The author agrees with Critchfield's ("Translational Contributions of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior," "The Behavior Analyst," v34, p3-17, 2011) thesis (to paraphrase): Behavior analysis must adapt; we cannot simply will ourselves into greater social relevance. Critchfield focused on the survival of the basic research arm of behavior…

Discussion of the homeless in American public libraries focuses on harmless individuals who may be considered nuisance by library staff/patrons. Highlights include literature about problem library patrons, national problem, social issues, major themes (offense to others and library staff, balancing rights, and elitism), and implications for…

This article reframes school violence in the context of educational mission goals so that teachers can understand their role in responding to it and acknowledge their skills in addressing it. The article examines types of violence that occur most frequently in schools, evaluates what is known about teacher preparedness, and encourages educators to…

Points out the growing crisis among American adolescents, with approximately half of adolescents at moderate or greater risk for engaging in unsafe sexual behaviors, teenage pregnancy, and teenage child-bearing; drug and alcohol use and abuse; school underachievement, failure, and dropout; and delinquency and crime. Calls for increased research on…

This paper discusses the practice of social validity assessment in applied behavior analysis, proposes elements that should be included in state-of-the art assessment procedures, offers a taxonomy of consumers to guide the construction and circulation of assessments, and suggests strategies to improve social validity assessment. (JDD)

This paper argues that many social validity processes in applied behavior analysis are actually measuring consumer satisfaction and not the habilitative validity of goals, procedures, or outcomes. The term "habilitative validation" is proposed to replace social validity, and use of more objective assessment methods is encouraged.…

A teacher examines his role in helping high-risk students explore alternatives to school expulsion and discusses how these students are victims of the educational system and their environment. Describes how these children variously, begin to understand behavioral consequences, realize the importance of setting goals and planning, give up, or learn…

Argues that parental licensing is the wrong approach to the serious dysfunctional aspect of contemporary American life of single parent families. The nation, instead, should adequately address the poverty, crime, unequal educational opportunities, and drug problems that already exist. (GR)

Describes early childhood developmental deficits associated with long-term poverty as indicated by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Suggests substantial disadvantages in cognitive development among young children in chronically poor families. Deficits appear in a variety of indices of cognitive or socioemotional development,…

This monograph examines the phenomenon of young children who lack the socialization and academic preparation needed to meet the demands of schooling and take advantage of educational programs. Such children have inadequately nurtured bodies and incompletely or inappropriately stimulated minds. The changing nature of childhood is portrayed in…

Presents a brief overview of the current disintegration of Russian society. Maintains that the decline in social services and the education system, in particular, threatens the well-being of Russian children. Currently Russia's educational system is failing to provide for its students' needs. (MJP)

Discusses the growing problem of troubled youth and the increasing role of schools in meeting children's developmental needs for attachment, achievement, autonomy, and altruism. Relates a 12-year-old at-risk student's comments about what teachers should do and say to promote greater self-esteem among students and encourage them to stay in school.…