Eric Hanushek and Steven Rivkin examine how salary and working conditions affect the quality of instruction in the classroom. The wages of teachers relative to those of other college graduates have fallen steadily since 1940. Today, average wages differ little, however, between urban and suburban districts. In some metropolitan areas urban…

Conduct disorder (CD), primarily a childhood disorder, is associated with oppositional defiance disorder and antisocial personality disorder. Differentiating between the disorders requires a preview of the intensity of the disorder. There are many approaches to treating CD. The traditional approach has been psychoanalytically oriented…

The Peer Helper Program was administered by Substance Prevention, Abuse Rehabilitation, and Knowledge (SPARK). Since its beginning in 1971, SPARK has addressed issues such as drug use, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse and other forms of violence. The Peer Helper Program was designed to train students in the skills required to assist peers…

Those who have dealt with students over a period of years have come to realize that an increasing number of them are disruptive. This book offers alternatives for responding to disruptive students. Solutions are offered from the perspective of a mental health professional with years of experience on a college campus. A code of student conduct is…

In this study, a peer-operated university-based anonymous hotline is a data source for the assessment of student concerns and needs, providing empirical information for prevention-oriented psycho-educational campus programming. This paper covers the collection and assessment of data from the anonymous hotline service of the Middle Earth Peer…

A common misconception about gangs is that they resemble past images of motorcycle riders. Society is now faced with what are called "hybrid" gangs whose members are usually 14 to 16 years of age, who dress conservatively, who display subtle gang identifiers, and who are motivated by a combination of profit and poor family life. This…

Information is provided about the legal developments affecting the educational rights of homeless students that were made by the McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-645). Presented in three parts, Part 1 gives an overview of some of the problems that keep homeless children from attending school or hindering their…

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that for every high school of 2,000 or more students in the United States, there is at least one successful suicide and thirty to fifty attempts each year. This report offers one state's examination of suicide and presents some effective responses to this problem. Discussed are those…

Getting Alternative Information Now (GAIN) is a family-based program designed to prevent/reduce drug and alcohol use/abuse among teenagers and families. The program includes: (1) referrals by school systems to the Family Services Agency of Central Arkansas; (2) clinical needs assessments to determine which program (Early Intervention Program,…

Many students today face barriers to learning such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Others are exposed to violence, substance abuse, or poor relationships in their home and community. North Eugene (Oregon) High School is trying to combat these barriers to learning with anger-management classes. These classes not only stress the…

Returning adult students enrolled in graduate programs at the University of Wisconsin's School of Education and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were studied. The sample of 25 male and 48 female students were 25 years of age and older, U.S. citizens, and had been out of school for 3 years. Students completed a biographical assessment,…

This article describes the role older students can perform in postsecondary education. It examines the reasons adults are attending school and some of the factors contributing to the older studetn's success. Suggestions are also made about ways to meet the needs and desires of older students. (Author/EJT)

This booklet was designed to help school personnel make good use of their opportunities for helping bereaved children directly as well as helping others in the classroom who may have concerns about death upon hearing of another child's loss. It provides necessary information for teachers on how children view death and the nature of bereavement…

Ten University of Montevallo (Alabama) students diagnosed as having learning disabilities were interviewed concerning their feelings about being labeled learning disabled, their strategies for coping with the disability, their outlook for the future, advice for other learning-disabled students, and services offered by the university. Eight of the…

In this project, problem students from grades 9 through 12 attending the only high school in a small West Tennessee town were placed in a small group counseling situation consisting of a mixture of blacks and whites, males and females, from low and middle socioeconomic levels. Counselors and consultants serving as group facilitators included both…