There is a vast difference between factual information and a sense of understanding that comes from the organization of knowledge in a way in which it can be used in decision processes. Recognition of interdependencies and interrelatedness leads to understanding and utilization. (JD)

The author describes the difficulties of achieving his life-long dream of going to an Ivy League college, and how his Shawnee grandfather advised him to acquire the white man's skills and bring them back to his people. He advises young Native Americans to choose the more difficult, yet honorable path of serving their own people. (TD)

This paper addresses myths about college students with learning disabilities (LD) which may give false hope to students very unlikely to succeed in college but more often place limitations on students who could succeed with some support services, based on the experience of Project Achieve at Southern Illinois University. The "myths"…

This paper is organized around three central questions: (1) What should be the primary goals of high school reform and what is the critical set of outcomes that matter for students? (2)Shat do we know about the strategies schools could use to pursue those goals? and (3) What are the implications of these strategies for the development of high…

To advocate the work of Gregory Bateson, especially his Double-Bind theory, this paper describes how the theory can be applied to particular instances and to the general experience of black students in a predominantly white, authoritarian college setting. The paper argues that miscues on the part of black students in the classroom and in writing…

Studies indicate that, although enrollment and degree production by women doctoral students have increased, fewer women than men complete doctorates and women generally take longer than men to finish, in spite of the fact that women demonstrate equal if not superior performance levels on virtually every objective measure. Women who complete the…

The use of the Advising Intake Form with nontraditional students at University of Maryland's University College is discussed. The form is completed by students for each advising appointment. The following types of data on students are collected: demographic information, educational history, current career field, personal and educational…

This paper examines the role of the conative domain in the acquisition of sustainable school achievement. The focus of the conative domain is to embrace the learner with an all-encompassing determination to achieve. It is set in motion by a clear and self-directed sense of purpose in an environment of challenge and cognitive dissonance. Counselors…

A significant reason for the establishment of the junior college was the desire to limit the achievement of large numbers of college entrants, because there were not enough high level jobs for all who aspired to complete traditional degrees. In the history of the junior college movement, this problem of mass education has been attacked by…

Evidence shows that choice of field of concentration at the middle school or junior high level is the single most powerful predictor of how far a student will progress up the educational ladder. National statistics now indicate that out of 10 Hispanic students in the 8th grade, about 5 will receive a high school diploma but only 1 will have…

This speech addresses the relation of effective discipline to the pursuit of academic excellence in schools. The proposed blend of specific strategies, methods, and ways of being conducive to excellence is characterized as "three dimensional discipline." This approach involves: (1) listening to what students are thinking and feeling; (2) clearly…

This paper explicates methods to motivate African American students to exhibit attitudes and behaviors that are conducive to high academic achievement. In particular, it argues that educational models must acknowledge and correct students' sense of academic futility. Academic futility measures student perceptions of the extent to which factors in…

A summary is presented of the literature on motivation relating to achievement in the classroom. Special attention is given to how values, ideology, and various cultural patterns may serve to enhance motivation to achieve in the classroom. In considering what determines motivation and personal investment in educational pursuits, the following…

Teachers should begin to think about how they mete out responsibility for spoken and written discourse in the classroom. Research indicates that most teachers initiate and sustain a question-answer-evaluation pattern. This pattern is doubly enacted in the composition course in writing as well as speaking. Unfortunately, this pattern may also…

Declines in high school and college attendance and completion for blacks, factors that contribute to this decline, and strategies for improvement are addressed by the Chancellor of the State University of New York. Black youth attend college disproportionate to their representation in the population, in large part because of the high school…