A study of female Olympic athletes is analyzed using Victor Turner's theory of "communitas." Communitas involves the concept of social life as transition between a series of experiences of high status or equality and low status or inequality with others, bonding, and acceptance by peers and superiors. (MT)

Social isolation and the harassment of students with disabilities are closely related problems that occur in schools throughout the country. Often, both problems begin in middle school. Social isolation and harassment can feed each other--without meaningful interaction with students with disabilities, other students are more likely to make hurtful…

Ways that teachers can prepare themselves for a class with a mainstreamed disabled student are described, including obtaining information about the specific disability, visiting the child and parents at home, reflecting upon personal attitudes about disabilities, setting up for a wheelchair user, working with visually- or hearing-impaired…

A Child Awareness Program was conducted by nine elementary schools to enhance acceptance of handicapped children by their nonhandicapped peers through child awareness activities. A manual of activities was developed containing lesson plans, lists of guest speakers, audiovisual materials, and suggested simulations of handicapping conditions. (SB)

The Pegasus Project offered nine gifted hearing impaired students (11-15 years old) a summer enrichment experience with hearing peers. Courses included computer programming, literature, fine arts, physical and biological sciences, math enrichment, and sign language. All hearing impaired students also attended a special class on issues for the…

A middle school teacher describes the way in which a gifted program gained prominence and its students acquired peer esteem through a model congress approach in which students learned parliamentary rules and debate principles. (CL)

Plans to provide positive exchange experiences for nonhandicapped and handicapped preschool children should include advance preparations involving a three-month timetable, an initial visit, follow-up and future plans, and sucessive visits resulting in children's observations, changes in attitude and burgeoning friendships. (MC)

An exchange program for five hearing impaired children (grade 5) from the Rhode Island School for the Deaf and 23 Henry Barnard School children (grade 4) took place during the 1978-79 school year. (SBH)

Results of interviews with 15 first-year students at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf concerning their high school mainstreaming experience suggested that social mainstreaming may be more difficult to achieve than academic mainstreaming. (Author/DB)

Describes five strategies for schools to welcome children from gay families: Become informed about gay people, create a gay-friendly school climate, teach respect for all, provide quality counseling, and encourage activism and inquiry. Includes list of selected websites. (Contains 11 references.) (PKP)

The article describes the integration of physically handicapped children into an English primary school. The school was chosen because of its location and physical attributes. The attitudes of staff members and nonhandicapped students toward the handicapped children have made the integration program a success. (PHR)

To help transfer students adjust more readily to new schools, several activities are advised, including a guided buddy system, a counseling plan, and teacher introductions--all based on information gleaned from a new student checklist. (MLH)

Peer support--or rejection--is a powerful social force. Socially accepted children have high self-esteem and self-confidence; enjoy the company of others; and have mutual loyalty, respect, trust, and support. Children who are rejected by peers are often disliked and ignored. Rejected children are perceived to be aggressive in peer interactions and…

This brief article describes one teacher's experience moving to a new school and the lessons learned from that experience. It touches upon: finding a sense of belonging as a new, yet experienced teacher; creating a balance; and the moment of breakthrough.

Relations of overt and relational aggression with perceived popularity among children and early adolescents were examined in 2 studies (Ns = 607 and 1,049). Among older youths, positive concurrent relations found between overt aggression and perceived popularity became nonsignificant when relational aggression was controlled, whereas positive…