Objective: To assess the sexual health knowledge of secondary school pupils in order to ascertain whether the current government public health and education policies are having any impact on pupils' sexual health. Design: Results obtained from a questionnaire as part of a two-phase intervention study. Setting: Nineteen mixed-sex, state secondary…

In this article, the author presents Sharon I. Byrdsong, the 2006 MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year, who believes that all students can achieve and makes it happen with programs and policies that support students and teachers. When Sharon I. Byrdsong took over as the principal of Azalea Gardens Middle School in Norfolk,…

The education system in Turkey has responded promptly to the need for environmental education (EE). However, the existing lack of relevant research may limit the functionality of EE programs in Turkey. In this study, the goal was to develop an environmental conscious database that would allow effective planning of EE. Specifically, the study was…

The 12 articles in this publication discuss the following topics: an author's considerations in writing a novel for adolescents; the teacher as fictional character in adolescent literature; such themes of adolescent novels as institutional values, the illegitimate heroine, and the war experience; the importance of a cumulative study of literature…

Reveals the phases through which an apathetic eighth-grade class of poor readers went on their way to becoming active learners. The phases included: (1) discussing attitudes and goals; (2) positive environment; (3) sharing literature through oral reading; (4) reading for an audience; and (5) active learning. (SKC)

Describes a project that involved an eighth-grade advanced English class in learning about banned books and censorship with the hope that students would learn enough about a highly controversial subject to be able to form intelligent options. (EL)

This study investigated the accuracy and types of interpretations that fifth, eighth, and eleventh graders gave to 24 editorial cartoons in four issue areas and the effect of intelligence on political cartoon interpretation. Numerous misinterpretations and no interpretations indicates assumptions that cartoons are an effective teaching medium…

Because many school funding studies are seriously flawed, valid conclusions cannot be reached concerning the effects of school funding in the United States. New evidence from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and two international achievement tests shows that differences among U.S. public school districts (and states) in funding and…

This study sought to develop and verify the Index of Science Reading Awareness (ISRA) based on a model of an efficient, successful interactive-constructive science reader and three independent metacognitive awareness domains. Results did not support the assumption about the three independent metacognitive awareness domains and also indicated that…

A longitudinal study of 248 students followed from sixth to eighth grade was conducted to examine their perceptions of pedagogical caring in relation to their motivation to achieve positive social and academic outcomes. Perceived caring from teachers predicted motivational outcomes. Implications for understanding links between teacher behavior and…

Examined the impact of common planning time (CPT) on middle grade students' self-concepts and both teachers and students' perceptions of their school climate. Results indicated that students receiving instruction from teachers on interdisciplinary teams with CPT had higher self-concepts and both teachers and students had more positive perceptions…

Discusses results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. History and what may have influenced them, including use of computers and use of primary source materials. Includes an annotated bibliography of Web sites regarding the concept of peace as an alternative to perpetuating the historical realities of war. (LRW)

Compared students' identification with school relative to academic achievement and classroom participation among 1,335 White and African American students. Results found that African American and female students had higher levels of identification than did White and male students, respectively, but their positive feelings were not attributable to…

Explores how fifth- and eighth-grade schoolchildren picture the past by asking them to project themselves into historical roles and to illustrate specific historical figures. Results reveal boys and girls differed across task and historical role as well as in their depictions. Discusses what these findings say regarding students' beliefs about…

Using generalizability theory as a framework, the problem of assessing the content validity of standardized achievement tests is considered. Four designs to assess test-item fit to a curriculum are described, and procedures for determining the optimal number of raters and schools in a content-validation decision-making study are considered. (TJH)