In response to California Legislation that would change the cut-off for the minimum 5-year entrance age from December 2 to September 1, this paper reviews the literature discussing the appropriate age for beginning school. The review includes a brief history of kindergarten and its place in California law; discusses the possible impact of the…

A study in Finland examined rural students' experiences of the transition from a small rural primary school (grades 1-6) to a bigger village secondary school (grades 7-9). Qualitative data were obtained from essays written by 132 students in 13 small rural primary schools, 1 village school, and 1 city school. Students wrote the essays as…

This curriculum guide offers a broad range of activities for a one-semester college freshman orientation course covering topics chosen based on research findings and a survey of vocational rehabilitation counselors and college instructors who teach deaf and hard of hearing students. Instructional activities stress "active doing" rather than…

The guide is designed to familiarize adult basic education (ABE) English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers with the obstacles faced by adult students from other culture in the adult education classroom. An overview of these challenges and an outline of suggested teaching strategies and cultural activities are presented as a basis for developing…

Transitioning from high school to a postsecondary educational environment is exciting but challenging. There are new places, new faces, and new ways of doing things. Students now must advocate for themselves instead of having programs and services planned for them. These adjustments can at times be overwhelming. Minimize the challenges by planning…

Based on enrollment figures, it would appear colleges and universities have become more accessible to women, but several research indicators contradict this. A study at York University (Ontario) investigated the interactive effects of gender and social integration measures on accessibility, based on differential participation in extracurricular…

Questionnaires that were developed to measure factors in the academic persistence of minority college students were administered to 454 Mexican American students at two large southwestern universities. Both the Cultural Congruity Scale and the University Environment Scale were significant predictors of academic persistence of Mexican American…

Presents an interview with Dr. John H. Lounsbury, Dean Emeritus at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, and publications editor for the National Middle School Association. Issues discussed include changes in young adolescents' education; the influence of societal changes, educational reform, and technological development in the…

Examined linkage between emotion vocabulary and behavior problems among elementary-age students enrolled in a schoolwide bilingual program. Results from 99 Spanish-speaking children reveal behavior problems are more common among students with large disparity in emotion word vocabularies between English and Spanish. Findings support the hypothesis…

Compared children retained in kindergarten with matched samples of age and grade mates, using teacher ratings as an index of their social and academic skills. Found that retained children showed a reduction in behavior problems, specifically acting-out and shy-anxious behaviors, but only slightly increased competence for task orientation across…

Collected observations of parental behaviors of fifth graders and then obtained adjustment measures for the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades. Supportive, aware parenting was associated with early adolescents' positive academic, social, and psychological adjustment in fifth grade and with further improvement in adjustment in seventh grade. (RJM)

Describes the academic status of African American boys in public schools, and how teacher preconceptions and latent prejudices precipitate lower expectations and an educational climate different for black students than for white students. Includes quotes from black students who are achieving despite such problems. (HTH)

Examined the opinions of principals and teachers about appropriate school entry age. Found common belief that children should be at least five years of age when they begin school. Younger children have more problems academically and socially and tend to remain behind their older classmates. Results suggest that children be evaluated for school…

Studies adjustments facing international college students who use dialog journals to counteract their feelings of isolation. Using the informal writing assignments connected with the journals, the students and teacher wrote back and forth weekly about ideas usually initiated by the students. (25 references) (CK)

This article addresses theoretical and practical issues in the provision of mental health services to address psychosocial problems of secondary and postsecondary students with learning disabilities. Examples are offered of case studies and interventions from two federally funded research/demonstration projects at the University of Minnesota: the…