Discusses how a five-year longitudinal study of 61 basic writers suggest little correlation between the first-year course and overall success in college. Notes the much lower long-term success rate for African-American basic writers who passed the basic writing course. Suggests that reading is a stronger determinant of college success for at-risk…

A study of 128 general education teachers found that teachers' efficacy beliefs for instructing students with learning and behavior problems had a direct effect on their perceived success in instructing mainstreamed special education students. Teacher efficacy also mediated the influence of self-perceptions related to the quality of preservice…

A study examined the academic success and retention of 213 first-year female African-American students at a historically black, private, liberal arts college in the Southeast. The women were surveyed concerning their preparation and readiness for college during their first weeks on campus, and responses were compared with actual academic…

Discusses the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as a possible admission barrier for women returning to graduate school, including data from an informal survey of ten universities in the southeastern United States. The validity of the exams for this population is examined, and alternatives are suggested for identifying older adult women who would…

Variables influencing the attitudes of 678 teachers and 847 parents of students without disabilities toward the inclusion of students with mental retardation were investigated. Special education teachers were the most favorable, teachers with inclusion experience had a more positive attitude, and parents with average-to-high socioeconomic status…

Describes a journal-based orientation course at a small, public two-year technical college. Reports on a study of 160 students which found that the orientation-course grade was a better predictor of student success (as measured by timely graduation and grade point average) than high school rank and far superior to the American College Testing…

Examined Chinese sixth-graders' sociability and prosocial orientation and adjustment at age 12 and 2 years later. Found that: (1) prosocial orientation predicted social and school adjustment and externalizing problems; (2) sociability uniquely predicted internalizing problems and emotional adjustment; and (3) prosocial orientation and sociability…

This study examined factors associated with better employment outcomes for young people with disabilities, especially young women. Factors predicting better outcomes included having two or more job experiences while in high school and having used the self-family-friend network to find their postschool job. Some factors, such as low household…

Using the National Longitudinal Transition Study database, this study explored predictors of postschool employment for 412 youth with severe emotional disturbances. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that basic skills, competence, and graduation from high school increased individual chances for employment. School variables such as…

Used growth modeling to examine relationship of early parenting to cognitive, language, and social development from 6 to 40 months in full-term and very low birth weight (medically low or high risk) children. Found that behaviors that were sensitive to children's focus of interest and did not highly control or restrict their behaviors predicted…

Examined whether previous classroom grades were as useful as standardized test scores for identifying students likely to fail the Ohio Ninth Grade Proficiency Test. Analyzes letter grades received by 99 freshmen attending a small, rural high school. Classroom teachers' own grades proved as useful as standardized scores. (14 references) (MLH)

Examined the relation of direct parental management of peer relationships with young adolescents' and their best friends' antisocial behavior and academic achievement. Found that subjects reporting higher levels of parental monitoring reported lower levels of drug use and delinquency. As hypothesized, patterns of results for perceptions of…

Presents data on personal, family, peer, and school factors associated with preadolescent students manifesting anger-related problems at school. Results indicate that cumulative positive and negative experiences at home, in school, and with peers have a major impact on the frequency and intensity of anger experienced at school. Urges school…

A survey of 7,848 seventh-, ninth-, and eleventh-grade students on high-risk behaviors found that student school experiences explained more variance than ethnicity. Low academic grades, observation and threat of violence, drug use, and perceived lack of adult and peer support were experiential factors associated with involvement in high-risk…

To assess factors affecting parental relinquishment of infants with Down syndrome, a study was conducted of infants with Down syndrome who were born in Israel during 1979-1983 and 1987-1991. Overall relinquishment rate was 25 percent. Major influencing factors were mother's age, birth order, infant health status, and study periods. (Contains…