Adolescents (N=18) referred for peer interaction difficulties participated in a program designed to improve social competence in peer interactions. Comparison with 18 socially competent adolescents found substantial differences between groups at pretest and significant improvements on different measures across different adolescents, although…

A study examined the role of functional analysis as the basis for development of behavior management programs for three preschool boys with developmental disabilities. The maintaining factors for all three boys were relatively easily identified during formal functional analysis assessment and effective intervention programs were designed and…

This article reviews relevant theory and the practical implications of measuring assistive technology outcomes of students with disabilities. Rasch Measurement Scaling, Time Series Concurrent and Differential Approach, and the Multi-Attribute Utility Model are proposed for potential use in assistive technology outcome measurement and future…

Georgia's plan to reward overall school improvement requires staff of participating schools to demonstrate attainment of four challenging goals: academic achievement gains, resource development, educational programming, and client involvement. This pay-for-performance program helped one elementary school achieve 90 percent of its goals the first…

A study found verbal reprimands, delivered contingent upon eating prohibited foods, were sufficient to decease the food stealing of a girl (age 14) with Prader-Willi syndrome. Warning stimuli were then successfully used to help her discriminate between permitted/prohibited foods during sessions in which food stealing was not directly observed.…

This article provides information and guidelines for the effective use of medication in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Basic principles of psychopharmacology, different types of medications that have been used successfully to treat ADHD, and best practices for assessing the effects of medication in children with ADHD are…

A pilot study involving 10 participants with mental retardation investigated the effectiveness of Feel Safe, a program designed to increase personal safety skills. Feel Safe participants increased their knowledge of personal safety skills and could apply this knowledge in their day-to-day lives. Participants did not perceive themselves as being…

Present studies using the RITA (Readers' Interactive Teaching Assistant) computer-based literacy support system. Notes that the RITA system assists, rather than replaces, the teacher in providing support tailored to each child's profile of reading attainments. Suggests that computer-assisted reading support can be effective in supporting children…

Although class-size reductions cannot guarantee better student performance, the Tennessee and Wisconsin experiences, along with other studies, suggest that successful programs share key characteristics: concentration in the primary schooling years, classes with not more than 20 students, greater benefits for urban minority students, and alignment…

Adults with severe mental illness (n=44) were administered measures of job interviewing skills, psychiatric symptoms, work history, and quality of life before and after a 3-month Job Finding Club. Results suggested that participants with a lower quality of life were more likely to complete the program, and that quality of participation was…

Data from an ongoing study of tuition discounting at independent colleges and universities are presented, with in-depth analysis of 1995 data for 270 institutions and summary data (1990-95) for 147 institutions. Implications of the discounting trend and issues are discussed, including how to inform the public of discounts and assessing how…

Recounts results of project SOUL (Society of Unlimited Learning), a successful program implemented in the summer of 1968 to support black students. Provides a portrait of the unsuccessful student in the successful program. Establishes the value of speech communication education for culturally diverse students, the sustaining effect of speech…

Reviewed the medical and school records of 230 adolescent mothers to determine the effects of an alternative public school for pregnant teenagers. Found that pregnant mothers who did not attend the school until later in their pregnancy were more likely to deliver a preterm, low-birthweight infant than were mothers who began attending earlier. (MDM)

Discusses the origins and current status of the team-teaching approach in elementary education, reviewing research that examines the benefits and drawbacks of this approach. Also reports on one teacher's experiences with team teaching. (MDM)

Describes a 1992-93 research project involving 66 state schools that attempted to ascertain the overall effectiveness of school-based management in Victoria, Australia. Findings of the Likert-style survey revealed substantial participant satisfaction with school councils' current composition, information provision, and overall functioning. (20…