This leadership framework, based on practices employed by some the nation's most successful principals, can be used to diagnose and address school needs. The framework is excerpted from "Breakthrough Principals" © 2016 by Jean Desravines, Jaime Aquino, Benjamin Fenton, and New Leaders, published by Jossey-Bass, a Wiley brand. The…

This article provides an overview of some of the recent developments in assessing social skills of children, as well as best practices in conducting assessment and linking assessment to effective intervention. Naturalistic behavioral observation and behavior rating scales are proposed as first-line choices for social skills assessment. (Contains…

To date, the assessment methodology in the area has moved in two directions: sociometric measures (peer nomination and peer rating scales), which have provided the major means of identifying the socially competent child; and direct observation, principally employed in the specification of socially competent behaviors. (Author/DLS)

The use of social skills measures as a component of multifactored assessment in making mainstreamed placement decisions is recommended. It is suggested that social skills information may be more important in making a decision to mainstream than IQ or achievement. (Author)

Advantages and disadvantages of methods to evaluate sociometric outcomes of mainstreaming (sociometric assessment, nomination methods, rating scale method, paired comparison method, and variations on nomination and rating scale methods) are considered. (CL)

An observational checklist of age appropriate social behaviors was developed and applied to three functionally blind kindergartners in a mainstream kindergarten. The checklist pinpointed areas of deficiency for remediation. (Author/DB)

The lessons learned by this book's authors, who observed literacy events in third- and fourth-grade classrooms, altered their vision of teaching and learning. The book shares their observations of how students engage in literacy events and construct meaning within these events, focusing on three factors that significantly influence the…

The transition to elementary school spans several years in a child's life. For children to progress during this critical period, they must have learning opportunities that are appropriate to their changing developmental levels. Unfortunately, measurement technology that currently dominates assessment practice does not lend itself well to the task…

This book and its accompanying video highlights three interpersonal approaches to instructional improvement, observation skills, and the complete reflective clinical supervision process. Based on the principles of reflective practice, the kit is a professional development tool for educational leaders and staff members. Chapter 1, "Cycles of…

Ten modules for training paraprofessionals who work in classrooms for students with emotional handicaps address the following topics: (1) awareness of emotionally handicapped (EH) students and the educational programs and services designed to meet their needs (assessment, evaluation, the individualized education program, case conferences, social…

The humanistic ideas, models, and tools of educator Robert Fox are presented in eight chapters. Chapter I summarizes Fox's ideas toward clarifying values, projecting possible goals and plans toward humane education, the balance and linkage between intellectual, socio-emotional, and citizenship development, the individualization of curriculum, and…

Educators, particularly those in special education, are recognizing the importance of providing students with instruction in problem-reducing and problem-avoiding prosocial and affective skills. This book presents a prosocial skills approach designed for use with handicapped and non-handicapped elementary school students. The teaching of positive…

This book aims to help in developing interventions for preschool children with learning and behavior problems, guided by a scientist-practitioner model that integrates research and deals effectively with the realities of practice. The book emphasizes a theory of psychosocial change rather than developmental theories. The book is written for…