Jenna is about to experience her first year of college. Parties, alcohol, oh, and schoolwork. Take a look inside to learn about the value of friendship in your first year of college.

The transition from Junior High to Senior High is one that catches many students off guard- they are excited about the move up but many are unprepared for the challenges they will face. This book encourages students to believe in themselves as they pursue their academic successes in spite of challenges they may face.

The transition from Junior High to Senior High is one that catches many students off guard - they are excited about the move up but many are unprepared for the challenges they will face. This book encourages students to believe in themselves as they pursue their academic successes in spite of challenges they may face.

Most Americans would never willingly revisit their high school experiences; the nation's school systems reflect the broader society's hierarchical emphasis on race, class, and gender. While schools purport to provide equal opportunities for all students, this rarely happens in actuality-particularly for girls. In Downed by Friendly Fire, Signithia Fordham unmasks and examines female-centered bullying in schools, arguing that it is essential to unmask female aggression, bullying, and competition, all of which directly relate to the structural violence embedded in the racialized and gendered social order. For two and a half years, Fordham conducted field research at "Underground Railroad High School," a suburban high school in upstate New York. Through a series of composite student profiles, she examines the girls' relationships to academic achievement, social competition, and aggression toward one another. Fordham argues that girls academically "compete to lose," which only perpetuates their subordination through the misrecognition of their own competitive behaviors. She goes further to expand the meaning of violence to include what is seen as normal, including suffering, humiliation, and social and economic abuse. Using the concept "symbolic violence," Fordham theorizes the psychological and social damage suffered especially by black girls in schools. The five narratives in Downed by Friendly Fire ultimately highlight the pain and suffering this violence produces as well as the ways in which it promotes inequality, exclusion, and marginalization among girls.

Reach Into My Darkness is a collection of spokenword poetry and poems that delve into teen violence, street life, education and other day to day issues that impact students. The goal of this book is to provide teachers with additional tools to connect with and empower their students to express themselves in a positive way through poetry. This is not a book about happy endings. This is a reflection of struggles that can silence a child forever.

The decision to pursue a terminal degree represents a life-changing commitment. As a student, you are pushed to the limits and forced to make tough choices. Do I spend valuable time with family and friends, or do I study? Do I give up hobbies and make the conscious decision to hole up in a room alone for hours every day for perhaps three or more years? Did you know that research shows the average time to complete a doctoral degree is more than seven years, and most either quit or finish all but dissertation (ABD)? In this book, you will read the stories of people who made this commitment. The stories are the authors' personal reflections about how they achieved their degree or are surviving the grind of a program. You will read about trials and tribulations and also success. Perhaps more important, this book is about real life. The authors are you