Australia's Northern Territory is twice the size of Texas, with only 230,000 people living in its enormous space. About half reside in the capital Darwin in the tropical far north; the next biggest town with a population of 25,000 people is Alice Springs, 1600 kilometers south in the central desert. Some 70,000 Indigenous people form 30% of…

In this article, youth from diverse racial backgrounds describe the challenges they face in aspiring to excellence in underperforming schools. The research explored the perceptions of school inequality on the part of Latino, African American or immigrant, and Caucasian students in two central Minnesota communities. This study tapped the experience…

Students learn about the history of the civil rights movement and are empowered to create positive change in their communities, states this author, Susan M. Glisson, Executive Director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation. She describes the efforts to build racial understanding among young high school students through the…

A high school student with a learning disability struggles under intense pressure to meet standards of a state's standardized testing. Fearing that his failure will cause teachers to be fired, he acts out in ways to be punished. This interview shows how valuable it is to drain off intense emotions and make sense of a situation following a…

Sunnyside High School in rural Washington faces many tough issues common to urban schools but has shown a remarkable ability to help students at risk for academic failure. The Sunnyside Intervention Program was developed for students with a history of poor academic performance, many of whom were involved in dangerous activities, including gangs.…

Ian is a 17-year-old student attending a therapeutic school in an urban district. He was referred less than a year ago due to behavioral and academic issues at the comprehensive high school. One instance in his art class, Ian overreacted when his teacher misinterpreted his humor, leading to a major school crisis. Learning to recognize the early…

There is a critical need to identify solutions to the unemployment of high school dropouts. When a student prematurely leaves school, the economic, social, and political impacts result in negative consequences for the individual and the community. Of the nearly 2.2 million students who drop out of high school every year in the United States,…

A transition can be described as a change, a switch, a move, or a conversion to another place or frame of mind. Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) has implemented a transition project serving middle and high school students with disabilities. Each year, hundreds of students are provided with information and activities designed to stimulate their…

Transition is a term typically used in education to refer to the significant shifts that students encounter before, during, and after their school experience. These changes can occur on a daily basis, as in the transition between classes and the associated behavioral outcomes that might be seen, or changes can be experienced on a larger scale when…

Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) is a competency-based approach to intervening with adolescents, particularly within the schools, who are experiencing emotional pain, psychological distress, or behavioral disruption in their personal lives. LSCI is used to help classroom teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, and other school staff to…

The term resiliency is used to describe the "human capacity and ability to face, overcome, be strengthened by, and even be transformed by experiences of adversity." Native American culture provides a framework for fostering resiliency. The Lakota Sioux society identifies four core needs that foster resiliency and motivate individuals to reach…

Jason is a 17-year-old high school senior currently classified as a student who is Other Health Impaired due to anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and germ phobia (an intense fear of something that poses little actual threat--but can cause severe anxiety or a full panic attack). He also has a severe learning disability in reading. Jason is…

Building bonds of respect is difficult with students who present disruptive and intimidating behavior in the classroom. The author describes how RAP principles were used over a period of a school year to create positive connections with such a student. (Contains 1 note.)

The Academy For Learning (AFL) serves urban students with emotional and behavioral problems. Through a Personal and Social Responsibility program, students develop skills for personal growth and service learning. Many alternative programs for troubled students offer little more than a curriculum for containment and control. In contrast, students…

High levels of disruptive behavior, discipline referrals, and suspensions are among the symptoms of schools which have lost the bonds of respect. Educators face major challenges in transforming these school cultures. This article describes how restorative practices were implemented in certain southeastern Pennsylvania schools. The process of…