Explains some of the psychological issues surrounding a child's sense of belonging. Highlights consequences of alienation and discusses ways to foster a sense of belonging. Advocates that schools first ensure that teachers feel connected to the school--teachers can then help their students feel like they too belong. (RJM)

An elementary school teacher discusses what it was like to have a child with attention deficit disorder in her class. She describes the process of getting him diagnosed and notes strategies that helped her cope with the disorder at school. (SM)

Two Quebec studies of kindergarten students who also attended school-based day care programs examined the environments provided by both services, continuity or discontinuity of environments as related to child development and adjustment, and the extent of communication and collaboration between educators in the two services. (SV)

This article summarizes findings from research using "My Worst School Experience Scale" and the new version of the "Student Alienation and Trauma Scale." Certain students report chronic ridicule and rejection from peers and/or adults leading to alienation and antagonism towards school. Positive and negative climates are contrasted and show how the…

This article contrasts schools of exclusion with unconditional schools, which are designed to wrap around services to meet the needs of even high-risk students. The author describes essential components of developing a teamwork approach to increase the holding power of schools with challenging students. (Author)

This study examined the relations between school climate and school adjustment among 101 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) high school students and the moderating influence of social support on those relations. Students completed surveys to assess three aspects of the school climate (the school's exclusion/inclusion of LGB people, personal…

This study assessed patterns of change in perceived school and youth functioning, and the extent to which perceived change in the school environment predicted changed youth functioning, across four consecutive grade transitions, two of which involved the transition to a new school. Youth reported decreased quality of the school environment and…

Researchers conducted a qualitative study of students' in- and out-of-class experiences in a residential learning community at a mid-sized public institution. Focus group interviews were conducted to explore (a) the outcomes of learning community membership from participants' point of view and (b) the connections between participants' reported…

This article explores racial and ethnic differences in adjusting to college and the consequences different adjustment strategies have on college outcomes. The author begins by summarizing the major perspectives in education on the roots of college attrition. In the process of comparing and contrasting these perspectives, she highlights three…

Evaluates the frequency of feelings of injustice among students and identifies the environmental circumstances that foster them. Participants (N=233) were interviewed about various aspects of their school adjustment. Results indicate that feelings of injustice among school students are not rare, nor are such feelings grade- or gender-related. (RJM)

Examined the association between psychological separation and adjustment to university among college students. Found that two dimensions of psychological separation--independence from parents and positive separation feelings--predicted better adjustment to college life. Independence from parents was moderated by grade, gender, and perceived…

A study investigated the academic, sociocultural, psychological, and linguistic adaptation of a shy four-year-old native Cantonese-speaking child enrolled in early French immersion in Canada, learning English and French simultaneously. Areas of future research on trilingualism are suggested, and the popular belief that immersion works only for…

In this article, the author describes how the orientation staff at the University of Louisville used a unique blend of play and student learning to engage more students more deeply in their orientation experience as they learn the basics for success in college. This approach to orientation is based from Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John…

Black Culture Centers (BCCs) represent safe and welcoming spaces for Black students at predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Resulting from the Black Student Movement of the 1960s, BCCs have become institutional mainstays that provide services and programs to the entire campus community. This study examined Black students' perceptions of the…

Case studies of a Southern Appalachian urban middle-class family, a rural lower-class family, and a rural middle-class family illustrate the nature of Appalachian ethnicity and its relationship to school experience. The variables of ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and rural/urban residence are investigated through structured interviews with…