A child with a disability who has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Accommodation Plan may need extra help and support to participate in school. It takes thoughtful planning to choose adaptations, based on a child's disability, to help the child learn or have access to learning. Appropriate accommodations vary with…

This brief summarizes ideas generated at an invitational meeting in October 2000 to explore strategies for bridging gaps among child health researchers, practitioners, and policymakers and to move toward a more efficient, collaborative, child health research system. Following an introduction, the brief is presented in four sections. The first…

The Media Ethics division of the proceedings contains the following 6 papers: "A Masochist's Teapot: Where to Put the Handle in Media Ethics" (Thomas W. Hickey); "Stalker-razzi and Sump-pump Hoses: The Role of the Media in the Death of Princess Diana" (Elizabeth Blanks Hindman); "The Promise and Peril of Anecdotes in News…

Noting that there is a growing body of evidence supporting the many connections between cognitive competence and high-quality pretend play, this article defines the cluster of concepts related to pretend play and cognition, and briefly synthesizes the latest research on the role of such play in children's cognitive, social, and academic…

In 2000, a study entitled "Youth in Decision-Making: A Study on the Impacts of Youth on Adults and Organizations," examined organizations that actively involved youth in decision making roles and found that adults and organizations had experienced significant positive changes as a result. Building on focus groups and interviews conducted…

University forensic programs offer original opportunities for small group communication research. Scholars have been calling for research in a naturalistic setting. A prime place for these studies exists in academic departments, within forensic programs. Forensic programs meet the standards set forth by prominent scholars for effective small group…

A study examined eight best-selling hybrid texts for public speaking or speech communication courses, looking at how each text is organized, what the focus is, which topics are included, how many pages are dedicated to each topic, which pedagogical features are incorporated into each text, and what ancillaries are available with each text. The…

This report constitutes one of the first activities of the Forum on Adolescence, a cross-cutting activity of the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academies. Established under the auspices of the Board on Children, Youth, and Families, the forum's overarching mission is to synthesize, analyze, and evaluate…

Research continues to provide valuable information about the effects of welfare changes on families receiving public assistance. This working paper is the second in a series of three examining what has been learned since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. Following an introduction…

Most, if not all research on communication apprehension (CA) in Japan has been theory driven. While a theory driven approach may be useful to help understand certain aspects of CA in Japan, a ground-up approach offers the opportunity to understand in depth, the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of those who suffer from CA. This paper reports the…

There is increasing concern among child care providers and states as to whether the methodology and data collection mechanisms of the various market rate surveys used by each state accurately capture the rates charged by child care providers. This paper examines issues related to market rate surveys as the customary method of determining…

Participants at a conference on educational research discussed their priorities to determine whether a shared agenda could be developed for educational research in New Zealand. The conference papers are: (1) "Connecting Research and Practice: Buying In or Selling Out" (Barry McGaw) (keynote address); (2) "In Response to Barry…

Research continues to provide valuable information about the effects of welfare changes on families receiving public assistance. This working paper is the third in a series of three examining what has been learned since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. Following an introduction…

In October of 2000 more than 30 researchers, policymakers, practitioners, school leaders, and other specialists in the field of fathers and families gathered to convene the National Center on Fathers and Families (NCOFF) Roundtable on Fathering and Family Processes. Themes emerging from the roundtable discussion included: refining concepts of…

This Digest discusses teaching interdisciplinary thematic units in language arts, noting that such units typically integrate broad areas of knowledge, such as social studies, mathematics, or ecology with the teaching of the four major language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The Digest presents a definition and rationale for…