This paper presents the individual's life span trajectory as a unique construction within a unique context for that individual's interactional and adaptive self-regulatory strategies. Issues of adaptive coordination between caregiver and infant are discussed, and five propositions concerning individual development summarize the work. (Author/JDD)

Research demonstrates that children develop psychological "resilience" through the fostering of certain protective factors in their lives. Youth programs can promote development of these protective factors by helping children build attachments to adults and others and develop social competence and by providing meaningful participation in…

Argues that because democracy, education, and discussion are interrelated and seek to promote human growth, ways must be found to involve children and adults in frequent discussions. Focuses on democratic education, including the barriers, functions of discussion, and dispositional ideals for classroom members. Concludes that discussion is an…

Gifted children display unique depths of thought, understanding, and curiosity. They think critically and easily utilize information they have assimilated in order to understand new experiences. They are the ones who think of something no one else has thought of, have unique perspectives, or can grasp concepts with little effort. They are the ones…

When considering democratic education, educators talk about teaching the "whole child," creating caring classrooms, building communities of learning where every student has access to knowledge, and teaching students how to be active citizens (Goodlad and Keating 1994; Noddings 2002; Apple 1993). These are not practices that are done…

Adolescents in foster care must have a voice and play an active role in envisioning and planning for successful adulthood. This principle serves as the philosophy of First Voice, a training package for anyone who works with youth in foster care. The philosophy corresponds with the four parts of the Circle of Courage--Independence, Belonging,…

The combined and unique contributions of four relational factors to four dimensions of career adaptability were examined for a sample of 322 urban high school students. When all variables were considered simultaneously, canonical analysis revealed that support from family, teachers, and close friends, and peer beliefs about school contributed…

The purpose of this article is to provide a foundation for the development of evidence-based guidelines for the assessment of personality disorders, focusing in particular on integrated assessment strategies. The general strategy recommended herein is to first administer a self-report inventory to alert oneself to the potential presence of…

In this article, the author seeks to discern whether it is possible to identify people who are predisposed to become good teachers as if it was a kind of calling in the same manner in which ministers are called to the ministry. The author cites a 2005 study by Wayda and Lund, who developed rubrics to address the student's suitability for the…

Over the past fifteen years, at least a dozen articles have appeared in the management and marketing literature describing and supporting international study tours as valuable educational experiences. These articles, however, have focused primarily on the design and implementation of such tours, with minimal emphasis given to outcome assessments…

As of July, more than 1,200 children had lost parents in the war in Iraq, and thousands more had parents with serious injuries, according to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniform Services University in Bethesda, Maryland. The war, which began three and a half years ago, has resulted in the deaths of more than 2,600 U.S.…

Before we as teachers can even begin to address the question of "Who are our students?" we must first reflect on and analyze ourselves--who we are in terms of race, ethnicity, class, gender, culture, personality, and other important factors. Relating to our students, challenging their thinking and actions, and being voices for change all demand…

Executive coaching is an emerging field with broad demand and subsequent growth in service providers. The International Coach Federation (ICF) reports a membership of over 5500 coaches, and there is likely a large but indeterminate number of practicing coaches that do not belong to that organization. Enterprises around the globe are utilizing the…

Profiles are presented of six superior educators whose students achieved an excellence far beyond what might be expected of them. The subjects were a speech and drama teacher, a girls' basketball coach, a choral music teacher, an art teacher, and principals of an elementary and a secondary school. The major finding of the study was that, without…

An experienced teacher of English as a second language (ESL) laments the lack of dialogue between ESL and other foreign language teachers and outlines some of her concerns about the foreign language teaching profession, including the lack of strong linguistic theory to replace the earlier structural emphasis, unrealistic methodologies, incomplete…