for instructors interested in challenging students'…

The trend of teacher collegiality and professional development in educational restructuring is examined in this paper within the context of growing demands for accountability and productivity. The increased international interest in teacher collegiality through various forms of school-based professional development is viewed as a means of…

Data focused on illegal alcohol and marijuana use were collected in 1981 from 4,859 high school students living in two rural counties in southern Georgia. The sample consisted of over 85% of all students in grades 8 through 12 within the two counties. The data were used to test a facilitative-constraint model developed from selected components of…

Attempts to pinpoint dynamics that influence and shape race relations in several southeastern states. The most important trend is the emergence of a New Racism, consisting of the following; (1) the power component; (2) the media component; (3) the avoidance impulse; and (4) impersonal police repression. (PS)

Maritally violent families are examined. Two types of violent families are described. Type I families use violence to establish a hierarchy and maintain control over members. In type II families, violence is used to express anger or to react to stress. Both types may cause behavioral problems in the children. (VM)

Resistance theory draws attention to the existence of conflict and antagonism in schools and in pupils' resistance to schools' authority and ideology. In "Learning to Labor," Paul Willis unduly romanticizes resistant practices by the subjects of his ethnography. An alternative view of resistance permits a more socially and historically…

This document addresses violence as one of the key challenges facing the democratic and pluralistic republic under the framework of the Constitution and its Bill of Rights. Primary focus is on criminal violence and the factors and behaviors that contribute to violent crime. The text is organized into three chapters: (1) "The Problem of…

Evaluates extent and significance of decisions by British Columbia's judicial system on school systems. Gathers, organises, and evaluates scattered information. Concludes that judicial decisions do play a significant role in British Columbia public school operations, and that greater interest, knowledge, and involvement on the part of educators is…