Six potential problems with the use of randomized experiments to evaluate programs in the field are addressed. Problems include treatment dilution, treatment contamination or confounding, inaccurate case flow and power estimates, violations of the random assignment processes, changes in the environmental context, and changes in the treatment…

Critics and many educators blame the media for public perceptions that schools are failing, due to growing social problems, declining discipline, and falling standards. A Kettering study shows that people's disenchantment with public schools is based on their personal experience. Journalists are responsible for writing objectively about…

Discusses issues that come up in classrooms regarding children's books that have the power to engage students in "critical" conversations about issues of power and social justice, and how systems of meaning in society position educators. Offers descriptions of 12 such books for children, and lists chapter books, books for older readers,…

Discusses societal reasons for the abuse of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Suggests some solutions that are linked to current professional literature and thinking on international disability policy. These include reliable nationwide data on abuse, training about abuse for all personnel who work with children who have disabilities, and…

Gives objectives for and an outline of topics covered in a course designed to examine the dynamics of death and dying. (WRM)

In two surveys, a substantial majority of school board members supported development of school-linked services to meet the needs of children and families. When given an opportunity to comment individually, some expressed ambivalence about fully supporting such services. Respondents felt substance-abuse services, health services, and parenting…

Addresses the movement called civic nationalism in Quebec Province (Canada) that allows all people regardless of ethnic heritage to participate fully in the secular and governmental life of Canada. Provides a puzzle that focuses on the people uniting against civic nationalism. Included the clues and word list. (CMK)

Reviews two youth-produced videos: one about life in a Croatian refugee, the other about racism. The techniques, processes, and problems of young people's video production are discussed. The roles of youth-produced videos as agents of social change and as an alternative to mainstream media are explored. (GR)

Investigates the effects of talk-show viewing on high-school students' social-reality beliefs. Supports the hypothesis that viewers overestimate the frequency of deviant behaviors; does not find support for the hypothesis that viewers become desensitized to the suffering of others; and finds that talk-show viewing was positively related, among…

Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)--conducted between 1968 and 1972--are analyzed to test for the interrelationships between assets, attitudes, behaviors, and income. Discusses research findings. (KW)

Summarizes "All We Know of Heaven." Discusses what can be learned from this novel, such as lessons on self-esteem and self-worth, choosing a spouse, teen dating and domestic violence, and when to stay in and when to leave a troubled relationship. Concludes that domestic violence should be addressed in classrooms as students live in an…

Describes the community program support for high-risk families in Hampton, Virginia. Highlights the preventive aspects of the program, targeted primarily for at-risk mothers and children. (HTH)

Critically reviews the question of childhood in the context of simultaneous globalization and atomization of social life. Discusses childhood in relation to children as consumers, children as interpreters, and children as actors. Suggests that these ideas help explain some of the tensions and disruptions that characterize the lives of some…

Discusses adolescents' lack of interest in news and relates it to their apathy and cynicism about wider social and political issues. Examines whether the news media are to blame for this situation, and to what extent they might help overcome it. Discusses how news media, and the social and political issues they represent, can be made relevant to…

Presents a bibliography with almost 700 entries--teaching related journal articles and books published in the year 2000. Gives references to a range of topics from collaboration in the classroom to research on human factors and knowledge management to the practice of project management. (SG)