Chapter 8 : Schools

1. Look at reasons some scientists say schools are not beneficial and proposed remedies
2. Consider the controversy surrounding the back-to-basics curriculum
3. Identify important questions that have been proposed about how schools influence children (consider Coleman and Jencks).
4. Consider critics of researchers like Coleman and Jencks
5. Consider the changing social context of preschools, elementary schools and secondary schools.

1. Consultant on transitions in adolescent schooling

1. Consider the implications of the top-dog phenomenon
2. Consider the middle school transitions and advantages of 6-3-3 versus 8-4 arrangements.
3. Consider methods to ease transition to middle/junior high school.
4. Review characteristics of effective middle schools (Lipsitz) and the 1989 Carnegie Report on Middle Schools
5. Consider the transition from high school to college including positive elements, and disappointments and expectations of students.
6. Consider changes in drop out rates over the years, impact of ethnicity, and models to improve drop-out rates.

1. Consultant on Schools, Classrooms and People

1. Consider classroom size and academic achievement (and its relationship to the "responsive school")
2. Consider traditional versus open classrooms and the pluses and minuses of each.
3. Consider the concept of developmentally appropriate classrooms
4. Consider the concept of aptitude-treatment interaction
5. Consider traits of effective teachers and recommendations for successful teaching (Feeney)
6. Consider the role of peer groups and social patterns in schools.
7. Consider opportunity differences or equalities in schools
8. Consider parental involvement and ways to improve parental involvement.

1. Consultant on Social Class and Ethnicity

1. Consider the behavior and attitudes of teachers in middle- and low-income schools.
2. Consider the importance of ethnicity and the prevalence of segregation in schools today.
3. Consider the differences in educational experiences of Asian, African American, and Latino adolescents.
4. Consider 'gatekeeping' and 'brokering'
5. Consider family influences that improve or impair school performance among minority students.
6. Consider the role of cooperative learning and its influence on student outcomes.
7. Consider Ogbu's criticism of American education as an oppressive and exploitative system.

1. Consultant on Students with Disabilities

1. Consider factors that make adolescence a particularly difficult period for the student with a disability.
2. Consider the impact of inclusion and alternative practices (both previous and current).
3. Consider specific actions that may improve the lives of students with learning disabilities
4. Consider differences between ADHD and learning disabilities.
5. Consider correlates and possible causes of ADHD.