The purpose of this qualitative research study was to discover the influence of a student achievement program implemented at one large urban high school that employed extrinsic motivation to promote student achievement on state assessments. Using organismic integration theory as the theoretical framework, 19 randomly selected students participated…

While collegiate fraternity and sorority hazing are well documented problems that receive prominent attention, hazing at the high school level is also a serious issue. Across the nation, media headlines offer a continual reminder that high school hazing is not a phenomenon of the past. As high school principals seek ways to discourage and…

This quasi-experimental study examined the adoption of the Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines in 23 high schools. After training, school administrators and other staff members demonstrated substantial increases in knowledge of threat assessment principles and decreased commitment to zero tolerance approaches. Schools using the…

A study was conducted on a junior high school campus in the Midwest to evaluate the influence an assistant principal can have on classroom instruction. The study included 489 ninth-grade students and was conducted over an 18-week period. It examined the effect of assistant principals' visibility on classroom behavior. The results indicate that an…

Study of high school, family, and community partnerships is based on reports from 11,000 high school parents and 1,000 high school principals. Findings revealed that regardless of students' background and prior achievement, various parenting, volunteering, and home-learning activities positively influenced student grades, course credits completed,…

Reviews research on characteristics of quality teachers, methods for improving teacher quality, and student and teacher behaviors that are indicators of teacher quality. Draws implications for principal hiring and mentoring practices. (Contains 30 references.) (PKP)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires the IEP team to identify ameliorative resources and/or disciplinary measures for disruptive students. A BIP (behavior intervention plan) provides appropriate behavioral programming and related social and psychological services. IDEA does not prohibit principals from reporting crimes to…

In passing the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, Congress tackled tough issues regarding educating students with disabilities. This article addresses four changes to IDEA and their implications for secondary principals, including suspension of handicapped students without educational services, development of…

School personnel often misclassify a conduct-disordered student as severely emotionally disturbed, following a serious offense. Educators must remember, however, that mislabeling a child to obtain services, prevent expulsion, or remove the child to a special classroom is both inappropriate and unethical. Legal language should be clarified, and…

Compares academic performance, behavior, and commitment of basketball and volleyball athletes and nonathletes in a rural Canadian high school. Compares mid-term and final grades in each school discipline, disciplinary visits to administrators, and misbehavior demerits. Estimates athletes' mean weekly time commitment in each sport. Athletes matched…

In Florida, the Learn & Serve America program has fostered evolutionary, perhaps revolutionary, changes in teaching and learning. Data from 1995-96 Florida Learn & Serve grantees mirror the positive results of the previous academic year. By heavy majorities (62% to 82%), participating students showed improvements in attendance, conduct, and…

An Ohio high school staff's action-research project examined effects of a recently implemented block-scheduling arrangement on student achievement, behavior, and student-teacher relations. Results support other research: students earned higher grade point averages, more students attained the honor roll, disciplinary referrals were reduced,…

The Massachusetts Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling against a speech pathology teacher whose contract was not renewed following a parent's complaint. The teacher had explained 4-letter words to 13 year-olds, bringing them up in class, then discouraged further usage. Judges decided the teacher had acted creatively in response to…

Although violence prevention programs can be helpful, they are frequently poorly targeted and unrealistic about the social forces driving student behavior. Conflict-resolution training is effective when it occurs within a cooperative context, teaches students when a conflict is or isn't occurring, stresses concrete negotiation and mediation…

All in-school suspension (ISS) models can be classified into punitive, problem-solving, academic, and individual models. The individual model is most reasonable, since it assumes that reasons for misbehavior vary from student to student. ISS programs can help modify student misbehavior, protect the overall learning environment by isolating…