Examines the effectiveness of a peer mediation program in which 6th-8th grade students (N=30) were trained to serve as mediators for peers in conflict. Mediators' responses to written tests indicated increased knowledge of mediation skills after training. Results reveal that 32 of 34 mediations resulted in satisfactory conflict resolution and that…

Describes the concept of and various forms of professional development in Australia, examining the personal professional development plans required in some Australian states and focusing on the effectiveness of professional development, teacher response to professional development, and the dynamic interaction between three elements necessary for…

Critically examines the suggestion that unemployment could be reduced by creating jobs in nonprofit organizations, observes trends in the sector's employment and resources, and discusses the conditions in which nonprofit organizations provide social services more efficiently that government and for-profit enterprises. Concludes that this is not a…

The staffing process in student affairs is one of the most important leadership and management functions that administrators are called upon to perform. How well the interrelated functions of recruitment, selection, orientation, supervision, performance appraisal, professional development, and departure by staff are handled determines the…

Explores the use of teacher-facilitated peer dialogues as a tool for supporting independent word learning strategies of struggling middle school learners. Hopes to create a context in which students would not only grapple with word meanings but also develop a stronger metacognitive awareness of their own efforts. (SG)

A study evaluated a program for reducing job coach assistance provided for three individuals with multiple severe disabilities. Workers were taught additional skills or the environment was modified to allow assistance reduction. Work activity and quality continued at a high level for each worker, although productivity decreased. (Author/CR)

Describes analysis of quality of North American doctoral programs in developmental sciences, such as developmental psychology and human development. Found that the faculty associated with the top one-third of programs were two to three times as active as the faculty associated with the lower two-thirds of programs. This difference held true in the…

This study examined the effectiveness of individual behavioral skills training in conjunction with in situ training in teaching 13 preschool children abduction prevention skills. Children's performance was measured during baseline, training, and at 2-week, 1-month, and 3-month follow-ups using in situ assessments in which abduction prevention…

The UMass Lilly Teaching Fellows early career faculty development program was rated a success at its 10-year mark by fellows who were asked in a survey to assess the program and its effects on their careers. In order not only to continue the program's success but improve upon it, the UMass Center for Teaching, guided by the survey, significantly…

Following a comparison of two approaches to mentoring--the traditional model and a relatively new "synergistic" or co-mentoring model--a new formal mentoring program for faculty in the School of Education at the University of Colorado at Denver, based on the synergistic approach, is described. First-year program evaluation data revealed…

Sixteen percent of children 6-11 years of age were classified as overweight in 1999-2002, four times the percentage in 1965. Although poverty has traditionally been associated with underweight as a result of poor diet, researchers have recently pointed to a paradox in the U.S., which is that low income and obesity can coexist in the same…

Just upstairs from an exhibit on African culture at the American Museum of Natural History, Robert V. Steiner sits in front of his laptop computer and clicks on an "interactive animation" that illustrates the concept of frames of reference. On the screen, a glowing basketball bounces up and down against a black background. After watching…

This concluding chapter reviews some of the methodological issues that analysts need to consider when evaluating the success of character-development programs.

Evaluation and assessment are critical to the success of FLCs, and authentic assessment has the potential to contribute greatly to the quality of FLC experiences in terms of both process and outcomes. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

College students (20 women, 14 men) seeking career counseling services at a university career center participated in this exploratory investigation. A 2 (DISCOVER treatment) x 2 (counseling treatment) research design was used to evaluate the individual and combined effects of DISCOVER (ACT, 1998) and counseling on participants' career…