Biographies provide the opportunity for identification, not only with those who are great today but also with those who have lived greatly in the past. Biographies fulfill students' needs for identification with someone who is admirable. Examples of inspiring life stories, sources of such stories, and questions are included. (JD)

Promotional campaigns and commercial messages permeate most waking hours of children's lives. Children must be educated about the nature of commercial messages directed at them, and their ability to resist sales pressure must be built. (JD)

Three areas that are crucial to the future of effective, high-quality public education are: (1) encouraging good teachers; (2) including more than basics in the school curricula; and (3) promoting student volunteerism. (CB)

Contemporary American culture has taken on protecting children from the consequences of their own actions so much that parents are raising children for whom being responsible for one's own actions and one's own work is anathema to "good parenting." Unlike the culture of the past, many parents spend hours on end with their children under…

Based upon the view that character development is not by and large the result of special lessons, but is rather embedded in and the product of the child's growth, this book focuses on how the intimacy of the ordinary day stimulates and enhances the child's potential for morality, devotion, and idealism. The book identifies general themes in the…

This review of research on motivation and self-perception in gifted students looks at the interaction of motivation with self-perception; effective practices in classrooms and homes for developing children's potential, motivation, and self-esteem; and implications for teachers and parents of gifted and talented children. (DB)