This article presents a conversation with Agnes Wilcox, Executive Director of Prison Performing Arts in St. Louis, Missouri, about Prison Performing Arts. Although the average person might balk at the notion of interacting with prison inmates, finding it intimidating, worrisome, or self-sacrificial, for Wilcox, Prison Performing Arts is a…

This book is the seventh Children's Defense Fund report on major problems facing American children at risk of placement or already placed out of their homes. The findings are based on a survey of child welfare and probation offices in a stratified random sample of 140 counties (27 with populations over 300,000, and 113 with populations under…

Faculty members in various Illinois universities work cooperatively in implementing and refining a program of teacher identification of problems of pupils which limit and handicap their progress in school. The Student Needs Assessment Program (SNAP) requires a high level of professional commitment from both teachers and the principal. Teachers use…

In a survey commissioned by the Hamilton Fish Institute, Education Law Center (ELC), surveyed key national education stakeholder groups to determine their position on zero tolerance student discipline policies and school safety, and whether the organizations are involved in any work on zero tolerance policies. Implementation of these policies is…

A study examined the effects of rational-emotive therapy (RET) and visualization as interventions to reduce communication apprehension as measured by the Personal Report of Communication Anxiety-25. Forty-seven undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of three groups: RET, visualization, or an attention-placebo group. The RET group…

This bibliography was compiled in conjunction with a research project that conducted a meta-analysis of the developmental disabilities treatment literature dealing with the deceleration of excess behaviors. It lists 318 relevant articles published between January 1976 and December 1987 in 18 psychology and special education journals. The articles…

This report presents data and findings on the economic impact of Job Corps on its participants and analyses of the program's benefits in relation to its costs. Findings are based on postprogram experience of individuals enrolled in the Job Corps in 1977, compared to a group of disadvantaged youth not in the program. The first three chapters…

Investigated in a longitudinal study were the variables affecting the efficacy of a token economy used with 16 institutionalized severely and profoundly mentally retarded males (16-24 years old) exhibiting disruptive behaviors. (Author/CL)

The Minnesota Model of Chemical Dependency Treatment, which evolved from a combination of the grassroots Alcoholics Anonymous movement and the State Mental Health Services in the 1960s has made Minnesota an international leader in chemical dependency treatment efforts. Northeastern Minnesota has shared this reputation with the state. In spite of…

The effect of a combined teacher-parent behavior management program on inappropriate behaviors in the school and in the homes of five preschool handicapped children is evaluated. The teacher/trainer collaborated with the parents to select a target behavior (finger chewing, cup throwing, screaming, spitting, hand licking) for each child. Training…

A licensed counselor working in a privately owned mental health facility implemented a practicum study designed to improve the parenting skills and quality of family communication in families with children between 3 and 14 years of age. Practicum goals were to: (1) give parents information that would improve their parenting skills; and (2)…

This report provides an overview of research findings on major Federal welfare system design issues. The report is based on: a review of 100 major welfare studies completed since 1975; interviews with Federal, State, and local welfare officials; the results of the General Accounting Office's (GAO) welfare work; and an analysis of the Census…

This article focuses on interpersonal problem solving as a way of enhancing the social competence of young children. While many children acquire strategies for interacting positively with others and need no specific intervention, some children have difficulty in acquiring or displaying successful interpersonal problem solving skills. When children…

In recent years, Delaware has begun several welfare reform programs that have a direct impact on early childhood development. But even the best preschool and early education programs are not enough to ensure that at-risk kids will become educated and self-confident adults. The prevailing view that early childhood care and education begins at birth…

ISFAR (Intensive Services to Families at Risk Project), a program designed to prevent foster care among children at risk for placement because of documented or suspected abuse or neglect, is described, and its effectiveness evaluated. ISFAR's staffing patterns, guiding philosophy of helping parents become more adequate in their interaction with…