Marva Collins' teaching style includes positive reinforcement, high teacher expectation, high motivation, and love. Cultural congruence, or the relationship between curriculum and the pupil's cultural experiences outside the school, is also a significant factor. Although she uses a traditional curriculum, Ms. Collins' success lies in the…

The community-based approach to sexual learning entails a philosophy of sexuality as a daily lifelong process. Community leaders and school health educators should view themselves as partners in the process of building coalitions which will exert positive influences. (JN)

Confirmatory maximum likelihood factor analysis techniques are applied to a path analysis model. Reanalysis disconfirms the original conclusion that acceptance by White peers beneficially affects the scholastic achievement of Black children. Achievement appears to exert causal influence on popularity, but popularity does not influence achievement.…

Character education is a deliberate, whole-school effort to create a community of virtue, where moral behaviors such as respect, honesty, kindness, hard work, and self-control are modeled, taught, experienced, and practiced in everyday operations. High schools can mobilize the peer culture by involving students and parents in setting personal,…

An intervention targets cultural and eco-developmental risk factors that predispose Hispanic adolescents to substance abuse. Parent participatory-learning groups foster family cohesiveness and communication, facilitate parent-school connections, and create supervisory networks among peers' parents. The multidimensional focus, parent empowerment,…

Investigates using functional assessment with nondisabled, at-risk children in general education settings. Explores the combined and interactive effects of teacher and peer attention on problem behavior. Results extend functional assessment research by using a multiple assessment strategy in natural classroom contexts, involving general education…

Explores the effects of 417 regular education students' acceptance of 41 learning disabled classmates. Participants were upper elementary students enrolled in either cooperative or competitive learning classes. After eight months positive changes in peer ratings among the students occurred more frequently in the cooperative learning classes. (MJP)

Investigated whether second generation youth were academically affected by oppositional attitudes depending upon the relative proportion of African American students enrolled in their schools. Longitudinal data indicated that Nicaraguan students' grade point average and Cuban and Nicaraguan students' mathematics performance declined with higher…

The Chapter 1 compensatory education program and the results of the Title 1 Sustaining Effects Study are discussed. Topics include within-case ability grouping and student achievement, quality and quantity of instruction, teacher expectations, labelling of participants, peer influences, and program eligibility criteria. (TJH)

A high school English teacher describes personal experiences in "untracking" instruction and offers insights into techniques and considerations for making untracked instruction effective. Issues addressed include attendance and missed work, deadlines, classroom communication, assignments, student choice in reading materials, and student…

A survey of 2,216 low-SES Mexican American students in grades 4-6 investigated family, social, and psychological risk factors related to substance abuse. Use of major and minor substances was related to respondent score on an index of 11 risk factors. Relationship between major substance use and risk index was significantly greater for females…

A study investigated the extent to which college student commitment to promoting racial understanding is related to the characteristics of entering students and of the college environment. Variables examined include demographic characteristics, living arrangements, institutional characteristics, peer attitudes, faculty attitudes, cocurricular…

Twenty students (ages 11-15) with disabilities used a consensus-based group evaluation system to evaluate their group's behavior during a specified time period. Comparing team ratings to teacher ratings and delivering reinforcement (based on group behavior and team accuracy in rating behavior) was found to be an effective strategy for modifying…

Evaluates a model for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk reduction through training popular opinion leaders. Interventions in three gay communities produced dramatic reductions in the gay male population's high-risk behavior. Results support the utility of norm-changing approaches to reduce risk…

Examines the use of mediation skills in elementary and secondary education. Discusses the rise in school violence; and describes mediation techniques, the rationale for their use, school programs to introduce mediation, peer mediators, and long-term benefits to students and the school community. Offers resources. (JB)