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Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU), a program operating on funds from the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), was initiated at Arkansas State University in 1989. The 60-day program is targeted to economically disadvantaged 14- and 15-year-olds who are on grade level and have been identified as being likely to drop out of high school, but are not exceptional in other ways (e.g., learning disabled or emotionally disturbed). Participants live on campus and work 20 hours a week and earn one semester credit in English and mathematics. Students are administered the Metropolitan Achievement Test at the beginning and the end of the program to assess the program's academic effectiveness. In 1990, students made academic progress in reading, language, and mathematics. The job developer is responsible for locating jobs for students, keeping records of time worked, monitoring job performance, and acting as a liason between the YOU program and the job site supervisors. Part of the federal minimum wage is paid to students weekly and the rest is placed in an account and given to the student after completing the program. A component of the program, the Job Club, emphasizes the development of good work habits. In addition, students are provided with health and dental care, counseling, tutoring, recreational activities, and educational field trips. Students completing the program are followed through high school and student grades are reported to the follow-up coordinator each semester. Although exact figures are not available, the program for 1990 seemed successful as all students are still in school one year later. (LP)

Reading is an area of the curriculum that contains many opportunities for students to develop self-esteem. Three common procedures used in the classroom, however, are likely to threaten students' self-esteem: required oral reading; team selection and the aspect of competing and declaring winners and losers; and question and answer procedures. Alternatives to required oral reading include one-to-one reading; choral reading using big books and language experience charts; reading along with a tape-recording of a predictable book; "partner reading"; "perfection reading"; and "impress reading." Alternatives to competitive teams include random selection of team members and avoidance of team rankings. Alternatives to traditional question and answer techniques are to ask questions a student can answer; rephrasing the question for the student; giving praise for the part of an answer that is correct; and offering clues. Instructional strategies for fostering self-esteem in beginning readers are dependent upon the teacher. Whenever teachers are unsure as to whether a classroom practice will damage a students' self-esteem, the teachers should ask themselves how they would feel in that situation. (RS)

The prospective student's decision to choose an education major is influenced by a number of factors: prestige versus the perceived difficulties of the job, the quality of the program offered, and the costs involved. A vigorous and sound public relations program is recommended. Suggestions are made for developing appealing and truthful outreach based on the benefits and rewards of choosing a major in education. Such methods as newsletters and news releases, college-sponsored activities to bring prospective students to campus, and faculty involvement in elementary and secondary schools are described. The importance of economic aid and scholarships is also discussed. Other recruitment efforts include faculty outreach, special programs for undecided majors, and effective introductory courses. Whatever techniques are used, the goal is to bring the best students possible into the teacher education program. (JD)