What can parents do to make sure their children with disabilities stay in school and graduate? Be involved. Research shows that one of the most essential strategies for promoting school completion and achievement is family involvement. When families remain involved in their children's middle and high school education, students are more likely to…

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" is an analysis of secondary data obtained from a sample of 9 to 11 year old children receiving outpatient public mental health services in Philadelphia. The…

The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) provides the first national picture of the involvement of families in the educational development of their secondary-school-age children with disabilities. NLTS2 has a nationally representative sample of more than 11,000 students who were ages 13 through 16 and receiving special education…

Counselors whose specialty is marriage and family counseling develop a theoretical and research base and acquire countless hours of experience upon which to base their interventions. Most counselors and other helping professionals whose specialty is in another area do as well as they can lacking specific theoretical concepts and experience from…

This study examined six Beacon centers, which are community centers located in public school buildings that offer a range of activities and services to participants of all ages, before and after school, in the evenings, and on weekends. Individual Beacons are managed by community-based organizations. The study examined how the Beacons provided…

This manual was prepared in response to the overwhelming interest of Head Start staff and other early childhood professionals to presentations of the Parent Involvement Project Intervention at national conferences. The manual presents two strategies designed to help staff better understand and work with parents, especially those perceived to be…

This paper presents the results of a heuristic and interpretive study of a public policy experiment in the criminal justice system, victim offender mediation conferencing. Conferences typically include the victim, the offender, their supporters and family members, and one or more conference facilitators. Participants report high levels of…

A model of family influence that reverses the traditional roles of parents and children is presented to explain the results of a school intervention that narrowed political communication and knowledge gaps between parents of high and low socioeconomic status (SES). Students' exposure to a civics curriculum stimulated adolescent news media use at…

This paper describes the development of a consumer-based program in rural Essex County (New York) for families with children with emotional disorders. Initially, in-depth, in-home interviews were held with 24 families who had children with serious emotional disturbances concerning their service needs and desires. The following needs were expressed…

At the request of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Research and Education Foundation of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy organized a series of 12 panels that focused on family issues in adolescent treatment. In these workshops, panelists discussed the importance of involving the…

Teachers often spend much time attending to the needs of children who are unable to focus attention, get along with other children, control their emotions and behavior, and lack persistence and motivation. During the last few years, many schools and families have begun to move beyond the finger-pointing stage and are developing partnerships to…

This issue of a research journal on gifted education explores issues surrounding gifted children who also have learning disabilities. Specific articles include: (1) "Notes, Quotes, and Anecdotes" (Francis Cartier); (2) "Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities: A Review of the Issues" (Linda E. Brody and Carol J. Mills), which examines current…

Finding effective treatment models for youth in the juvenile justice system with serious emotional, mental health, and behavioral needs can be difficult. The traditional categorical approach that the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems often use places youth in a "one-size-fits-all" program, regardless of the…

Television is ubiquitous--it is seemingly everywhere at once. With its presence felt in nearly every United States household, how it may impact family interaction is worthy of scholarly study. This literature review spans nearly a half-century of television and family communication. The research suggests that television has negative, positive, and…

The "new homeless" of the eighties and nineties are not only more numerous; they are younger, more likely to use drugs, and they exhibit symptoms of mental illness. Homeless mentally ill individuals typically have estranged family relationships and fewer supportive relationships compared with other homeless persons. They typically have…