How does a history of discrimination and marginalization affect Chicanos' perceptions of schooling? This article offers a brief analysis of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo as an instantiation of a historical metanarrative of colonialism. Using a critical theoretical framework, the article explores the destructive impact of this narrative on…

Economic and social barriers to the academic and social success of many African American children are persistent. This provides impetus for developing community-based partnership education programs designed to empower African American children. The Research-Based Model Partnership Education Program one such university-school-community partnership…

A study, funded by the Australian government, explored differences in the literacy practices of schools, families, and community groups. In particular, the study examined the matches and mismatches between the discourse practices of home and school, and the impact that any differences had on students' school success. Also observed were innovative…

In order for gifted/learning disabled (GT/LD) students to effectively gain access to enriched and accelerated instruction, they often need to have appropriate adaptations and accommodations. Teachers, parents, and students have strong opinions and beliefs that influence which, if any, adaptations and accommodations they believe to be appropriate.…

This publication offers teachers and principals a program for customizing schooling to individual students' learning needs and motivating them to take increased responsibility for deciding what and how to learn. It presents a comprehensive framework for introducing self-directed learning (SDL) approaches in the classroom. Nine chapters include:…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) "R" is for Resilience: Schools Turn to "Asset Development" to Build on Students' Strengths (Nancy Walser); (2) Beyond Bargaining: What…

This report describes a program for improving the on-task behavior of at-risk students to increase their academic achievement. The targeted population consisted of high-school students in a growing middle-class community located in a rural area of a midwestern state. The problems of academic under-achievement were documented through data including…

Noting studies showing a critical link between students' relation to the school environment and their academic performance, attendance, attitudes, motivation, and post-high school success, particularly for at-risk students, this guide compiles widely recognized strategies to develop students' sense of connection to their school environment. The…

The assessment conundrum results from the fact that students almost always know, understand, and have learned more than they can demonstrate on any tests administered. This book is about confronting current knowledge about assessment and applying it to restructuring the assessment process in schools so that assessment can become a means for…

This article describes a pilot program, initiated in 1999 by Smoky Hill High School in Colorado, to help gifted students overcome barriers to their success. The program addresses issues in all components or subsystems of a person's life: emotional/psychological, mental/intellectual, physical, spiritual, social, and family. Tips for parents are…

Eight percent of the population of the People's Republic of China is comprised of ethnic minority people, people with cultures (particularly languages and religions) that are distinct from the majority (or Han) Chinese. Ethnic students in China and elsewhere face considerable obstacles to getting a good education. A tiny percentage of Chinese…

This ethnographic study was conducted to study students', administrators', and teachers' perceptions of and experiences at a Business Technology and Communications magnet high school in a large urban district that has been under court-ordered desegregation since 1985. Triangulation of data collection included classroom observations over 20 weeks,…

This paper discusses degree attainment statistics and their analyses, particularly when applying time censors to the equation. The author describes at the High School and Beyond Sophomore Cohort Longitudinal Study, which followed a high school graduating class of 1982, from the time of its graduation until 1993, when most of the cohort was 29 or…

This book is a guide for teachers, counselors, administrators, and other helping professionals. The focus of the book is to provide an innovative approach to education that develops students' spirit, purpose, and potential. The author shows educators how to: create inviting schools that foster maximum student success; turn classrooms into life…

This collection brings together papers initially presented at a conference held in Helsinki (Finland) on gender equality in higher education in several European countries and elsewhere. Following an introductory chapter by the authors, the 30 chapters (separately authored) are grouped under the following topics: national politics and policies;…