Recent studies indicate that sexual harassment in schools is pervasive. Verbal harassment (degrading epithets, comments, and allusions) is most prevalent, but girls are also disturbed by physical manifestations. Harassing behavior affects school atmosphere and students' educational choices. Issues involving cultural diversity, free speech, false…

Discusses four premises to help school leaders align career development with curricula, design supportive professional-development activities, and increase employer and parent involvement. Educators, parents, employers, and community members must help students become future-directed. Students also need parental assistance, a comprehensive guidance…

National movements such as tech prep/school-to-work are beneficial for all students. At Pacific Grove (California) High School, where 85% of graduates attend college, but only 40% graduate, educators teach students work skills while continuing to prepare them for college. Career paths in business, arts and communications, and hospitality are…

In this interview, the director of the Federal National School-to-Work Office explains the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. This comprehensive, systemwide investment covers all age groups and is designed to help communities examine their workforce preparation programs, identify gaps, and devise plans for a system that serves all students. (MLH)

To prepare students for a complex new world, Oregon legislators in 1991 overwhelmingly approved Oregon's Educational Act for the 21st Century. In 1995, they revised and reaffirmed this act's goals, strengthening efforts to make public education more academically rigorous and work-related (via Certificates of Mastery). Working this "seamless web"…

Through the community's active involvement in developing, promoting, implementing, and maintaining Career Quest, the Dothan (Alabama) Public Schools have been restructured to meet all students' needs. District schools feature a high school tech prep/college prep curriculum and a comprehensive K-12 career education system. Area businesses are now…

Summarizes a 1993 year-long study of six beginning school administrators's career-transition experiences. Based on data gathered through interviews with these administrators and the author's own experience, this article offers recommendations for new principals and assistant principals covering three professional-development areas: academic…

Creating successful schools for all early adolescent learners requires educators, parents, and community members to rethink current middle-school organizational structures, programs, and practices. The great challenge is recreating schools as inclusive communities that offer equal educational opportunities. Learning should be emphasized as…

Recent Title IX lawsuits have highlighted colleges' and universities' vulnerability to claims of gender discrimination in intercollegiate athletics. Middle and secondary schools are equally vulnerable. Gender equity encompasses accommodation of athletic interests, funding, equipment and supplies, scheduling, coaching opportunities, coach salaries…

Public schools are failing because they still provide a classical, rather than an applied, education that prepares students for the real world beyond high school. An Oklahoma high school has revamped its ninth-grade math curriculum to include only algebra and geometry (using calculators and real-world applications) and requires four years of math…

Regaining control of a school's business functions requires the courage to make changes. It means developing and sharing a vision, taking the initiative and responsibility, constantly learning, being flexible and innovative, utilizing technology, and reevaluating how the school's resources are organized and used. (MLH)

An investigation into student attendance in 8 Louisiana high schools showed that a greater percentage (82.4%) of high-achieving students disliked school than did average and low achievers together (73.2%). Kids cited boring teachers, uninteresting courses, and busywork as reasons. There is little research in this area, aside from strategies to…

Fourth-generation program evaluation is a collaborative, responsive approach that attaches great importance to the claims, concerns, and issues set forth by various stakeholders. This model stresses value pluralism and has several community-involvement phases: planning, data collection, results, final evaluation report, and follow-up. (20…

Summarizes survey responses of 92 mentor teachers. Among respondents' 210 comments, 103 (49%) focus on the mentoring role and 107 (50.9%) relate to perceived obstacles to effective mentoring. Respondents often doubted their mentoring qualifications and voiced concerns about time, pairing methods, beginning teachers' receptiveness, and limited…

An examination of disciplinary guidelines indicates that school officials are held to a higher standard of proof in disciplinary proceedings involving students with disabilities. Principals have considerable leeway for short-term disciplinary exclusions, and for excluding any students bringing firearms to school. Preventive measures are best for…