Warns that as pressures for greater accountability increase, student affairs personnel risk focusing their attention on preservation of educational systems rather than on student development. Emphasizes the need for closer interaction between the theorist and practitioner, grounded in formal theoretical knowledge of human development. (JAC)

Describes a series of workshops offering women an opportunity to explore the realities of divorce. Experienced volunteers provide information on coping with a new single identity, handling children, finances and legal aspects and growth through the mastery of crisis. A follow-up study confirmed the value of the program. (JAC)

A preliminary analysis of three effective schools projects in Wisconsin and New York shows general improvement, especially in school climate and basic skills teaching. Administrative support included district, central office, and higher education personnel for staff development. Successful implementation can result in substantial immediate…

Assessed the impact of a death education program for nursing staff (N=130) of a long-term care institution. Analysis of nurses' chart entries (problem-oriented record format-POR) revealed a statistically significant increase from pre- to post-course in charting of patients' subjective state. (Author/JAC)

The study reports the findings of a meta-analysis, the application of statistical methods of data synthesis from individual studies, reviewing 180 studies assessing the efficacy of perceptual motor training. Perceptual motor training was not found to be an effective intervention technique for improving academic, cognitive, or perceptual motor…

This article introduces some of the background and concepts of technical assistance, provides some guidelines for planning and implementing a technical assistance program, and presents one successful approach for technical assistance which is adaptable to other settings. (CJ)

Residential and public school staff (N=137) involved in a one-session training program showed significantly improved knowledge levels about feeding approaches for severely physically handicapped persons compared to an untrained group. No significant changes were found in attitude, feeding-related behaviors, or mealtime quality. (CL)

Reviews 19 research studies on the Minnesota Couple Communication Program (CCP) which indicates an immediate positive effect on communication behavior and relationship satisfaction. Found CCP does not alter reported levels of self-disclosure or self-esteem. Positive changes persisted in some studies, but evidence of the durability of effects is…

It was hypothesized that the experimentation and problem solving involved in design lessons were consistent with features of intellectual development stressed by Piaget. An experimental group (27 students) received art lessons stressing spatial concepts and manipulations. Controls studied art conventionally. Experimentals were superior on some of…

The Vermont Lung Association's School Health Education project evaluated the use of a mobile unit in conjunction with and in comparison to a more traditional classroom curriculum. (JN)

Experiments (N=2) examined the effectiveness of a responsively planned death education unit for ninth-grade girls. Results of both experiments showed positive gains on cognitive and attitude scores for the experimental group, whereas the control group showed no improvement. (Author)

In the United States, recent educational research and development efforts reflect an overriding concern for maximizing these impact areas on practice, as illustrated by five thrusts: development work; evaluation; fundamental research; dissemination; and attention to the process of social inquiry. The complexity of American education makes research…

Investigates the effectiveness of a creativity training workshop. Results indicate training for creativity in one area, unusual uses, can transfer to responding in another area, problem solutions. Suggests operationally defined creative responses can be increased by behavioral techniques and may transfer to other settings. (JAC)

Socially disadvantaged children who were tutored on a one-to-one basis twice a week did not show any significant achievement gain over nontutored children, although data from tutors, parents, children, and teachers indicate that the tutoring should have had an impact. (CJ)