(1993). Teaching Reading in Russian, Volume 1. Instructional Materials for the Less Commonly Taught Languages. These reading comprehension exercises, based on authentic Russian texts, are aimed at developing reading strategies in lower-level students of Russian. The exercises are designed for students reading at the Novice and Intermediate levels as determined by the American Counsel on Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Educational Testing Services (ETS). They are meant primarily to develop reading strategies, especially that of activating background knowledge on a given topic. Several recommendations are made on using the exercises: (1) students must learn to live with the frustration of not understanding every word; (2) exercises should be done in class; (3) getting the "right" answer is not the main point of the exercises; (4) give students ungraded feedback in English; (5) intercultural understanding should be encouraged; and (6) the topic should be familiar. The activities presented are the result of a research project and have been created to study the impact of… [PDF]

Heffernan, James A. W. (1983). Getting the Red Out: Grading without Degrading. The tendency to read for errors is an occupational hazard for writing teachers, but there is something profoundly wrong in measuring progress by measuring the reduction of errors. To begin breaking this habit, teachers must first recognize the fundamental hypocrisy in making correction markings that are at odds with the intended message (i.e., letters or word fragments to signify a sentence fragment). Also, many errors defy classification and cannot be remedied by such simple coded instruction. Most important, however, is the fact that doggedly reading for errors keeps the reader from seeing anything else. Error markings in passages by notable authors trip the reader on the errors, while reading those same passages void of the correction marks evokes in the reader the images and emotions intended by the authors. This is not to say that teachers should stop noticing errors altogether. They have a duty to help students correct errors that leap out and disconcert the reader, but they…

(1983). Seeking Safe Haven: A Congregational Guide to Helping Central American Refugees in the United States. Over the last three years, religious groups and communities around the United States have become increasingly aware of the arrival in this country of large numbers of Salvadorans and Guatemalans seeking refuge from violence and persecution but instead facing arrest and deportation as illegal aliens. This guide is an attempt to mobilize, orient, and support congregational involvement with the people and the issues. It offers the options both to respond to the immediate human needs of the refugees and to examine and respond to the larger issues provoking their flight and the denial of haven to them in the United States. The guide is divided into eight sections. The three initial sections provide overviews and background information on the refugee-producing situations and the conditions faced by the refugees, in particular in this country. The fourth section is a summary of the options for action, from the quick and simple to the more complex. Suggestions are provided for individual…

Ellenbaum, Charles O. (1983). Using Fiction to Teach Introductory Anthropology. A discussion of the role of fiction in a college level anthropology course is divided into two sections. The first section describes several advantages of using fiction rather than a text to teach anthropology. Teacher and students share more or less equally in the teaching process with this approach. The teacher is no longer an authority on a subject because the teacher and students explore a novel together. With fiction, there are no right or wrong answers to inhibit discussion. Moreover, well-written fiction arouses higher interest than professional writing in anthropology. Fictionalized case studies offer opportunities to apply values, to integrate the real world with the theoretical, and to develop problem-solving skills. Teachers have a responsibility to help students understand themselves, their culture, and their physical-biotic environment. They must also help students learn to enjoy thinking and learning. Using a teaching method that is meaningful and interesting to the… [PDF]

Luna, G. Cajetan (1989). Street Youth: Adaptation and Survival in the AIDS Decade. Street youth remain at the fringes of society reflecting larger inherent social problems. Whether due to the death of parents, as a result of war, poverty, famine, disease, abandonment or abuse the health and social problems of the world's 100 million street youth are profound. By 1987 it was accepted that street youth were a high risk population for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) due to their street activities and related survival strategies. Clinical cases of AIDS began to appear among homeless street youth still in their teenage years or former street youth in their early 20s. It is recognized that the health and social problems of street youth are similar everywhere and have been throughout time. The AIDS epidemic gives impetus to immediate and comprehensive preventive action. Given the current urgency of the AIDS problem on the west coast, nationally and internationally, long-term housing for street youth who are infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus must be…

Hyland, John T. (1986). Teaching United States History with a Constitutional Focus. The basic premise of the paper is that the Constitution should be the main theme of courses in United States history at grade 8. Students should study a unit on the Constitution, as is commonly done at that level. In addition, other units taught throughout the school year should emphasize constitutional principles, values, and issues. Three reasons support this premise. First, civic education is the central purpose of 8th grade United States history courses. Second, the Constitution in its history and meaning embodies core principles and values that lie at the heart of civic education and citizenship. Key concepts of American citizenship, such as liberty, equal treatment under law, consent of the governed, majority rule, and minority rights cannot be understood without knowledge of the Constitution in United States history and contemporary society. Third, adolescent students are at a period of cognitive development when they are able to comprehend and apply abstract ideas about…

(1988). Equal Access to Health Care: Patient Dumping. Hearing before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations. House of Representatives, One Hundredth Congress, First Session (July 22, 1987). This document presents witnesses' testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to examine the issue of equal access to health care and the practice of patient dumping which may take the form of transferring a patient to another hospital, refusing to treat a patient, or subjecting a patient to long delays, and which may involve discrimination on the basis of poverty, race, ethnicity, or appearance. Opening statements are included from Representatives Ted Weiss and Jim Lightfoot. Witnesses providing testimony include: (1) Fortney Stark, Congressional Representative from California; (2) Zettie Mae Hill and Jesse Green, who tell of their personal experiences with patient dumping; (3) Judith Waxman, managing attorney, National Health Law Program; (4) Arnold Relman, editor, New England Journal of Medicine; (5) Arthur Kellermann, medical director, Emergency Services, the Regional Medical Center, Memphis, Tennessee; (6) David Ansell, attending physician,… [PDF]

Ferando, Annette; Newbert, David (1982). Single Mother's Resource Handbook. Funded under the Women's Educational Equity Act, the Assertiveness Training Program for Single Mothers was offered to mothers with children enrolled in the Omaha Head Start and Parent-Child Center Programs. The 16-week long program, providing a total of 40 hours of training, covered a wide range of topics in addition to the initial workshops on assertiveness. Human sexuality, parenting skills, relaxation techniques, positive thinking, and community resources (e.g., law, housing, credit) were among the topics discussed. Basically, the original goals of the training were that participants would (1) gain a positive self-image, (2) recognize the alternatives available to them, (3) be able to express their needs and feelings to others, (4) take advantage of resources at their disposal, (5) implement in their own homes positive actions that would influence their children, and (6) acquire problem-solving skills that would enable them to make decisions and accept responsibility for their… [PDF]

Borodkin, Thelma L. (1981). Standardization and the English Teacher in the Eighties. After 1580 the English language was no longer considered barbarous because important works had been written in it, its vocabulary had expanded, and it had been adorned with the devices of classical rhetoric. It did not have, however, a dictionary or grammar, the fourth quality that makes a language eloquent. Thus, the eighteenth century grammarians set out to "ascertain and fix" the English language, to determine the correct forms of English and prevent the language from decay by change. Their task was undermined by their failure to recognize that changes in language are often the results of forces too complex to be fully analyzed or predicted, their failure to recognize the legitimacy of divided usage or usage as the sole arbiter in linguistic matters, and their ignorance of the processes of language change. The most insidious effect of the principle of only one correct form is that students have been indoctrinated with the conviction that they are worthless because of…

(1955). THE ST. LOUIS STORY, THE INTEGRATION OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. INTEGRATION IN THE ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS WAS SMOOTH AND ALMOST WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY ITSELF HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING A PROCESS OF DEMOCRATIZATION OVER A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT DECISION. EXAMPLES SHOW INTEGRATION OF CHURCHES, DESEGREGATION OF THE ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY, AND DESEGREGATION OF HOTELS AND THEATRES. PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAD BECOME INCREASINGLY INTEGRATED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL DUTIES AND THE OPERATION OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. A THIRD FACTOR WAS THE CITY-WIDE HUMAN RELATIONS PROGRAM CONDUCTED ON A SCIENTIFIC BASIS AND UNDER EXPERT LEADERSHIP. THE PLAN FOR INTEGRATION THAT THE ST. LOUIS SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTED PROVIDED FOR INTEGRATION OF COLLEGES AND OF SPECIAL SCHOOLS AND CLASSES IN SEPTEMBER 1954. ALL HIGH SCHOOLS UNDER THE BOARD'S CONTROL, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOLS AND THE ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM, WERE INTEGRATED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND SEMESTER, JANUARY 31, 1955. INTEGRATION OF…

SCHERMER, GEORGE (1961). DESEGREGATION–A COMMUNITY DESIGN. ALTHOUGH DISCRIMINATION AND EXCLUSION ARE DOOMED ACCORDING TO TO THE LAW, THERE APPEARS TO BE CONSIDERABLE DISTINCTION IN MEN'S MINDS BETWEEN ABSENCE OF DISCRIMINATION ON THE ONE HAND AND AFFIRMATIVE MEASURES TO IMPLEMENT INTEGRATION ON THE OTHER. PHILADELPHIA HAS A GREAT DEAL OF DE FACTO SEGREGATION. AS THE POPULATION GROWS, NEGROES AND WHITES WILL BECOME FURTHER SEPARATED UNLESS FAIR HOUSING PRACTICES ARE INITIATED. BASIC STEPS ARE NEEDED TO BEGIN COMMUNITY INTEGRATION. PUBLIC EDUCATION MUST BE ADEQUATELY FINANCED AND REALISTICALLY ORIENTED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION, INCLUDING THE NEEDS OF THE CULTURALLY DEPRIVED, SO THAT NEGROES WILL BE PREPARED TO COMPETE WITH WHITES FOR JOBS AND PROFESSIONS. THERE IS A NEED FOR CITY COLLEGES AND PUBLICLY-FINANCED SCHOLARSHIPS TO ALLOW ALL PERSONS, REGARDLESS OF INCOME, A RIGHT TO HIGHER EDUCATION. THE ECONOMY SHOULD SUPPLY FAIR JOB OPPORTUNITIES. TRAINING PROGRAMS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF FAIR EMPLOYMENT LAWS WILL GREATLY AID…

KINZER, JOHN R.; PRESSEY, SIDNEY L. (1964). THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADJUNCT AUTO-INSTRUCTION. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING ADJUNCT AUTOINSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS FOR COLLEGE-LEVEL TEACHING AS COMPARED TO USING–(1) CONVENTIONAL MATERIALS AND (2) AVAILABLE PROGRAMED MATERIALS FOR SUCH ACTIVITY WAS TESTED. (ADJUNCT AUTOINSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS OPERATE ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE LEARNER IS AN ACTIVE PARTICIPANT, AND MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO–(1) CLARIFY AND EXTEND MEANINGS, (2) CORRECT MISUNDERSTANDINGS, (3) CONFIRM STUDENT CHOICE, (4) POINT OUT STUDENT ERRORS, AND (5) GUIDE STUDENTS TO CORRECT ANSWERS.) THESE AUTOINSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS WERE DEVELOPED FOR AND EVALUATED IN A COLLEGE COURSE ENTITLED "HUMAN GROWTH AND LEARNING." THE MAJOR CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING MATERIAL EFFECTIVENESS WERE–(1) LEARNING TIME TAKEN AND (2) AMOUNT LEARNED. OVER 230 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE COURSE WERE SELECTED FOR EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT CONSISTED OF LEARNING EXERCISES IN COMBINATION WITH A "TRAINER-TESTER…

Rest, James R. (1980). Moral Dilemmas of Young Adults. This study describes moral dilemmas that young adults (ages 18-24) formulate spontaneously and examines the relationship between these dilemmas and the subjects' environment and scores on a standardized test. Fifty-two subjects were tested both in 1976 and 1978, creating 104 subject-oriented dilemmas. Thirty-two were in college, 17 were not, and three were in college at the first testing but had dropped out by the last testing. Participants completed a Defining Issues Test (DIT), Comprehension of Moral Attitudes Test, Law and Order Test of Political Attitudes, a written moral dilemma test, and a short personal questionnaire. At the end of the tests, students were asked to describe their own moral dilemmas. The most important findings of the study were that the moral dilemmas that young adults write about are extremely diverse and changeable over time. Subjects described their dilemmas from three perspectives: social issues such as abortion, gay rights, the arms race; personal… [PDF]

Reardon, Betty (1979). The Child and World Order: Reflections on International Year of the Child. The Whole Earth Papers, No. 11. Reflection upon childrens' rights and needs and upon society's values with regard to children has been stimulated by the United Nation's designation of 1979 as the International Year of the Child (IYC). Conflicting images related to children and childhood have emerged as a result of this increased concern with young people. These include that children are innocent victims of environmental and political policies, cherished possessions of their families, the hope of the future, and dependents who are incapable of coping on their own. In IYC-related activities, the United Nations has called attention to suffering of children from ill health and economic disadvantagement, the need for effective child advocates, the dearth of resources available for children's needs, and the lack of research on the survival and well-being of children. A world-order approach to childrens' needs would focus on assessment of the present situation, diagnosis, projection of a preferred situation (in which…

Moody, Charles D., Ed.; And Others (1972). Proceeding of Conference on Multi-Ethnic Curriculum and the Changing Role of the Teacher. The Program for Educational Opportunity, based at the University of Michigan and established by the Office of Education pursuant to Title IV of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, is an institute designed to assist school districts in the process of desegregation. The Program annually conducts a series of conferences; The Conference on Multi-Ethnic Curriculum and the Changing Role of the teacher, held July 10-13, 1972, was designed to explore concepts of multi-ethnicity and its implications for developing curricula and modifying the role of the teacher to respond to changing needs. The following papers are presented in this document: "Exploring concepts of multi-ethnicity," G. Gay; "The multi-ethnic curriculum–a mini approach for a maxi problem?" R. C. Gonzalez; "White students and a multi-ethnic curriculum," A. F. Citron; "Shared decision making, limitations and possibilities," R. Edmonds; "The role of the school in curriculum development,"… [PDF]

Ochoa, Anna S. (1976). The Social Studies Teacher: An Exploration of Ethical Behavior. The ethics and conduct of social studies teachers are discussed and the values that should guide their classroom behavior are articulated. Two sources of values are integrated to derive the value base for ethical conduct. The first source utilizes the three criteria for education presented by the educational philosopher, R. S. Peters–character and intellectual development, conceptual development, and learner consciousness. The second draws on the democratic ethic and gives paramount emphasis to human dignity and rational processes. Guided by these values, the purpose of schooling for the social studies teacher is to develop educated and ethical citizens who possess the knowledge, values, and skills to be effective participants in a democratic society. A portion of the paper is devoted to the dilemmas that arise among parents, teachers, and students regarding the purpose of schooling. The role that teachers play in preserving the equilibrium of power between parents, teachers, and… [PDF]

(2005). Families Finding the Balance: A Parent Handbook. We Can! Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition. US Department of Health and Human Services We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition) is a new public education outreach program designed to help children 8-13 years old stay at a healthy weight through improving food choices, increasing physical activity, and reducing screen time. The program is a collaboration of four Institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH): the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and National Cancer Institute (NCI). We Can! is unique because it focuses on parents and families in home and community settings. Research shows that parents and families have a big impact on shaping the behavior of children. They can do much to help children maintain a healthy weight and prevent overweight. We Can! is harnessing that power through: (1) Programs in local communities throughout the country; (2) Partnerships with other national… [PDF]

Bianchi, Mary Ann; Bones, David; Martin-Major, Marilyn; Morar, Betty; Newbert, David; Spath, Barry; Vrana, Margaret; Whitehouse, John; Williams, Marian (1992). Guia de Recursos para la Madre Sola. (Resource Guide for the Single Mother). Funded under the Women's Educational Equity Act, the Assertiveness Training Program for Single Mothers was offered to mothers with children enrolled in the Omaha Head Start and Parent-Child Center Programs. The 16-week long program, providing a total of 40 hours of training, covered a wide range of topics in addition to the initial workshops on assertiveness. Human sexuality, parenting skills, relaxation techniques, positive thinking, and community resources (e.g., law, housing, credit) were among the topics discussed. The original goals of the training were that participants would (1) gain a positive self-image, (2) recognize the alternatives available to them, (3) be able to express their needs and feelings to others, (4) take advantage of resources at their disposal, (5) implement in their own homes positive actions that would influence their children, and (6) acquire problem-solving skills that would enable them to make decisions and accept responsibility for their choices. This… [PDF]

(2002). Historic Schools: A Roadmap for Saving Your School. This brief suggests that not every historic school can or even should be saved, but all too often, historicschools and options for renovation are routinely dismissed without full consideration of alternatives or community input. The article further asserts that many schools are either abandoned ordemolished simply because of their age, as school administrators argue that theycannot be preserved and adapted to meet modern educational program needs.The article suggests that as residents, parents, elected officials, or school board members, there are various ways to get noticed, participate, and ultimately advocate for saving a historic neighborhood school. The included strategies serve as a road map to help get started, ask the right questions, follow leads, identify warning signs, and build support. The strategies include: (1) get familiar with the process (school facility evaluations, inflated school renovation cost estimates and prejudices, state reimbursement rules, acreage… [PDF]

Astin, Alexander W.; Korn, William S.; Mahoney, Kathryn M.; Sax, Linda J. (2000). The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 2000. This 35th annual report of national normative data on college freshmen is part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) longitudinal study to assess the effects of college on students. The freshman data reported here are weighted to provide a normative profile of the U.S. freshman population for use in policy analysis, human resource planning, campus administration, educational research, and guidance and counseling. The data are reported separately for men and women and for 26 different institutional groupings. The major stratifying factors are institutional race (predominantly white versus predominantly black), institution control (public, private, nonsectarian, Roman Catholic, Protestant), institution type (university of four-year college), and the selectivity of the institution. The norms for 2000 are based on the responses of 269,413 students at 434 baccalaureate colleges and universities. An overview identifies major trends, which include: (1) the gender gap in…

Smith, P. Sean (2001). Astronomy: Project Earth Science. This book presents classroom activities and reading materials. The activities use a hands-on approach and address the standards. Each features both a student section and a teacher guide. Eleven activities include: (1) "It's Only a Paper Moon"; (2) "Time Traveler"; (3) "Solar System Scale"; (4) "Hello Out There!"; (5) "How Far to the Star?"; (6) "Solar System Soup: The Formation of the Solar System"; (7) "The Goldilocks Effect or 'This Planet Is Just Right!'"; (8) "The Greenhouse Effect"; (9) "Creature Feature"; (10) "Reason for the Seasons"; and (11) "Ping-Pong Phases." Readings include: (1) "Angular Diameter"; (2) "What Is a Light Year?"; (3) "Hubble Space Telescope"; (4) "Scale Measurements"; (5) "Scouting Earth/Moon"; (6) "The Parallax Effect"; (7) "Understanding the Earth as a System"; (8) "After…

Bilello, Teresa Evanko; Zygmunt-Fillwalk, Eva (2005). Parents' Victory in Reclaiming Recess for Their Children. Childhood Education, v82 n1 p19 Fall. This article discusses the issue of schools limiting the opportunities for children's physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and creative development that recess affords. Red Rover, hopscotch, jump rope, chase, telling secrets, hanging out, making friends, losing friends–these familiar pursuits of childhood recess are vividly memorable. While these are common memories for adults, many children now attending elementary school are experiencing a different reality. Today's climate of increasing school accountability and intense focus on strictly cognitive performance has forced a restructuring of the school day. In the aftermath of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, time literally can mean money. Schools are eliminating activities deemed unnecessary or frivolous, especially those whose contributions to academic achievement are not "scientifically proven." Current research suggests that as many as 40 percent of school districts throughout the United States are reducing or…

Rivera, John (2005). Finding Aristotle's Golden Mean: Social Justice and Academic Excellence. Journal of Education, v186 n1 p79-85. Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle wrote a treatise on ethics in which he proposed that there were both intellectual and moral virtues to be developed in the human being. Virtue ("aristeia") was roughly equivalent to the English word "excellence" and the unifying virtue that was both a moral and an intellectual virtue was prudence. Excellence lay not in some intellectual ideal as his teacher, Plato, had suggested or simply in the knowledge of the good or true as Socrates had suggested, but in the "ability of a person to act excellently." Aristotle believed that in most instances right action lay in the intermediary point between two extremes of excess and lack, the golden mean. Education in these times has been plagued by often stultifying battles between extremes, each position containing important insights that are critical for promoting excellence in human development but are also distortions born of extremes. Educational battles in the last century have… [Direct]

Dean, Raymond S.; Gray, Jeffrey W. (1985). Implications of Neuropsychological Research for School Psychology. Research has suggested that the two hemispheres of the brain serve specialized functions, with the most recent studies portraying the left hemisphere as processing information in a linear, serial, or sequential manner and the right hemisphere as processing information in a holistic, concrete, or visual mode. Although few systematic studies have attempted to integrate cognitive and neurological points of view, Paivio's (1971) portrayal of two distinct, yet interactive memory systems may be consistent with established hemispheric differences in functioning found in the human brain. Research examining the learning of individual words supports this dual processing theory. To extend this research, the degree to which the concreteness of prose materials would interact with a learner's hemispheric processing was investigated in 96 normal adult learners. Subjects were assigned to a control, imagery instructed, or hemispheric interference condition and were auditorily presented an abstract… [PDF]

(1965). THE CHESTER CASE. THE VERBATIM FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW, AND DECISION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION WITH ITS FINAL ORDER IN THE CHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT CASE, WERE REPORTED. THE AREAS STUDIED WERE–SCHOOL BOUNDARIES, POPULATION FACTORS, CLASS SIZE, ADMINISTRATION, FACULTY RECRUITMENT, TEXTBOOK USE, ORIGIN OF THE SEGREGATED SCHOOL SUSTEM, AND PROPOSALS FOR DESEGREGATION, BUSING, AND OTHER FACTORS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SEPARATION OF THE RACES AND THE DIFFERENCES IN THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION OF NEGRO AND WHITE PUPILS. THE UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES DEPRIVED NEGROES IN CHESTER OF THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS CHARGED WITH ASSIGNING ONLY NEGRO TEACHERS AND CLERKS TO ALL-NEGRO SCHOOLS, MAINTAINING SEGREGATED ALL-NEGRO SCHOOLS WITHIN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, ESTABLISHING SCHOOL ZONES CONFINING THE NEGRO TO ALL-NEGRO SCHOOOS, FAILING TO PROVIDE ENOUGH KINDERGARTENS TO ACCOMMODATE NEGRO CHILDREN IN CHESTER, PERPETUATING THE INFERIOR PHYSICAL CONDITION…

Joyce, Moon (1996). Turn Off the Radio and Sing for Your Lives! Women, Singing, and Experiential Education. Experiential educators are encouraged to include singing in their curriculum. Singing offers a dynamic form of creative engagement and can assist learners in taking risks in their learning and in active experimentation. As a holistic learning tool, singing engages the six capabilities that humans have for learning: physical, emotional, cognitive, intuitional/metaphoric, spiritual, and relational capabilities. Singing is a connecting force interpersonally; intrapersonally, it supports lateral thinking, connecting right- and left-brain functions. Singing can relax the body and provide a vehicle for safe emotional release. It generates physical energy and aerates the body through deep and sustained breathing. All the physical senses are stimulated by singing, which in turn produces heightened states of sensitivity and arousal. As part of a holistic healing practice within adventure therapy programs, singing can be used explicitly to heal physical and other ailments. Singing is… [PDF]

(2003). A Quiet Crisis: Federal Funding and Unmet Needs in Indian Country. This report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights examines federal funding of programs intended to assist Native Americans at the Department of Interior, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Department of Education, and Department of Agriculture. The report reveals that federal funding directed to Native Americans through programs at these agencies has not been sufficient to address the basic and very urgent needs of Indigenous peoples. Among the myriad unmet needs are health care, education, public safety, housing, and rural development. The section on education outlines the history of federal Indian education; describes current issues related to dropout disparities, loss of cultural identity, and community involvement; and looks at unmet needs in the areas of school administration, special education, higher education, vocational rehabilitation, and other set-aside programs. Significant disparities in federal… [PDF]

Hollweg, Karen S. (1995). Volunteers Teaching Children: A Guide for Establishing VINE Ecology Education Programs. "Volunteers Teaching Children" describes the Volunteer-led Investigations in Neighborhood Ecology, or VINE Programs, established by Denver Audubon Society members as an urban education project, and how that model has been adapted to draw on the human and financial resources available in other cities. VINE Programs give children opportunities to discover and investigate the plants, animals, and ecological relationships that exist right in their own neighborhoods through hands-on natural science investigations. The activities teach observation and critical thinking, communication, and cooperative group skills. The programs are delivered by volunteers to schools and institutions where children go after school and on Saturdays such as libraries and community centers. This book begins with an overview of VINE Programs and covers such topics as "Starting with a Think Tank"; "Conducting a Needs Assessment"; "Designing the Project and Defining the…

Gonzales, James L.; Smoot, Sharene L. (1993). Communications Skills Training in the Public Sector: Applying the Carkhuff Model for Patient Management. The long-term results of a 32-hour interpersonal communication skills training program for unit staff in a large state psychiatric hospital were evaluated. The main goal was to improve staff effectiveness through systematic training in communication behaviors expressing empathy in staff-patient interactions. Staff outcome measures were turnover, self-reported symptoms of burnout, use of leave and overtime, and assaults and injuries from patients. Patient outcomes were staff perceptions of patient milieu, patient satisfaction, patients' rights complaints, numbers of restraints and seclusions, numbers of patients' attempts to leave, and recidivism rates. Two adult psychiatric units that received the training (72 staff members) were compared with 2 that did not (86 staff members). The Carkhuff Human Resources Development Model was the basis for the training. All staff completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Ward Atmosphere Scale before and 6 months after the training. Analysis… [PDF]

Matthews, Bruce E. (1991). Hunting and Outdoor Education. Coalition for Education in the Outdoors (CEO) Newsletter, p1-3,18-20 Win/Spr. This article addresses the controversy over including hunting as a part of outdoor education. Historically, figures such as Julian Smith, of the Outdoor Education Project of the 1950's, advocated hunting as a critical element of educating children and youth about care and protection of natural resources. Henry David Thoreau saw hunting experiences as a means of becoming acquainted with nature. As with any human activity, hunting is engaged in by individuals with varying degrees of interest, competence, and responsibility. Because there are between 16 and 18 million licensed hunters in the United States, there is an implied obligation for outdoor educators to work toward educating hunters to live up to the highest standards of ethical behavior. Animal rights activists and anti-hunting groups have disseminated teaching materials to schools which emphasize simplistic and moralistic approaches in dealing with complex ecological, biological, social, and economic issues. Research has… [PDF]