A description is given of the Classroom Organization and Management Program, designed to help teachers in grades 1-9 and staff developers improve their overall instructional and behavioral management skills through planning, implementing, and maintaining effective classroom practices. It also seeks to improve student task engagement and reduction…

To encourage widespread parental participation in schools, both lay persons and professional staff should understand the primary assumptions which undergird shared efforts to create a unified, effective system of schooling. Proposed practice for an effective schooling system must be related to: (1) democratic concepts and their presumed strengths…

Notes that juvenile justice systems are increasingly turning to law-related education (LRE) programs as a means of providing youths with some of the skills and knowledge which might deter continued delinquent behavior. Describes issues which must be addressed when implementing LRE in juvenile justice settings. (JDH)

Seventh graders (N=161) participated in health education classes consisting of either an innovative smoking education program, the program plus assertiveness training, or a traditional smoking education program. Data collected four years later revealed no significant differences in smoking behavior, changes in assertion, or sex differences among…

An evaluation was conducted of the service-learning-based Community Connection program at Baker Middle School in south Texas to determine whether the program is having an impact on student achievement, attendance, perception toward self, school, and community. Data were collected through a survey of a sample of 120 students from the target…

Three alternative secondary education programs that emphasized individualized instruction and social support for students were found to be influential in reducing disruptive behavior and improving the academic performance of students who were about to be expelled or suspended from school. Social psychological processes that led to program…

Exposed students in four second-grade classes exhibiting disruptive behavior to response cost programs with varying initial reinforcement and fine levels. Results indicated all treatments were highly effective, as all groups underwent maximum behavioral change. Suggests degree of aversiveness of procedure did not appear to be strongly related to…

The relationship between special admissions students' ratings of their skills and their use of campus programs was examined. High ability students participated in campus programs more. The smallest differences in use of campus programs between the ability groups were in areas most directly related to improvement of academic skills. (Author)

Anonymous questionnaires administered to 1283 middle school/high school students and 930 college students revealed that most of these students viewed all types of alcohol intervention programs as somewhat effective in reducing alcohol abuse among youth. Analyses revealed that drinking motivations and behavior produced a significant effect on the…

A grade five through grade eight substance abuse prevention program was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Students received either two years of the program or none. At the end of grade seven, program students' rates of substance use slowed significantly and knowledge of alcohol pressures increased compared to non-program students. (RJM)

Evaluated the effectiveness of peace education efforts in eight classrooms in four urban elementary schools, comparing the Montessori and Second Step approaches to peace education. Found that the Montessori approach produced the most peaceful classroom due to the democratic, student-centered, holistic nature of Montessori education. (MDM)

Discusses the effectiveness of a group self-management procedure (involving opportunity to perform a behavior, performance self-assessment, matching with the teacher, and reinforcement contingent on a student-teacher match) for increasing the on-task behavior of four disruptive preschool boys. Presents results regarding child engagement behavior,…

Examined the impact of a school-based substance abuse prevention program on alternative high school students' risk for violence. Analysis of students followed over 12 months indicated that there was a higher risk for victimization among male control students. No intervention effect was observed for female students or for perpetration among males.…

In many middle schools, poor student lunchtime behaviour is an ongoing problem. Such behaviour can have a detrimental effect on a school's climate and culture, which can in turn degrade the quality of learning that occurs in the classroom. As a result, improving students' lunchtime behaviour should be a priority for staff. One solution is to make…

Few mental health initiatives for young children have used classroom programs. Preschool-based efforts targeting externalizing behavior could help prevent conduct disorders. Additional benefits may include improved academic achievement and reduced risk for other mental health difficulties. Pro-grams that target multiple developmental domains are…