Increasing teachers' senses of efficacy toward educating minority, poor, and low achieving students is an important element of school restructuring. Changing societal values toward individual differences and misconceptions about students' abilities to learn is essential. Teacher behaviors that are effective with low achievers are effective for all…

Reviews the situation of education in Kosova, a part of old Yugoslavia with an Albanian population, where a low-intensity ethnic cleansing campaign against children is being conducted by Serbian authorities. In response to Serbian destruction of the public school system, semiclandestine Albanian language schools have been created. (SLD)

Explores violence and weapon use among high school students. Both are on the increase. Schools have a responsibility to stop the overflow of street crime into the schools, but they cannot accomplish this without the help of parents. Parents must learn how to teach their children alternatives to violence. (SLD)

Argues that everyday school violence, as distinct from isolated sensational incidents, is caused at least in part by the educational policies and procedures governing schools and by the way these policies are implemented. Trends affecting school disorders, including erosion of teacher authority, are discussed, and some solutions are proposed. (SLD)

Asserts that the Cold War era has little historical meaning for today's students. Maintains that the use of feature-length films on videocassettes can be used effectively with appropriate reading and writing exercises. Provides a filmography focusing on social issues and a lesson plan. (CFR)

Provides a list of materials from the ERIC database, along with directions for obtaining these documents, that include both teaching materials and general background information on the Progressive Era; topics range from melodrama and women in the Progressive Era to the Muckrakers and the World War I draft. (CMK)

It is well documented that perinatally HIV-infected children experience difficulty in learning as well as behavioral and social problems in the school setting. While the research is mixed on the effect of the HIV virus on behavioral and social problems, it is much clearer on the effect of this virus on learning. This exploratory study identifies…

Bias and discrimination based on the differences of others is a serious contemporary problem. Biased beliefs often lead to harmful discriminatory action and inhibit emotional and cognitive development. Such beliefs also serve as perceptual screens that constrict imagination, limit experience, and diminish the possibilities of constructing useful…

This Final Report prepared by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives offers an account of President George W. Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI) to the faith-based and other community organizations (FBCOs) that have joined in the battles against poverty, disease, and other social ills. The report emphasizes…

This collection of 16 papers attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of children in the nations of the Americas. The collection's five sections examine children's rights, perspectives of five parents from five different nations, children with disabilities in the legal system, promoting the rights of children through social…

Drastic social problems challenge teachers looking to increase parental involvement in schools. Traditional strategies to involve parents, such as inviting parents to meetings and school events, do not promote genuine interaction between home and school. Instead, they separate parents and teachers. Two-way communication between home and school is…

This collection of articles summarizes what mental health professionals have learned about evaluating and treating infants and young children who have been exposed to violence in their homes and communities. Emphasis is on recognizing symptoms and behaviors demonstrated by very young children who have been exposed to violence, supporting…

Urban school superintendents from Pennsylvania and New Jersey met to consider issues related to the improvement of urban secondary schools. Although the public is pessimistic about all urban public schools, it regards secondary schools with particular pessimism. There are 70 urban high schools in New Jersey and 81 in Pennsylvania. Superintendents…

This study examines the effects of school contexts, individual differences, and motivational goals and benefits on current events knowledge. A review of the literature focuses on motivation study of goal theory and self-efficacy. The sample includes 798 students from nine high schools (grades 9-12) in diverse geographical locations and of various…

"3-2-1 CONTACT Extras" (Extras) are television specials produced by "3-2-1 CONTACT," a television series on science and technology for 8- to 12-year-olds. The production of each Extra is typically accompanied by an extensive program of formative research, designed to examine issues of comprehension and appeal, that helps guide…