School social workers aid the process of parental involvement with the schools. Parents need services from social workers so their relations with the school will have positive influences on the child's learning. The social and academic adjustment of high risk children depends on this essential link. (VM)

A coat was adapted for a 20-year-old severely handicapped woman to control her practice of "mouthing" her hands and clothing. Velcro strips attached to the coat held the student's arms down long enough to allow for differential reinforcement of appropriate behavior, which successfully reduced the rate of mouthing. (JDD)

This paper defines social withdrawal from a social skills perspective and presents a fourfold classification system of children's social skills deficits. The paper reviews the literature in discussing assessment procedures; social skills training strategies (modeling, coaching, peer-mediated interventions, and group contingencies); and…

Discusses community-based programs which have shown promise of enhancing the democratic governance of schools and increasing the school system's resource bases. Describes three types of programs in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kansas City, Missouri: school-community advisory councils, school-business linkages, and government-agency partnerships. (KH)

Teachers can foster open communication and parental involvement through use of a daily reportcard system for students with academic or behavior problems. Suggestions are provided for: gathering baseline data; identifying areas of concern; designing the report format; selecting reinforcers; conducting student conferences; implementing the system;…

The SOBR observation technique was used to observe reading instruction in special education resource room programs for mildly disabled students. Disabled and nondisabled students in regular classrooms were also observed. There were considerable differences in reading instruction across programs and students. The amount of reading instruction was…

Data drawn from a qualitative study of teachers' perceptions of work stress is presented. Linkages between teacher stress and teacher performance are firmly established. Study data are discussed in terms of the Performance Adaptation Syndrome, a term used to describe the deleterious effects of prolonged work stress on instructional ability.…

Forty-five principals were interviewed concerning their experiences with and perceptions about serious incidents of teacher misconduct. The principals protected the image of the school by heading off, dampening, and containing the incidents. They preferred to resolve incidents in-house, but resorted to formal sanctions when necessary. (Author/DC)

A conceptual model for school-based personality assessment, methods to integrate behavioral and projective assessment procedures, and issues surrounding the use of projective tests are presented. Ways to maximize the personality assessment process for use in placement and programing decisions are suggested. (Author/DWH)

Reviews 11 new young adult novels. Suggests that too many works in this genre glamorize adolescent problems instead of dealing realistically with them. (RBW)

Postulates that the use of competition and directed cooperation to maintain orderly classrooms discriminates against those less able to compete. Suggests the use of group projects to foster cooperation and enhance student discipline and morale. (CJM)

A questionnaire given to parents, teachers, and principals of middle-school students shows general consistency among the three groups in ranking student behavior problems--except on student use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, which is ranked high by parents but low by school authorities. (JW)

This book presents highlights from the February 2004 Forum. It is a highly informative resource on the discussions of implementing and maintaining student support systems in different environments. It provides perspectives on helping to achieve student success for students with emotional and behavioral problems.

This book is just what many educators have been looking for: (1) A product that provides teachers with practical and sensible solutions for students' problems with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity; (2) A resource for teachers, behavior specialists, psychologists, counselors, and administrators who must document interventions; (3) A tool…