The Outdoor Pursuit Center at Miami University, Ohio, has provided an outdoor orientation experience for incoming first-year students since 1995. The experience provides an environment that is effective in easing the transition into higher education settings. Student trip coordinators, student facilitators, faculty, and professional staff use…

Describes foreign student isolation on American campuses and suggests a training model to educate campus personnel and students to deal effectively with each other. Results indicated the role playing procedure was useful for both students and campus personnel. Both groups benefited from dealing with general cross-cultural issues. (JAC)

Describes the Language and Learning Seminar, a college course at York University, Ontario, that is designed to help students with learning disabilities grapple with learned helplessness issues. The supportive group process of learning therapy is embedded into the writing course, helping students address the emotional concomitants of failure and…

In this article, the author discovers the cultural challenges and rewards of starting a center for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). When she became the principal of a middle school outside of Baltimore, MD, she learned that her first year would also be the school's first year as a middle school English for speakers of other…

The first-year experiences of minority-group college students are often highly stressful and may influence decisions about remaining in college. M. R. Louis' model of meaning and sense-making provides a framework for examining the experiences of American Indian college freshmen and for evaluating interventions aimed at lowering student attrition…

During the 1980s more than 100,000 refugees poured into the United States from Cambodia. This essay is intended to inform educators and others who work with Cambodian families about recent Cambodian history and traditional Cambodian culture and to create awareness of the social and psychological significance of these factors. The waves of refugees…

The graduate student orientation program conducted at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is described, and supplementary orientation materials are provided. The orientation program incorporates the following thrusts: instructional and research programming, personal and professional development, departmental programming, social interaction, and…

Perspectives of academic staff who have been involved in teaching externally are presented in three papers. In "Teaching Students Externally: The First Twelve Years," Frank Molloy examines three aspects of teaching by the external mode: preparing materials, making assignments, and providing educational experiences for students at the…

This issue of the quarterly newsletter, "PLAINTalk," is the second in a four part series, reprinting chapters from Sharon and Craig Ramey's book, "Going to School." Other articles in this issue include: (1) Ten Hallmarks of Children Who Succeed in School (Craig T. Ramey and Sharon L. Ramey); (2) Questioning to Aid Reading Comprehension; (3) Basic…

Transitioning from high school to a postsecondary educational environment is exciting but challenging. There are new places, new faces, and new ways of doing things. Students now must advocate for themselves instead of having programs and services planned for them. These adjustments can at times be overwhelming. Minimize the challenges by planning…

This article addresses theoretical and practical issues in the provision of mental health services to address psychosocial problems of secondary and postsecondary students with learning disabilities. Examples are offered of case studies and interventions from two federally funded research/demonstration projects at the University of Minnesota: the…

Documents the social and educational aspirations of a growing number of Russian youth. While the children of the former Soviet intelligentsia continue to view education as a prerequisite for success, many young people are willing to leave school for early work experience. Summarizes several surveys concerning social attitudes. (MJP)

The In-School Staff Workshops project run by Asian-American Communications was evaluated in its fourth year. The project provided various workshops for staff on Asian American and Asian cultures, intercultural communications, and strategies for helping Asian American students adjust to their new social and educational environments. The project…

Project Aprendizaje was designed to ease the transition of Latino immigrant students to life and education in the United States. In 1991-92, the project admitted 153 male and 145 female students of limited English proficiency plus 1 student of unspecified gender in grades 9 through 12 at Seward Park High School in Manhattan (New York City). The…

This volume contains descriptions of programs for student success and retention at 68 state colleges and universities in the United States. Each institution is a participant in the National Retention Project, a research-based project working within broader campus cultures that are committed to providing access and success to students traditionally…