Describes a class activity in which students receive copies of requests for charitable contributions, research the charities and issues, write a persuasive appeal for the charities, and debate the merits of the various causes examined by the class. Argues that students learn to analyze persuasive appeals, separate emotional from factual arguments,…

Summarizes the major issues and perspectives related to dropout prevention. Reviews general strategies and school-based efforts, with emphasis on community involvement and the teacher-student relationship. Discusses related social and cultural issues, and examines the alternative school approach. Contains 23 references. (SV)

This article identifies several directions in which health education currently channels its energies, and suggests more appropriate alternatives. Topics include: individual behavior versus a broader environmental focus, questionable links between risk factors and health promotion efforts, and the relationship of education and morality to health…

Examines some of the problems that make teaching about the intersection of race, class, and gender difficult. Focuses on why there exists a problem of convincing students that racism, sexism, and consideration of class continue to be powerful forces in creating the kind of lives people lead. (KO)

Reviews the historical development of awareness about child sexual abuse and examines the counterreaction, or backlash, that this increasing awareness has triggered. The author urges professionals working in child sexual abuse to make sure that their opinions and actions are based on sound research and are directed toward improving the lives of…

Offering multicultural courses in higher education does not address the underlying problems of illiteracy, know-nothingness, and xenophobia. A better approach is, as in the whole-language approach, to teach the whole student as an individual shaped by his society. Teachers are in the best position to facilitate connections among culturally diverse…

Discusses how infants and toddlers are affected by violence, and problems they may experience as a result of living in a violent environment. Also discusses the role of child caregivers in providing a safe haven, a stable environment, and consistency, and being effective primary caregivers. (DR)

Provides a descriptive analysis of the recent history of family policy and argues that the United States, within its cultural context, inhibits the development of a national family policy. The final section provides an analysis of the visionary changes needed to develop a national family policy. (GR)

Offers brief descriptions of 13 professional resources to help educators assess children's literature that addresses sensitive social, moral, and political issues. (SR)

The need for solutions to youth violence has engendered inappropriate uses of conflict-resolution and peer-mediation programs. A research review indicates that reducing aggression and violence requires schoolwide change in conflict attitudes and behavior and concurrent, intensive programs targeting specific problems of particularly aggressive…

Identified significant pretest differences in drug-related variables in college students from alcohol and drug education class (n=99), stress management class (n=44), and social problems class (n=80). Higher levels of alcohol and drug abuse among students in drug abuse course suggests student users are possibly being attracted to course as means…

Argues that the economic trends of the past decade have led to the entrepreneurial nonprofit organization, with strengthened management, redesigned financial systems, revenue-producing ventures, and partnerships with the corporate world. Successful strategies used to meet the challenges faced by nonprofit organizations, including libraries, are…

Administered an open-ended survey to 187 rural and urban tenth grade students in Minnesota. Students were asked to describe their community, state, nation, and world. Comparison of rural and urban students' responses revealed both similarities and differences. Discusses implication for rural education and rural education research. (Author/KS)

Study examined the sexual risk profiles of delinquent and homeless youth. Medical histories and physical examinations indicated subjects in three youth serving agencies had many risk factors (sex for money, unprotected sex with multiple partners, and high levels of sexually transmitted diseases) that affected individual morbidity and public…

Surveyed Child Welfare League of America member agencies about the impact of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) on child welfare services delivery. Agencies reported that AOD adversely affected the system by compounding problems, such as personnel shortages and shortages in available foster homes, which existed before AOD was identified as a major…