Educational Leadership articles from October 1997

Educational Leadership archives from October 1997

School as safe havens.(Cover Story)
October 1, 1997... Despite the cautionary signs that proclaim schools drug-free and gang-free, some schools are scary places. A few years ago in Savage Inequalities (1991), Jonathan Kozol documented the crumbling buildings in inner cities and the callous...

The three Cs of safe schools. (cooperative community, conflict resolution and civic values)
October 1, 1997... Cooperation, conflict resolution, and civic values combine to make school a safe haven for kids in Edina, Minnesota. The day starts early as the principal and faculty meet in their teaching teams. As the school day begins, everyone watches...

Finding safety in small numbers. (reorganizing the school to become conducive to learning)
October 1, 1997... When a Baltimore high school created small schools - or academies - within its big building, it found that a more personalized atmosphere is the antidote for many of the ills afflicting inner-city schools. A recent report on high school...

The evolution of violence in schools.
October 1, 1997... Teachers rank violence, vandalism, and verbal abuse of themselves as serious problems. But in suburban and urban areas, weapons are gaining. According to a recently released FBI report, violent crime in the United States has been dropping...

Boys call me cow. (peer harassment)
October 1, 1997... A three-year study of students' experiences and stories sheds some light on what administrators should know to curb the pervasive problem of peer harassment. If you wear something the other kids will laugh at or if you sit in something or...

Confronting dating violence.
October 1, 1997... A high school's presentation of "The Yellow Dress" is a model for problem solving and public discourse about a sensitive issue. If schools are to be safe havens for children, can they limit themselves to academic issues, or must they address...

Peer helpers: encouraging kids to confide.
October 1, 1997... In the Natural Helpers program, students promote the notion that it's okay to seek help - from classmates and adults alike. Imagine what a difference it would make to your students to have another 20 skilled and compassionate people to turn...

Someday that might be me. (lesson of the song 'Howard Gray')
October 1, 1997... Through songs and dialogues, students learn understanding, acceptance, and empathy for others. As a facilitator of workshops and assemblies on social skills throughout the United States, I have had many revealing dialogues with elementary...

Down with put-downs! (solution for name-calling problem, teasing and conflicts among students)
October 1, 1997... Open classroom meetings encourage children to solve problems of name-calling, teasing, and other conflicts that arise in everyday life. Alex was an overweight 4th grade boy who was frequently teased by his peers. Alex asked his teacher to...

Linking schools with youth and family centers.
October 1, 1997... By offering urban students support for the personal problems that they and their families face, the Dallas school district has significantly reduced its classroom problems. After dropping out of school for a year, William recently returned to...

Preparing for a crisis. (crisis in the school setting)
October 1, 1997... A Critical Incident Response Team helps Albuquerque's large school district meet crises expeditiously and with compassion. Last March, five people were found dead in Albuquerque, New Mexico's Hollywood Video store, victims of an armed...

Youth violence: false fears and hard truths. (misunderstanding young people)
October 1, 1997... To eradicate violence, legislators, the media, and many communities are making decisions based on five major myths. while ignoring constructive steps they could be taking. We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We...

I walk with delinquents. (understanding juvenile delinquents)
October 1, 1997... To tough kids in terrible places - as to all kinds - we must convey the message "you can change your life." You felons on trial in courts, You convicts in prison-cells, you sentenced assassins chain'd and bandcuff'd with iron, Whom am I...

Mi casa es su casa. (education for immigrants' children)
October 1, 1997... Building trust in border communities between immigrant families and schools can start with just one person or involve an entire school. The landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling of Plyler v. Doe in 1982 ended years of controversy by stating that...

Creating a community of learning for homeless children.
October 1, 1997... The shocking truth is that the average age of a homeless person in the United States is 9 years. More than 750,000 homeless children are of school age. How are we educating these children? By 1997, more than 1 million American children were...

Reaching out to grieving students.
October 1, 1997... Educators who understand the grief process and its manifestations in children can provide the continuity, security, and support that grieving students so desperately need. A child is shot; students are killed in an automobile accident; a...

How Catholic schools are creating a safe climate for gay and lesbian students.
October 1, 1997... Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have found a new ministry in providing support for their gay and lesbian students. Several years ago, in a Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and...

Becoming heroes: teachers can help abused children.
October 1, 1997... In the face of discouraging and overwhelming facts about child abuse and neglect, teachers should not only report cases of child abuse, but also help children become resilient. Can schools provide a safe haven for children who are hurt and...

What's wrong - and what's right - with rubrics.
October 1, 1997... Rubrics have the potential to make enormous contributions to instructional quality - but first we have to correct the flaws that make many rubrics almost worthless. Rubrics are all the rage these days. It's difficult to attend an educational...

Peer counseling: proceed with caution.
October 1, 1997... Teenagers today face a litany of pressures and problems that can have a direct effect on their health and safety. In 1993, for example, persons age 13-24 were the fastest-growing population with AIDS (O'Hara et al. 1996). Between the mid-1960s...

Is There a Public for Public Schools?(Brief Article)
October 1, 1997... In this notable commentary on our deteriorating commitment to public schools, Mathews argues that public schools will remain out of favor and languish unless and until the citizens in each city, town, and village reclaim their schools and...

Where He Stands: Albert Shanker of the American Federation of Teachers.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1997... Whenever the definitive history of American education in the 20th century is written, one of the leading characters will be Albert Shanker. As head of the American Federation of Teachers, he had his share of detractors. To some, he was a...

Banishing Bureaucracy: The Five Strategies for Reinventing Government.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1997... Conservative taxpayers often refer to public schools as "government schools" - the ultimate put-down. They see bureaucracy as institutional cholesterol, clogging up the lifeblood of our educational organizations. Even though federal officials...

Does Memory Matter? The Effect of School Resources on Students Achievement and Adult Success.
October 1, 1997... The answer to the title question may be obvious to educators or policymakers, but not to economists or researchers in school finance, 12 of whose opinions on the subject are brought together in this collection of essays. The writers demonstrate...

Every Child, Every School: Success for All.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1997... All children can learn. Educators everywhere recite this mantra. It is reinforced by positive affirmations that students recite and by graphics displayed in hallways and on stationery. High expectations are set and small gains noted. Now what?...

The Public Orphanage: How Public Schools are Making Parents Irrelevant.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1997... Parents want more and are demanding it. Teachers are putting in more time and effort. New programs are constantly being churned out. Yet, many believe public schools are a mess. Why? This author claims schools have become "The Public Orphanage"...

Lessons from Privilege: The American Prep School Tradition.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1997... This book will rank with Powell's earlier work, The Shopping Mall High School (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985) as a classic on American schools. He unveils the inner workings of traditions that seemingly favor private schools over their public...

Dealing With an Angry Public: The Mutual Gains Approach to Resolving Disputes.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1997... What with teacher bashing, union busting, administrative purges, and the like, educators may feel that they are the only ones under the gun. Take heart. This book is filled with examples showing that a segment of the public will react...

Rewards and Reforms: Creating Educational Incentives that Work.(Brief Article)
October 1, 1997... Baseball teams often offer certain players extra pay for every home run beyond 20 they hit in a season. Many other businesses also offer incentive programs. So why not offer rewards or incentives for educators - particularly when reforms aren't...

The Learning as a Way of Being: Strategies for Survival in a World of Permanent White Water.
October 1, 1997... The fierce pace of change and the chaotic sense of organizational life these days led Peter Vaill to coin the phrase "permanent white water" in his previous book, Managing as a Performing Art (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1989). The phrase...