Outlines the steps taken in Atlanta's public schools, as a result of the continuing, unsolved murders of over 20 Black youths, to protect children from potential danger, to provide a sense of stability and business-as-usual, and to help children put their fears into perspective.(WD)

Responses to youth violence include intervention programs to teach children alternative skills for solving problems and to challenge superficial beliefs about the glories of violence. Children on a destructive path need someone they can trust who will guide them. Lists 29 measures in response to school violence and the percentage of school…

Supports Linda Darling-Hammond's contention that many adolescent difficulties are not intrinsic, but stem from mismatches between teens' developmental needs and experiences provided by most secondary schools. A depersonalized, punitive, rote-learning ambience cannot meet adolescents' needs for affiliation, autonomy, and cognitive challenges.…

Begins with a look at the year's major education news: implications of the massacre at Columbine High School, major Supreme Court decisions, and pro- and anti-voucher political rhetoric. Following is an analysis of how the nation is doing on the Goals 2000. Other sections take the pulse of public education and analyze the challenges faced by…

A Portland, Oregon, program for dealing with gang activity required school policy changes that (1) prohibit gang markings; (2) state that school lockers and desks are the possession of the school system and subject to unannounced checks; and (3) establish guidelines with the press in covering the gang problem. (MLF)

Most of the data on the outcomes and effects of school uniforms come from elementary and middle schools. In many cases, school uniforms are only one part of an overall reform effort. More research is needed. Offers suggestions to help schools work on developing school-uniform policies and summarizes the legal view. (15 references) (MLF)

Excerpts from two chapters in a forthcoming book, "Imaging Education: The Media and the Schools in America," show the public's remarkable constancy in values over the past 30 years. According to the polls, what Americans have persistently wanted in public schools are conservative institutions that are safe and that teach respect for…

Schools must stick to core issues--those concerned with teaching and learning and provision of material resources to maximize intellectual and personal growth. They must develop a fluid change model and a vision promoting abolition of violence, humanitarian standards, and global justice. Schools should also adopt a developmental learning cycle.…

Public school uniforms are a recent development. Legal trends suggest that the courts are willing to defer to school authorities regarding dress codes--provided a clear link is established between the dress regulations and furtherance of the educational mission. Lists a range of options for a dress-code policy and how each of the available options…

Describes Ku Klux Klan recruiting and literature dissemination activities in schools and communities and two particularly difficult conflicts caused by Klan activities in Meriden (Connecticut) and East Baton Rouge (Louisiana). Explains the legal issues involved and possible board and administrator responses to such activities and conflicts.…

In Tacoma, Washington, the Safe Street Campaign united the schools, government agencies, labor groups, community and religious organizations, businesses, youth, and substance abuse agencies in responding to gangs and drugs. (MLF)

Schools are taking many different steps to prevent violence, among them improving relationships with students and building on the relationship with local law enforcement. A comprehensive strategy should definitely include a good crisis plan. All school personnel should know what the plan says as well as their roles in implementation. One sidebar…

Violence and risky behavior sound a wakeup call for schools. Schools need to teach accurate, honest, and relevant life-saving reality education. A K-12 comprehensive health-education framework with age-appropriate prevention messages and positive life skills is crucial. Programs need to be accurate, up-to-date, and brutally honest. (MLF)