The report aims to describe chronic drug users, emerging drugs, new routes of administration, varying use patterns, changing demand for treatment, drug-related criminal activity, drug markets, and shifts in supply and distribution patterns. Pulse Check regularly addresses four drugs of serious concern: heroin, crack cocaine/powder cocaine,…

This dissertation investigated the factors that influence persistence of minority students in community colleges. The population for this study consisted of minority students enrolled in diploma and degree programs in the fall semester of 1999 at two community colleges in Kansas City, Missouri. A total of 232 students (165 females and 67 males)…

This paper reports on two phases of a study of a group of advanced TEFL (teachers-of-English-as-a-foreign-language) students. To raise their awareness of the importance of discourse intonation while they were receiving teacher training, this study focuses on examining their sociocultural and psychological inclinations in the choice of phonological…

This report explores the technical, political, and socio-cultural dimensions of the scaling up process of Success for All (SFA), one of the nation's most successful and extensively researched whole-school change models. SFA, a reform effort aimed at elementary schools serving disadvantaged children, is currently being implemented in over 475…

The 1970s brought numerous changes, including the realization that theories of change were insufficient. This text contains both core strategies for affecting change and instructions on using specific tools for change efforts in organizations and communities. The text draws concepts from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and new methods of…

This paper describes a pilot study emphasizing responsive research and incorporating the views of participants into recommendations for future research using classroom videotaping. The study was based on the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky (1978), which emphasizes the importance of an integrated perspective of child language and thought.…

This collection of essays is drawn from a series of international seminars in which participants explored different methodologies for writing social history of the classroom. The collection features 13 essays divided into 3 parts: Part 1, "Raising Questions about Classroom History," contains: (1) "Sneaking into School: Classroom History at Work"…

Sociocultural theory emphasizes the social nature of learning and the cultural-historical contexts in which interactions take place. Thus, teacher-student interactions and the relations that are fostered through these contexts play an especially vital role in student achievement. It has been argued that culturally responsive instruction can have a…

To commemorate the Centennial of the Foundation for Child Development, this report tells the story of American families who cannot lift themselves out of poverty despite honest, hard work and proposes an agenda for change that reflects the focus of the foundation's grantmaking. The report draws heavily on recent research including that sponsored…

This document features the experiences of three science teachers who video and audiotaped classroom proceedings in order to go back over what was said in classroom events, to explore the intentions and ideas that were perhaps not fully understood at the time. Mary DiSchino, who teaches 3rd and 4th graders, teaches a science curriculum which she…

This paper outlines the notion of (non)nativeness, central to foreign language (FL) education, in terms of an overarching ideology of standardization. It focuses on French and Spanish, because they are the two most commonly taught languages in North American FL classrooms and they have been seen to represent two seemingly diverse attitudes toward…

This paper examines changes in social attitudes toward preschool institutional care in the Czech Republic over the last 50 years and discusses whether the present economic situation enables Czech families to decide which type of preschool care to choose for their children. The historic period is divided into two time periods for analysis: (1) the…

This book examines issues facing higher education today, especially the need to reverse the frequently adversarial relationship between the academy and the larger society. Chapter 1 addresses common criticisms of the university. Chapter 2 considers issues of freedom and order, the role of trustees, alumni, and university administration and…

Although in-depth, long-term group psychotherapy is a beneficial therapeutic experience for adolescent females suffering from anorexia nervosa, these clients are notoriously resistant to treatment and to long-term, open-ended group settings. This dissidence may stem from a motivational deficiency toward changing their eating patterns and…

More research into illicit substance abuse in rural African-American communities is needed. The existing literature indicates that patterns of use for licit substances (alcohol and cigarettes) are either similar for rural Blacks and Whites or lower for Blacks. However, the negative health and social consequences of smoking and abusive drinking are…