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…

An ethnographic study explored the university experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) graduate and professional students at a West Coast research university. The study consisted of interviews with each participant, observations of students participating with other AI/AN students in 15 public events, and a meeting with the entire…

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)

Interviews were conducted with a small group of multilingual students in an adult literacy class to examine how, at the individual student level, everyday literacy practices differ and intersect with a number of linguistic, cultural, and situational variables, and thus, how students' literacy needs differ in terms of a literacy program. (39…

Interviews with 39 rural North Carolina students with, or at risk for, behavioral disorders found that they responded to social isolation by creating their own school subculture that reinforced their marginalization and negatively affected academic competence. Educators must consider the relationship between social interaction and learning.…

Conversations with and among students in their residential environment illuminate the role of peer subcultures in shaping what students learn and how they define learning. An excerpt from a year-long ethnographic case study examines the ways in which residents of an undergraduate women's residential unit at a state comprehensive university talk…

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 paper presents selected research findings from Monitoring the Future, an annual series of national surveys focusing on lifestyles and drug use among representative samples of American high school seniors that has been conducted every year since 1975. The presentation focuses on two issues: aspects of lifestyle currently associated with drug…

Ways in which institutional characteristics and student characteristics interact to produce distinctive learning environments and encourage a sense of identity in students are considered. Professional identity is defined as the process of acquiring the values, attitudes, and skills of the single chosen profession. The process takes place on both…

This monograph draws upon theories of student involvement and persistence to demonstrate how cultural activities can involve and serve to validate underrepresented groups on campus. A critical element of minority student academic persistence is the extent to which students become integrated into the academic and social systems of their…

A study was conducted to determine if Clark and Trow's (1966) typology of student subcultures could be empirically applied to a description of University of Maryland students. Twelve Counseling Center research staff members faked answers to the 1969 University Student Census (USC), an activities and attitude inventory administered to all…

This paper focuses on the problems of education for disadvantaged urban minorities. Although the educational situation in the big cities is grim, a decade of study and experimentation should ready us for massive positive action. The educational system of the big cities is basically viable. An effective improvement program calls for: (1) developing…

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…

Examines yobiko, Japanese supplementary education system which prepares high school graduates who didn't pass college entrance examinations (ronin students) to retake tests. Examines ways yobiko tracks and places graduates. Examines system's relations to high-school tracking and subcultures. Examines current reforms and yobiko's impact on ronins'…

Explores the concept of youth culture in South Africa, examining its emergence and development. The historical background supports a framework to inform the debate on policy strategies to deal with negative aspects of current South African youth culture. An agenda is suggested for redirecting youth culture. (SLD)