Sex and Breastfeeding: An Educational Perspective

Expectant and new parents have many concerns regarding the relationship between sexuality and breastfeeding. How is a new mother''s libido affected by breastfeeding? Why do some women get sexually excited when breastfeeding? Is this frequent or normal? How does the partner feel about breasts full of milk? Why do breasts leak during a woman''s orgasm? Perinatal educators are in a privileged position to reassure these parents about this relationship while promoting the breastfeeding bond between the mother and child and the intimacy bond between the parents.     

The Discursive Construction of “Normal”: A Critical Examination of ABeka Curricula

This study is a critical examination of dominant beliefs in textbooks that impact students through constructed transmissions of the so-called normal American identity. A Beka textbooks are examined for findings that illustrate the dissemination of neutral language that is, in reality, charged with dominant ideologies that marginalize those living outside the parameters of the texts. The underlying themes point to the legitimization of the interests of the fundamentalist group as the authority of socio-cultural values and the consensual subordination of other groups. Informed by Freirean philosophy and praxis, the study is framed through a critical lens through which the underlying relationship between power and discourse is examined. As a means of bringing awareness of the inequity in textbooks, the use of dialogue and critique is discussed as a tool for interrupting the power of the dominant and as a trajectory for self-reflection and empowerment.     

Brief Counseling for Problematic Drinking: A University Counseling Center's Model

This article describes the design of a brief counseling model for students presenting with alcohol use concerns at one state university counseling center.     

Implementation of a relationship-based school readiness intervention: A multidimensional approach to fidelity measurement for early childhood

The implementation efforts of 65 early childhood professionals involved in the Getting Ready project, an integrated, multi-systemic intervention that promotes school readiness through parent engagement for children from birth to age five, were investigated. Digital videotaped records of professionals engaged in home visits with families across both treatment and comparison conditions were coded objectively using a partial–interval recording system to identify and record early childhood professionals’ implementation of intervention strategies and their effectiveness in promoting parent engagement and interest in their child. Adherence, quality of intervention delivery, differentiation between groups, and participant responsiveness were assessed as multiple dimensions of fidelity. Early childhood professionals in the treatment group relative to the comparison group demonstrated greater frequency of adherence to some intervention strategies, as well as higher rates of total strategy use. In addition, significant positive relationships were found between years of experience, education and quality of intervention delivery. Quality of intervention delivery was different by program type (Early Head Start versus Head Start). Adherence in the treatment group was correlated with the rate of contact between parent and early childhood professional during the home visit.     

Use of Simulated Multidisciplinary Treatment Teams and Client Actors to Teach Case Conceptualization and Treatment Planning Skills

The authors describe instructional methods used to teach comprehensive and individualized case conceptualization and treatment planning in a graduate‐level Advanced Counseling Procedures course. Students participate in a theory‐driven, simulated multidisciplinary treatment team and meet with recruited client actors to bring “to life” the process of integrating multiple clinical perspectives into a cohesive service plan for a client. Feedback from students and recommendations for course enhancement are provided.     

Teaching Graduate Career Classes: A National Survey of Career Instructors

Ninety‐one instructors reported their attitudes toward teaching a master's‐level career development course. The participants represented counseling programs in 41 states. The areas of focus included the theories taught, activities and assignments used, course evaluation processes, and advice the participants would offer to other instructors. Implications for counselor education and directions for future research are also discussed.     

The changing nature of assessment in English primary classrooms: Findings from the PACE project 1989–1997

The effective use of evaluation is currently hailed as the ultimate tool in raising standards and ensuring accountability for virtually all areas of life. Nowhere has this been more in evidence than in the area of schooling. This increasing emphasis on target setting and the raising of standards through summative assessment has brought with it major changes to the educative experience for both teachers and their pupils. The PACE Project, which began in 1989, was designed to track these changes as they impacted on a representative sample of teachers and their pupils as they progressed through primary schooling. This article highlights some of the major issues which have emerged from the study and goes on to discuss what implications these might have for future policy-making.