Background: There is a growing emphasis of evidence-based program requirements being integrated into social welfare policies for youth care services in the U.S. This trend highlights the need for increased practitioner understanding and involvement in the research process to develop and implement evidence-based programs for youth with emotional…

This report is a review of the alternative education literature, which is scattered across three topic areas--dropout prevention, special education, and at-risk youth. Books and articles for this review were chosen to provide a view of the literature from the beginning of the modern alternative movement, generally considered to be the 1960s, to…

This article reviews youth violence literature and discusses relevant psychosocial risk factors, treatment approaches, prevention programs, and recommendations. Research indicates violent behavior is linked with multiple psychosocial factors and that the most effective treatment and prevention programs are those that address the multiple factors…

This article explores common, recurrent themes in the development of our understanding of approaches to emotional and behavioral disorders. It identifies the following eternal verities: behavior can change, intervention is second to prevention, instructional reactions, transparency in communications, empathy and equity, boundaries and challenges,…

This special theme issue of the journal "Perceptions" is devoted to the topic of prosocial skills training for emotionally disturbed and behavior disordered children and adolescents. Following an introductory editorial by Howard Muscott, Richard Neel discusses factors that impede the development and inclusion of comprehensive social skills…

This report discusses the discipline of students with disabilities in schools, and new provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that allow school personnel to order a change in a student's placement to an interim alternative educational setting (IAES) under certain circumstances. The first section provides a brief…

This monograph describes the unique features of secondary schools and the application of a systems approach to school discipline at the secondary level. The use of effective behavior support (EBS) designed to increase the capacity of schools to educate all students, especially students with behavioral challenges, is highlighted. Critical features…

This monograph focuses on school-based practices and programs that promote safe and drug-free schools. It begins with a description of the key characteristics of schools with effective programs and provides a model for school-wide support. Necessary steps for developing an effective system of universal prevention are listed and include: (1)…

Part of a series on safe, drug-free, and effective schools, this monograph discusses developing school and community partnerships to assist students with behavior problems. It begins by offering a general description of the student with challenging behaviors and the determination of the students placement in the least restrictive environment.…