"Westhills" is a multiethnic coastal community in San Diego County, California, in which Mexican Americans comprise approximately 22 percent of the population. This book reports ethnographic research on a group of working-class Chicana adolescents in one Westhills barrio and their problems, school experiences, immersion in two…

As more and more middle school students come to the classroom with no real, stable connections outside the school setting, it is increasingly important for educators to reach out to them in a variety of ways. This paper addresses that need by offering educators suggestions in the following five areas: (1) comprehending the unique characteristics…

This report envisions Texas schools using one another as resources and the campus planning process as a vehicle for implementing research-based concepts and practices in the middle grades. Since Texas' restructuring effort will not succeed without commitment to staff development from all levels of the education community, the need for teacher and…

This longitudinal study describes the influence of family, friends, community organizations, and school on the educational and employment experiences of 146 immigrant adolescent Latinos in Washington (District of Columbia) between 1982 and 1988. All had attended a special high school for at-risk immigrant youth. The following key findings are…

The National Committee for Support of the Public Schools focused on the claims of students and parents at its Seventh Annual Conference. Topics covered were student unrest, community involvement, relevant issue oriented approach to social studies, instructional television, student-run educational experiments, school management, classroom…

The number of high school age students who do not complete high school is receiving increased attention as a serious challenge facing the educational system. This is happening for several reasons. New research estimates that about 30 percent of high school students fail to earn a diploma in the standard number of years, a higher figure than state…

Focus groups examined issues of school retention and achievement among male high school students in South Australia. The study was undertaken in light of declining high school graduation rates among boys, particularly in rural areas. Focus groups were conducted with 1,800 boys in years 9, 11, and 12; 60 school representatives were interviewed; and…

This encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work addressed to those interested in human development from birth through adolescence, including students of child development, teachers, health care providers, child psychologists, family counselors, education professionals, academics, and parents. Signed entries in the encyclopedia were prepared by…

Designed to increase awareness and understanding about interveners and their role in the field of deafblindness, this paper describes the work of interveners in early intervention and educational settings provided under the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) for children and youth who are…

Carnegie Corporation's landmark 1989 report, "Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century," focused national attention on the long-neglected needs of adolescent youth. In the following decade, hundreds of middle grades schools implemented "Turning Points" principles, and many others adopted similar and…

This manual provides educators with goals, objectives, and intervention strategies for behavior problems identified by the "Transition Behavior Scale-Second Edition," an assessment of the behaviors of students (ages 12-18) which will interfere with successful transition to independent living and employment. The areas evaluated by the scale (work…

Maine's gubernatorially appointed Commission on Secondary Education produced eight overarching observations and six core principles governing learning climate, teacher expectations, differentiated instruction, assessment, democratic engagement, and program coherency. This new vision challenges schools and communities to rethink how they assess,…

Introduction: In view of the limited studies on the psychosocial environment of children presenting with conversion disorders, the present study was carried out to study the psychosocial factors in children with conversion disorders. Method: 40 patients of Conversion Disorder, who presented with "pseudo seizures" and were diagnosed…

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Going Places Program and mediation of treatment effects. Seven middle schools were randomized to intervention or comparison conditions and students (n = 1,320) in two successive cohorts provided five waves of data from sixth through eighth grade. The Going Places Program included classroom…

The current literatures on girls, queer youth, and multicultural education have ignored a significant group of young people and their experiences in school. This research is a retrospective exploratory study of masculine female adolescent schooling experiences, focusing on the school experiences of adults aged 18-54 who were socially defined as…