It has been well established that controversial issue discussions are an integral component to a high-quality civic education. However, as the United States has become increasingly politically polarized, teachers have become more hesitant to engage students in discussions of controversial political issues. Two decades worth of literature on…

While collegiate fraternity and sorority hazing are well documented problems that receive prominent attention, hazing at the high school level is also a serious issue. Across the nation, media headlines offer a continual reminder that high school hazing is not a phenomenon of the past. As high school principals seek ways to discourage and…

A positive climate is characterized by a comfortable, orderly, and safe environment. A healthy culture exists when all stakeholders understand an organization's goals and purposes and work productively to achieve them. This article contrasts the "McSchool" (efficiency-celebrating) cultural model with the spaceship-discovery model,…

Humor can be a powerful, productive tool to help teachers succeed in the classroom. Humor cultivates spirit, alleviates stress, improves communication, and diffuses conflict. Reviews types of humor (satire, cheerfulness, eccentricity, and sarcasm), discusses humor's classroom uses and benefits, and shows how school leaders can introduce humor into…

Leadership enlivens the school philosophy, mission, and vision and determines school climate and work culture. "Enculturating" principals are advised to envision a collaborative direction for the future, establish a clear mission/practice linkage, focus on solutions, be fair to others, foster staff development, create new networks, and…

Outlines findings from a Wisconsin study to identify problems hindering the process of implementing mainstreaming programs in secondary schools. Includes eight recommendations and a reference list. (MD)

A Missouri inschool suspension program is described that attempts to improve the educational environment while allowing continuous instruction. (MD)

High school block scheduling is in its earliest stages. Although time structures have changed, usage has not. Block schedules are threatened when curriculum standards and student mobility are ignored, courses are improperly sequenced, funding for increased personnel needs is inadequate, performing-arts instruction is not accommodated, and…

The National Educational Technology Standards Project, partly funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, aims to develop technology performance standards for preK-12 students, establish specific applications of technology throughout the curriculum, provide standards for supporting technology in schools, and address student…

Tests, class assignments, and teaching methods usually focus only on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences. The Teele Inventory of Multiple Intelligences examines students' dominant intelligences and has been used to demonstrate the abilities students possess at different grade levels. Teele has also developed a model that identifies…

Opportunity to respond is a valuable tool in any classroom. By observing a target student in the gym, the administrator can develop a picture of the class's response patterns and evaluate the activity's educational value. The gymnasium is a classroom where all students should be learning. Includes two references. (MLH)

The learning organization learns continually and has the capacity to transform itself. This article presents a model addressing three levels of interrelated learning (individual, team, and organizational) and discusses seven action imperatives. Creating continuous learning opportunities, promoting dialog and inquiry, and building teams are vital…

Solution-focused counseling (SFC) brings a positive, competency-based perspective to problems experienced by individuals and organizational systems. Instead of looking for what is wrong and how to fix it, this approach discovers what is already working and investigates how to use it. SFC employs five principles: a salutary centerpiece, exceptional…

Reviews contents of "Safe Schools: A Handbook for Practitioners" (1994), produced by NASSP and Dyncorp. Part one introduces the first comprehensive methodology for identifying a school's security problems, evaluating potential solutions, and creating an implementation plan. The second part includes the tools, worksheets, and surveys needed to…

Teaching buying skills was once based on evaluating products on a cost/quality and individual need comparison. Changes make this inappropriate today. Students must consider the social, economic, and political implications of their choices. (MD)