Selecting an effective prevention program for a comprehensive intervention can be a daunting task. Not only must the program address the specific needs and assets of the defined population, but also there should be a level of confidence about its ability to produce positive outcomes regardless of differing settings and differing populations. The…

This paper reports on a study that investigated the managerial behavior of a principal for 16 consecutive days in a rural elementary school setting in Northeastern Mississippi. According to available literature, no previously reported study has used direct observation to study an elementary school principal at work for longer than a week. Four…

This brief uses data from the 1997 National Survey of America's Families to examine whether children living with their mothers and their mothers' boyfriends (who are not related to the children) are any better or worse off than children living with just a single mother. The brief also compares outcomes for children living in families in which…

This investigation reports the development of a measure of adolescent connectedness and estimates of its psychometric properties. A measure was developed to assess the ecological and developmental dimensions of adolescent connectedness, defined as adolescents' caring for and involvement in specific relationships and contexts within their social…

This paper addresses the different characteristics of children with hyperlexia, high functioning autism, and Asperger's Syndrome. It describes the pattern of development of 20 children with the characteristics of hyperlexia (precocious reading development and disordered language acquisition, accompanied with concomitant social and behavioral…

Asserting that 13 million U.S. children live in households with limited or uncertain access to sufficient food, this report highlights recent findings showing the adverse consequences of hunger and food insecurity for children. The findings are grouped into three broad areas: health consequences, psychosocial and behavioral impacts, and learning…

The knowledgeable professional who works with special children recognizes that the parents of special children have an important effect in the children's development. The paper states that in China, parent involvement in special children's education has been limited by the parents' need to work and their lack of counseling experience with special…

This study assessed 133 preservice teachers' emotional and disciplinary responses to kindergarten children's misbehavior. Subjects were presented with hypothetical scenarios of two types: those warranting direct adult management and those warranting indirect adult management. Subjects rated levels of their own negative affect and the perceived…

In 1995, the Texas legislature established a policy that each school district must have an "alternative educational setting for behavioral management." This policy brief examines the ways in which this idea has been implemented in Texas, using data from the Texas Education Agency. Findings show that, for the most part, these alternative…

The strengths and weaknesses of five highly publicized ideas in education are noted. The first is the idea of heterogeneous grouping. Advocates seem to think that there is no room for homogeneous grouping of students by ability, but both plans should be used because in society, individuals interact with others regardless of ability but they also…

This paper describes the development of the fourth and latest version of the Teacher Variance Inventory-IV (TVI-IV). It was designed to improve the psychometric properties of the TVI and explore other characteristics that enable the TVI to be used for teacher consultation. The TVI-IV is a self-report measure based on Teacher Variance theory, a…

This paper describes the implementation and evaluation of a social competence promotion program conducted in the sixth grade of a middle school. The need to increase social competence within the school arose from the results of enumerative and stakeholder data collected at the school. This paper outlines the steps of the needs assessment, program…

Discusses the legal and ethical problems associated with the role school officials often play in having drugs prescribed for so-called "hyperactive" children, or in reminding them to take medications that have already been prescribed for them. (WM)

Treats various state's laws on corporal punishment in schools as it affects students and teachers. Recommends that corporal punishment be used only as self-defense measure. (DS)