Analyzes how schools have become responsible for meeting needs previously met outside schools. When these needs are not met, students are at risk for developing aggressive and violent behavior. Describes the community circle of caring model, which is based on the concepts of connection, competence, and self-control, and contributes to meeting the…

Reports on a group therapy program designed to enhance self-awareness, self-esteem, and body awareness among the demented elderly. Focuses on techniques of meditation, relaxation, sensory awareness, and guided imagery. Claims that the group is easily reproducible and offers benefits both to nursing home residents and staff. (RJM)

Describes the activities and benefits of Positive Peer Groups (PPG), a Cleveland-based diocese program involving 40 schools. Designed for students with behavioral or academic problems, it focuses on school service projects that teach students to develop and implement valuable social skills. Describes the positive social and academic effects PPG…

Describes implementation of the Fight Free Classroom intervention (designed to decrease fighting and aggressiveness by helping students take ownership of their behavior) in an urban elementary school that included students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Overall, aggressive acts among students with and without EBD decreased…

Reports on a revisit to the Frank Lloyd Wright Middle School, which implemented strategies to deal with disciplinary problems. The school continues to progress towards creating the type of reclaiming environment necessary to ensure the needs of all students. Strategies used include alternatives to zero tolerance policy; smaller teams of students;…

This study examined effects of an intervention (planned play, use of conversational social interaction strategies, and evaluation of play strategies) on the social-communicative interactions of six preschool children at risk for language delays and behavior problems. The intervention led to increases in social communicative behaviors, use of…

This article describes the Effective Academic and Behavioral Intervention and Supports (EABIS) program, a comprehensive inservice professional development program that provides direct support to schools as they engage in a team-based problem solving process of self-evaluation, implementation of systems change, and selection of prevention-based…

Studies have often shown that while teachers may leave the field because of low pay or societal views toward education, another reason teachers choose to leave is student behavior. On a daily basis, teachers, either inexperienced or experienced, face a multitude of behavioral issues in their classrooms. These behavioral issues may range from the…

Cognitive interventions have been shown to promote learning and confront behavioral challenges among youth. Many programs report to reduce violence and aggression among youth. Positive interventions with a solid evidence base offer the most promising strategies to address behavioral problems with youth. Six model evidence-based interventions…

Using data from 5,070 youth ages 11 to 18 years old who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, concurrent and longitudinal associations among cumulative risk, protective factors, and youth maladjustment were examined. Cumulative risk was associated with concurrent conduct problems and depressed mood. For conduct…

In this article, a youth who is transformed from a troublemaker to a model student offers his advice on what it takes to reclaim kids like himself. Sections include: (1) The Outside Will; (2) Will Unfolding; (3) The Transition; (4) Potential Realized; (5) A Conversation with the Inside Kid; and (6) Suggestions from the Inside Kid.

This study investigated the immediate impact of an 8-month center- and home-based prevention program for preschoolers at high risk for conduct problems. We report immediate program effects on observed and self-rated parenting practices and observed child behavior with peers. Ninety-nine preschool-age siblings of adjudicated youths and their…

Empirical research shows that poor emotional competence is an early risk factor for the development of psychopathology. Numerous school-based prevention programs have been developed with the goal of decreasing behavior problems. Several of these programs include a discrete emotions component, but none of them are solely or primarily guided by…

Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) was a pioneer in studying the behavior of children in their natural life space of family, school, peer group, and community. His concept of the ecology of human development is transforming practice for effective work with children and youth. Bronfenbrenner's research highlights the power of human relationships to…

An ongoing challenge that both classroom and physical education teachers face on a daily basis is how to organize and manage large groups of students. This is particularly true in many urban settings where classrooms and gymnasiums are typically understaffed and/or under equipped. Educators in these settings often struggle with how to minimize…