School social workers aid the process of parental involvement with the schools. Parents need services from social workers so their relations with the school will have positive influences on the child's learning. The social and academic adjustment of high risk children depends on this essential link. (VM)

This paper defines social withdrawal from a social skills perspective and presents a fourfold classification system of children's social skills deficits. The paper reviews the literature in discussing assessment procedures; social skills training strategies (modeling, coaching, peer-mediated interventions, and group contingencies); and…

Discusses community-based programs which have shown promise of enhancing the democratic governance of schools and increasing the school system's resource bases. Describes three types of programs in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kansas City, Missouri: school-community advisory councils, school-business linkages, and government-agency partnerships. (KH)

The SOBR observation technique was used to observe reading instruction in special education resource room programs for mildly disabled students. Disabled and nondisabled students in regular classrooms were also observed. There were considerable differences in reading instruction across programs and students. The amount of reading instruction was…

Reviews 11 new young adult novels. Suggests that too many works in this genre glamorize adolescent problems instead of dealing realistically with them. (RBW)

One notable gap in the evolving literature on bullying and victimization during early adolescence is the role that peers play in promoting such behavior by either reinforcing the aggressor, failing to intervene to stop the victimization, or affiliating with students who bully. This Digest looks at the limited research available on the role of the…

This paper is a review of current research on the effects of children's exposure to domestic violence in the home in regard to their psychological well-being. Specific areas of focus include studies that examine general effects of witnessing domestic violence, the presence of trauma-like and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, potential…

This policy brief describes children from "Welfare, Children and Families: A Three-City Study," using data from the first wave of the study which involved a random-sample survey of about 2,400 low-income children and their caregivers (mainly mothers) in low-income neighborhoods. Researchers collected information from mothers on their…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Linkages to Learning (LTL) model of service delivery on the behavior of 119 students, 73 in a school receiving LTL services and the remainder attending a matched control school in Montgomery County, Maryland. LTL is a model for collaborative, school-based delivery of an array of mental health, social…

This book is intended to help parents and professionals understand the communication difficulties of children and adults who do not speak, including those with autism spectrum disorders. The first four chapters describe typical characteristics of nonverbal individuals and offer examples of the authors' approach to communication and the…

This paper describes Camp Ramah, a residential summer camp in Central Ontario that offers a one month program for adolescents with developmental disabilities. Up to 15 special needs campers, ages 12-25, participate with up to 400 campers and 150 staff in a residential camping experience. Most campers have mild to moderate mental retardation, some…

This study examined the extent to which an After-School Peer Tutoring (ASPT) program in a rural southeastern school district was effective in elevating achievement levels of 89 at-risk middle school students enrolled in the program for one semester. End-of-semester grade was used as a measure of performance. The study also analyzed indicators of…

The time for school psychologists to invest concentrated and intensive intervention is when students are very young and still in general education settings. This paper presents suggestions on ways to accomplish this through data collection, design of an intervention, staff training, modifying an intervention, and teamwork. To illustrate the…

School violence is an increasingly serious problem, especially in big cities and public schools. This publication surveys popular methods of violence prevention and divides them into three classes: school-management measures, environmental modification, and educational and curriculum-based measures. The review also considers structural conditions…

Prepared in support of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), which will examine children's early school experiences beginning with kindergarten, this working paper focuses on research regarding the measurement of young children's social competence, adaptive behavior, and approaches to learning. The paper reviews the key variables and…