While white parents' intention is to convey to their children the belief that race should not matter, the message their children receive is that race, in fact, does not matter. The intent and aim are noble, but in order for race not to matter in the long run, we have to acknowledge that, currently, it does matter a great deal. If white…

NAIS and the NAIS Commission on Accreditation recently launched a three-year pilot study on the use of the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) among independent schools. HSSSE, administered by Indiana University, is a survey designed to investigate the attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of high school students about their work. This…

As the authors joined the growing number of prominent adolescent psychologists and educators in arguing that "organizing four years of high school around grades and college admissions is a virtual guarantee that a teenager's natural commitment and enthusiasm are likely to be undermined," they wondered if the enduring habits they value most for…

In the early elementary years, teachers generally pay attention to the act of reading--to the appropriate skill level and pace. But as students move on in the educational system and get to an age when teachers expect them to read on their own, the author suspects teachers pay less and less attention to this problem of pace. When they push students…

Every year, the families of more than half a million students in America choose independent schools (private, nonprofit schools that are governed by boards of trustees). There are more than 1,200 independent schools in the US that belong to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and each is unique in terms of its mission and…

Surveys of students in two private schools in northeastern states showed that antigay bias is pervasive (beginning with middle schoolers), involves mostly boys, arises in unstructured spaces, and is frequently overlooked by teachers. Schools considering interventions should recognize the import of sexual identity and respect, set precedents, and…

Provides some suggestions for teachers in managing their students and a list of fundamentals that teachers should always keep in mind. (RK)

A father describes his experiences with his son, a student at the Hyde School, Bath, Maine. He learns what his son feels about him and how he feels about himself as well as his son. He also pays tribute to the influence of the school in helping to develop his son's confidence. (RK)

Thousands of low-income minority students now hold secondary school diplomas from NAIS member institutions. Discusses the learning experiences and attitudes of these students, who are recruited, placed, and supported by an organization called A Better Chance, Inc. (Author/RK)

A fifth grade teacher at Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania proposes a three-way report on a student's emotional growth. Parents, students, and teachers combine their opinions about the student's behavior and while learning about the student help him to learn about himself. (RK)

No matter how they seem, young people worry a lot. The guidance business in the United States is booming. (Author)

Investigates a vision of the future that will help the educational community find educational objectives congruent with its best ideals, objectives that will also yield the practical skills needed for survival in the future. (Author/RK)

Students should do their best in learning to study and grow, present their achievements in the classroom with pride, and communicate honestly with their teachers. This way they will learn to accept themselves and work with their teachers in a productive fashion. (RK)

An elementary school teacher searches for methods to stimulate deprived students--students who have been deprived of just being themselves, of learning just for the joy of learning--to find a heightened sense of themselves in a positive, constructive manner. (RK)

Reviewing the historical basis for the American high school design, the author proposes a substantial restructuring of secondary education. Presented are eight principles by which new high schools can be structured. (MD)