This study examined relations among cortisol reactivity and measures of cognitive function and social behavior in 4- to 5-year-old children (N=169) attending Head Start. Saliva samples for the assay of cortisol were collected at the beginning, middle, and end of an approximately 45-min testing session. Moderate increase in cortisol followed by…

Pressures to improve test scores and avoid lawsuits are causing many schools to cut back play time. According to the American Association for the Child's Right to play, nearly 40% of the nation's 16,000 school districts have either modified, deleted, or are considering deleting recess. Moreover, where playtime does still exist, it has become…

A group of fifth-grade students who had persistent problems at lunch and recess were identified and provided with direct instruction in pro-social skills. These skills were taught by the authors in a two-week program that they called the "Alternative to Lunch Program for Students" (ALPS). This action research study measured the impact of…

Discusses the difficulties that students who are culturally/linguistically diverse or students with learning disabilities have in learning "how to do school." Components of learning to do school are described, as well as an ethnographic study of regular and special education students who were learning to do school in inclusive settings. (Author/CR)

Examined the role of same-sex peer interactions in influencing early school competence and the degree to which effortful control (EC) moderated these relations. Results indicated that EC, measured at the end of the Fall semester, moderated the relations of children's same-sex play to their school competence, measured at the end of the following…

Emotional intelligence involves a cluster of skills, including self-control, zeal, persistence, and self-motivation. Every child must be taught the essentials of handling anger, managing conflicts, developing empathy, and controlling impulses. Schools must help children recognize and manage their emotions. Educators should model emotional…

Contends that discipline is a subject to be taught, just as reading and mathematics are taught. Advocates establishment of an ongoing curriculum in self-control, social participation, and human development. Considers nonviolence as a core curriculum and views discipline as conflict resolution. (NB)

This article describes a primary prevention program designed to deter aggression and promote social competence of children from preschool through Grade 9. The curriculum is organized around three areas of social-emotional competency: empathy, social problem-solving, and anger management. Instructional strategies and supportive school contexts are…

Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (E/BD) often display one or more of the following characteristics: (1) an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors; (2) an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers or teachers; (3) inappropriate types of behavior or…

Like its two predecessors, "Preventing School Dropouts" [C1991] and "Preventing School Failure" [C2000], this third edition is a book about teaching. Although primarily written for teachers, tutors and parents may also find this book helpful. It is a collection of carefully selected teaching techniques aimed at helping young adults learn important…

The Incredible Years parent and classroom interventions were evaluated for the first time in elementary schools. Culturally diverse, socioeconomically disadvantaged schools were randomly assigned to intervention or control (CON). In intervention schools, all children received a 2-year classroom intervention beginning in kindergarten. In addition,…

Emotion scripts provide children with culturally meaningful emotional experiences and plans of action for managing feelings and the circumstances surrounding emotional experiences. In an effort to understand how developing children acquire these emotion scripts, two studies described here investigated how children deploy emotion scripts to manage…

This paper describes Project Self-Responsibility, an innovative approach to reaching African-American male at-risk students and helping them become more self responsible, self determined, self reliant, and self productive. This 1-year project involved 32 students from 1 elementary and 2 high schools in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The project utilized…

This publication features articles on prevention of school violence and the development of student self-discipline. It describes programs to help students at risk socially and academically. Practical and promising approaches to positive behavioral interventions and strategies are presented in a step-by-step format. Approaches to school discipline…

Describes using behavior maps to help students identify and change nonadaptive patterns of interaction with adults and peers. Strategies are presented for developing and using behavior maps, and three examples of behavior maps of differing complexity are provided. Evaluation of behavior mapping efforts is also discussed. (CR)