Examines the role of the outdoors in child development. The expanse of outdoors teaches humility, yet does not judge, thereby teaching self-esteem. Nature's diversity teaches that difference is the norm, thereby teaching tolerance. Small nearby places that children favor--trees, brooks, ponds--nurture a sense of home. Early outdoor experiences are…

There has been a resurgence of concern for character education in schools because of the breakdown of the family and growing negative influences such as the mass media. Discusses how character education can be taught, who will teach it, the role of outdoor educators and the use of animals in teaching it, and accommodating differing cultural…

Examines patterns of course selection among African American female students in St. Louis public high schools from 1914 to 1930, the period of transition to a differentiated high school curriculum. Finds that the differentiated curriculum resulted in gender segregation across courses of study and supported the racial division of labor within the…

Among the first of the Model Cities programs, Dayton's program was directed by African American community activists, who instituted important school and neighborhood reforms but blocked efforts to racially desegregate the public schools. The story of Dayton's Model Cities Demonstration Project raises important questions about whether urban renewal…

Traces the careers of four women who were instrumental in transforming the position of dean of women from dormitory matron into professional administrator. These women were Marion Talbot, University of Chicago, 1892-1925; Mary Bidwell Breed, Indiana University, 1901-06; Ada Louise Comstock, University of Minnesota, 1906-12; and Lois Kimball…

Briefly describes the experiences of three persons who attended and taught in one-room schools primarily in Ashland County (Ohio) from approximately 1900 to the 1920s. Discusses the close interrelationships among home, school, and community, and the rural protests against consolidation of one-room schools in 1939. (SV)

Traces the early history of Children's International Summer Villages, developed by Doris Allen in the late 1940s to promote peace and global understanding by exposing mixed groups of 11-year olds from different countries to a month-long experience in international living. The first camp, held near Cincinnati in 1951, included a social science…

Examines educational life-writing in two leading history-of-education journals. "History of Education Quarterly" pursues objectivity and publishes only principle-case studies and collective biographies, resulting in stale and lifeless texts that meet traditional academic standards. "Historical Studies in Education" accepts both objective and…

In 1937, four young women, three of whom were teachers in one-room schools in rural Maine, set off on an eight-week cross-country trip to California. They decided to take the trip so they could teach from first-hand experience. Together they saved $1,200 and then visited 30 states, Washington, D.C., and 2 Canadian provinces. (LP)

Research on income and poverty trends of Latinos relative to whites and blacks, 1972-92, explains little about erosion of Latinos' relative economic standing because it is limited to static description, does not sort structural and individual mechanisms undergirding inequality, and does not recognize increasing heterogeneity of the Latino…

Examines effects of socioeconomic status, school funding, English proficiency, and Latino population concentration on achievement scores of students in grades 3, 6, and 12 in 66 rural California school districts. Performance on the California Assessment Program was predicted primarily by parental socioeconomic status, and, unexpectedly, improved…

A survey of 100 Mexican American undergraduate students assessed their perceptions of five challenges (and associated resources) to completing college: financial problems, domestic responsibilities, academic discouragement, and racial and gender discrimination. There were no differences between upper- and lower-division students. Males were more…

A 1993 Texas survey found that non-Hispanics were significantly more likely than Hispanics to report lifetime alcohol or drug use or past-year alcohol use. Among Hispanics, drug and alcohol use increased with acculturation. Among lifetime drug abstainers, health concerns was the most frequently cited reason for abstention for both groups; other…

A comparison of outmigration and inmigration rates for nonmetropolitan counties during 1985-90 reveals that high levels of outmigration in rural areas among young adults are mitigated by inmigration of this age group; that net outmigration is more severe among college-educated young people; and that high net-loss counties are distinguished by low…

Between 1980 and 1988, 132 rural hospitals closed and as a result many rural towns also lost physicians, including 19 communities that were still without a physician 2 years after closure. Smaller, more remote towns had few physicians to begin with and were more likely than larger towns to lose physicians along with their hospitals. (LP)