School engagement is an important predictor of graduation. One strategy to enhance student engagement is mentoring. Check & Connect is a structured mentoring program that has resulted in favorable outcomes for many students, including those with emotional and behavioral disorders. Effectiveness, however, depends on the quality of the…

Using large-sample, archival data from the state of South Carolina's juvenile justice agency, we examine the question of race differences in predictors of repeat offending for a sample of approximately 100,000 youth who had been referred for criminal offenses. Independent variables relating to background, adverse parenting, mental health,…

Concern is growing over the limited academic progress in special education students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD). We know little about how academic and behavioral factors interact in these students to affect their academic functioning. Therefore, potential associations were investigated over the course of one school year for…

The purpose of this study was to determine the most effective of three instructional methods for teaching mathematics to secondary students with emotional and behavioral disorders. A single-subject alternating-treatments research design was used to compare three instructional methods: direct teach, computer-assisted instruction, and a combination…

Analysis of scores of 469 third to sixth graders on the Children's Tolerance Scale yielded significant grade level differences with older children generally the most tolerant. The more outer-directed behaviors were rated as most disturbing. (CL)

Teacher-completed Behavior Problem Checklists on 727 behaviorally disordered younger and older boys and girls were factor-analyzed. Results confirmed the primacy and pervasiveness of aggression-disruption or conduct disorder among factors that classify children as behaviorally disordered. Also consistently found for all age groups was a factor…

Results of a survey of 730 teachers of the behaviorally disordered indicated that 70 percent used timeout procedures as a behavior management strategy, that teachers of younger children used the technique more frequently, and that physical and verbal aggression were the behaviors most frequently resulting in timeout. (Author/DB)

Behaviorally disordered (N=727) and nonhandicapped (N=1116) students of three age levels were assessed for adjustment problems, using a teacher-completed checklist. Results showed that on most checklist items significantly more behaviorally disordered students experienced problems than nonhandicapped students. Among the behaviorally disordered Ss,…

A discriminant analysis of characteristics of students with behavioral disorders in three progressively more intensive placements indicated that age at time of diagnosis was the strongest discriminating variable contributing to placement outcomes. Younger, brighter students tended to be mainstreamed, and older students with more externalizing…

Comparison of teacher perceptions of either behaviorally disordered or socially normal students (total N=410 and ages between 8 and 15) indicated teachers perceived more prosocial behavior by normal, female, and older subjects. Teachers perceived an increase in negative social behavior for normal secondary-age students but not for behaviorally…

Resource and special class teachers of learning disabled (LD) and behaviorally disordered elementary and secondary students rated behaviorally disordered Ss as exhibiting more of five patterns of deviant behavior than LD Ss. Secondary Ss exhibited more rule breaking than elementary Ss; and special class Ss, more anxious, fearful behavior than…

Of 124 students (ages 5-15) with behavioral/emotional problems, 38 percent were identified as also having learning disabilities and an additional 17.8 percent as having learning problems. The incidence of learning disabilities decreased with age, but that of learning problems remained stable regardless of age groupings. (DB)

A study investigated variables that differentiated 75 successful and 76 unsuccessful students (ages 6-16) with serious emotional disturbances (SED). Four variables emerged as significant predictors of the unsuccessful outcome group: increasing enrollment age, presence of conduct or opposition disorder, lower verbal IQ, and absence of depressive or…

Teacher ratings on reading recognition, reading comprehension, arithmetic, and written expression revealed that behaviorally disordered and learning-disabled adolescents (N=200) were seen as performing significantly below expected levels of achievement. Differences between behaviorally disordered and learning-disabled students appeared to depend…

A study of 209 youngsters (ages 5-20) with emotional and/or behavior disorders examined perceptions of traits of so-called good teachers, including personality traits, respectful treatment of students, behavior management practices, and instructional skills. African-American students perceived personality traits and respectful treatment of…