An evaluation of a successful summer camp for youth with developmental disabilities (Camp Horizons) identifies practices that should work well in other youth programs. The natural, personalized setting favors worthwhile relationships with satisfying human bonds. The ecological evaluation approach is also explored. (SLD)

Posits that theater can be a transforming experience. Describes a program, "Write on the Edge," run by the Manhattan Theatre Club which attempts to formalize and institutionalize theater's potential to alter the course of young people's lives. Notes that students are drawn from New York city jails and alternative high schools. Concludes…

Special education for students with emotional and behavioral disorders has a substantial history. The most effective programs feature systematic, databased interventions, continuous assessment and monitoring of progress, specifically matched and multicomponent treatment, provision for guided practice of academic and social skills, programming for…

Two operant speech treatment programs for establishing fluent speech--Delayed Auditory Feedback and Gradual Increase in Length and Complexity of Utterance--were compared, with 24 elementary-secondary level students. Both programs produced important improvement in fluency in a reasonable time period and resulted in similar levels of transfer and…

An overview of the current literature in support of and against full inclusion is presented, along with interview responses about full inclusion from two parents, three teachers, and two principals. None of the respondents favored serving students exclusively in general education settings regardless of disability. (SW)

Colorado College is reconsidering its block scheduling, in which students take eight immersion courses consecutively within the academic year, rather than taking several courses concurrently. Advantages of block scheduling include more intensive instruction and increased student focus on subject matter. Some students and faculty are concerned that…

Analysis of transcript data from the National Education Longitudinal Study 1988 Eighth Graders Second Followup found no significant impact of vocational education on math, science, or reading achievement. Vocational education in the first two years of high school may indirectly affect drop-out. Agriculture and technical/communications courses…

The history of the Youth Training Programme (YTP) in Northern Ireland indicates that employers take a very short-term view of training; that YTP is unpopular with youth, parents, and educators and is viewed as a substitute for work; and that YTP fails to provide high-quality training in skills needed in the economy. (JOW)

Describes a project at St. Cloud State University (Minnesota) designed to increase the quality of career counseling services while coping with the constraints of diminished staffing and monetary resources. Mock Interview Day is a program that provides each student with an opportunity to have a practice interview with an experienced recruiter from…

A study at an established private Montessori school in a diverse suburb revealed strong achievement gains by students on the Stanford Achievement Test, which was administered to 36 students every year from second through eighth grade. Concludes that Montessori elementary education can take high achieving students and produce even higher academic…

Presents two interrelated stories: one concerning the author's struggles to become an effective teacher of psychology, and the second about the University of New Hampshire's graduate program in psychology and its emphasis on research and teaching. The program's two-semester Seminar and Practicum in the Teaching of Psychology is detailed, and data…

Interviews with 10 principals of schools collaborating with cooperative extension on at-risk youth programs suggested the following elements of successful collaborations: local support from extension, elementary school targeting, community partners, little impact on budgets, flexibility to meet individual school needs, and schools having…

This study assessed the ability of 45 young adults, who had graduated from a campus-based, comprehensive transition program for individuals with learning disabilities, to manage the demands of independent living and competitive employment. The study examined employment and living arrangement stability, support systems commonly used, and specific…

Comparison of matriculated freshmen from 1988 and 1989 at the University of Washington found that those students participating in the Freshman Interest Group (200 students from 1988 and 435 students from 1989) were more likely to stay in a competitive course, had higher grade point averages, and were less likely to drop out of college than…

Explores the historical development of mentoring and several current critical issues in mentoring: purpose and process, characteristics of mentors, the establishment and duration of mentoring relationships, and mentoring for women and minorities. Notes that personnel in academic settings need to consider these issues when implementing a mentoring…