Reforms that strive for educational excellence will fail unless they are meaningfully linked to schools' unique cultures. Chapter 1, "Introduction: The Case for School Culture," discusses the impact of culture on achievement, reform, and learning. Chapter 2, "Schools as Tribes," examines a school that transformed itself through…

Describes study to identify alterable factors associated with academic achievement of economically poor Black and Hispanic middle- and high-school students. Compares 361 high- and low-achievers on social-psychological variables. Results suggest specific actions educators can take to encourage achievement. (MW)

With violence in schools skyrocketing, the problems surrounding bullying and teasing can no longer be denied, ignored, or tolerated. Vastly underrated and widespread, bullying and teasing are often mishandled by both school staff and parents. This book provides detailed procedures for the primary prevention and management of bullying and teasing…

This study sought to uncover elements of campus culture at a large, predominantly white metropolitan university in the Southwest which hinder or support Chicano student persistence. Because the concept modeling research design required complete immersion in the lives of students, the number of participants was limited to two. The two students…

This book provides a comprehensive look at the problem of bullying by presenting the most current national and international research on the topic, detailed techniques for counseling bullies and their victims, and realistic strategies for involving parents and school personnel in preventing and discouraging the problem. Developmental theory, as it…

This study examined how high-achieving Latino college students perceive the receptivity of their institutions to a Latino presence on campus. The multi-institutional study had the prime objective of identifying areas for institutional improvement and increasing awareness by college administrators of specific campus climate issues facing talented…

This anecdotal ethnography describes the student culture at Columbia Academy, an international school in Kobe, Japan. The paper begins by contrasting the affluence of Columbia Academy and its students with the relative austerity of a nearby Japanese middle school. The paper follows a typical day at Columbia, and describes the nationalities of the…

This paper examines the key differences between elementary school culture and high school culture as experienced by a group of Quebec youngsters making the transition from elementary school to high school. It presents a selective summary of a major research study that focused on the fundamental differences between elementary school student life…

To determine the factors that have contributed to persistence in successful Native American students, this study investigated student expectations, life experiences on campus, perceptions of support and lack of support for cultural identity, difficulties encountered, perceptions of how the Native American's college experience differs from that of…

Interprets and contrasts data from two large student surveys investigating attitudes among interracial and monoracial high school and college students. Refutes earlier studies that suggested interracial students suffer from diminished self esteem and psychological well being. Discovers interesting anomalies between ethnic self-labeling and the…

Reports on a study of the relationships between social categories, defined by ethnicity, gender, and social status, and school-related outcomes among 470 16-year-old Australian adolescents and their parents. Finds that differences in students' learning environments and school outcomes were related strongly to ethnicity. (CFR)

This report provides insights into the problems and needs of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) in the California State University (CSU) and presents 29 recommendations which address these issues. Following an introductory section, section II presents a brief overview of the history, demographics, and higher education participation of APAs. Section…

The four papers in this document are centered around several themes in education reform: (1) the need to reimagine and recreate strategies; (2) the need to approach familiar obstacles innovatively; (3) the need to utilize all available resources; and (4) and the need to engage in this work cooperatively and with courage and vision. In the first…

A rationale and methodology for the use of student perceptions in educational decision making, and specifically in the area of curriculum, are presented. Four sections of the paper present ways in which student perceptions may be used: to describe and compare school environments, to compare perceptions of student subgroups within the same…