Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how a Canadian intervention based on a professional development (PD) model did or did not influence schools' capacities to absorb a Healthy School (HS) approach into their operations. This study is the second part of a research project: previously published results regarding this research…

This article addresses Systems Theory as it applies to school-age children's bullying behavior. It focuses on the interrelationships, mutual influences, and dynamics of relationships within the family, and how these may affect children's behavior toward their peers. The theory helps to explain the ways family patterns are reflected in…

This brief summarizes efforts to reform developmental education at Zane State College and the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). Focused on accelerating student success and progress, the two schools pursued distinctive approaches to reform that aligned with their institutional missions and student populations. Recognizing that the…

In 2006, the Hawai'i State Department of Health (DOH) received the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF-SIG) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to establish a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable substance abuse prevention infrastructure in Hawai'i. The SPF-SIG Project is funded…

"Formative assessment is a powerful learning tool that is too seldom, too haphazardly, and too ineffectively used in the United States," Pendred E. Noyce writes in the introduction to this volume. "The purpose of this book is to delve into why this is so and how it can be changed." Formative assessment involves constantly monitoring student…

In its 2002 report, foremost among the recommendations of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's Task Force on College Drinking is that "to achieve a change in culture, schools must intervene at three levels: at the individual-student level, at the level of the entire student body, and at the community level. Research conducted…

In 1997, Minnesota became the first state in the nation to pass legislation establishing an education and support program for family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care providers. This article describes the Minnesota Family, Friend and Neighbor Grant Program and findings from an evaluation of the programs and a curriculum scan of materials used in…

Many youth are at risk for failure in school due to various school, family, and community characteristics. To provide more support for youth at risk, school-based mentoring programs have become increasingly popular. However, this seemingly simple intervention is actually quite complex and must be implemented with integrity and fidelity. Although…

Living in the Adirondack Park and being an avid outdoorsman has often resulted in the author's love of the outdoors working its way into class projects. In 2010, the author gave a group of 25 students in grades 9-12 a challenge that required them to design and construct a prototype inexpensive, lightweight kayak for backpackers and fisherman. In…

Since 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have trained over 10,000 service providers from more than 5,000 agencies to implement evidence-based HIV prevention interventions through its Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions DEBI) program. Based on in-depth, semistructured interviews with a convenience sample of 22 HIV…

A freak blizzard, a mentally ill and armed student, a record-breaking flood. No matter how idyllic a campus may feel, no matter how cocooned the ivory tower, disaster can strike. If a campus is unprepared, it comes like a sucker punch, potentially turning a crisis into a tragedy of unimagined proportions--and causing reverberations that will be…

Objective: To examine an organizational level perspective of the process of adopting Web-based tailored nutrition and physical activity programs for community college students. Methods: In this qualitative study, 21 individual key informant interviews of community college student services and health center administrators were used to examine…

In the midst of a generalised HIV and AIDS epidemic in southern Africa, the argument for more coordinated and comprehensive youth sexual health interventions is intensifying. Yet the crucial question of "how best" to provide young people with these skills and knowledge remains a key challenge for policy-makers, researchers and…

Many universities rely on data gathered from tests that are low stakes for examinees but high stakes for the various programs being assessed. Given the lack of consequences associated with many collegiate assessments, the construct-irrelevant variance introduced by unmotivated students is potentially a serious threat to the validity of the…

The International Baccalaureate[R] (IB) world, known as "the IB World," is doubling in size every five years. The IB has become a complex educational product, but offers high levels of consistency and reliability in terms of delivery and assessment. However, since late 2008, a number of concerns have been raised about the quality and manageability…