Reducing Student Alienation in High Schools: Implications of Theory

Student alienation is a difficult problem facing many U. S. high schools. Not only does it adversely affect the quality of student life, but it is an underlying factor in other school problems such as violence, vandalism, and poor achievement. Drawing on an extensive literature, Fred M. Newmann develops six guidelines for reducing student alienation. The guidelines are used to show why current efforts in school reform have failed to provide a comprehensive solution to this increasingly troublesome problem.