For me or not for me? - that is the question : a study of mature students' decision making and higher education

The views expressed in this report are the authors ' and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education an

Initiation in the Novels of Carl Jonas

Carl Jones is a native Omahan who writes of midwesterners in a setting strongly suggestive of Omaha. He satirizes the folkways and institutions of the breadbasket area, but he should not be categorized as merely a regional writer because he explores themes of universal concern to man. One of the most important of these themes is man\u27s quest for meaning and dignity in a world which is often enigmatic and cruel. It is that quest which all of Jones\u27 novels are concerned, and it is that theme—initiation--which forms the subject of this thesis

Edges of Dreams for Marginalized, Urban, Latino Students: Building a Community School

This study examines the way an urban Hispanic school in New Mexico, ranked 50th academically in the United States, grapples with the issues of poverty, disconnection, race, conflicting visions, and hope. Investigating the school’s transition to a community school, a movement that is sweeping high-poverty areas, provides a more encompassing way to look at school reform.  In its one-year existence as a community school in Las Cruces, Lynn Middle School has engaged a vast number of stakeholders along with the School Board and City Council who have begun to work on turning this ‘ghetto’ school into a vibrant community school.  The paper answers the research question, ‘What are the process, procedures and challenges in starting a community school?’ and rather than simply continue to test students, thus providing data that reflect their failure, community schools collaboratively ameliorate the non-academic barriers to student success.  What then might be the anticipated benefits for students, families and neighborhoods? Keywords: poverty, community schools, Hispanics, urban schools, relationships