The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program differs from typical efforts to reduce gang involvement in that the G.R.E.A.T. program does not target at-risk youth but rather targets its classroom-based program at all middle school students. The three main objectives of the 9-hour curriculum taught by uniformed officers are to:…

Selecting an effective prevention program for a comprehensive intervention can be a daunting task. Not only must the program address the specific needs and assets of the defined population, but also there should be a level of confidence about its ability to produce positive outcomes regardless of differing settings and differing populations. The…

This summary analysis discusses a series of studies that used both between-subjects and within-subjects analyses to examine the effects of a gluten-free diet on the academic achievement of children with autism. In the first study, the between-subjects analysis included data from eight children with autism (ages 5-7), with four on a gluten-free…

This booklet is part of a series designed to give educators useful information as they build a sense of community. The text focuses on violence in schools and what stakeholders can do to address this complex problem. It establishes the context for assessing violence and the potential danger to students and educators. It describes violence as…

This brief presents a review of more than 150 research studies on adolescent reproductive health to identify the factors that contribute to improving adolescent reproductive health. These and other findings are highlighted from the vantage point of adolescents as individuals and within the context of their families, peers, partners, schools, and…

The greatest focus in alcoholism treatment research today is matching client to treatment. Consistent with this research direction, this paper describes a survey completed by members of Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) regarding their assessment of AA as a treatment. It looks at the self-reported behaviors of AA members and compares these actions with…

In 1995, the Texas legislature established a policy that each school district must have an "alternative educational setting for behavioral management." This policy brief examines the ways in which this idea has been implemented in Texas, using data from the Texas Education Agency. Findings show that, for the most part, these alternative…

The belief that adoption of, adherence to, and use of family support principles is associated with better parent, family, and child outcomes has for the most part gone untested but not unchallenged. This monograph investigates the relationship between practitioner adherence to family support principles and parent, family, and child behavior and…

Presents evaluation of the effectiveness of the Cooperative College-School Science Program by determining if it produced statistically significant changes in attitudes and classroom behaviors of teachers. Results indicated that the project was beneficial in changing attitudes of elementary science teachers, especially in cases of teachers with…

The evaluation of instructional program effects traditionally operates on pre-to-post, group-level, gain-score models. A critical features scale was developed to track the critical incidents of selected students during a series of alcohol-education classes. The results are preliminary, problematic, but promising. (Author)

Intrinsic motivation is discussed as the main concern of evaluation of leisure and recreational programs. Two factors influencing leisure behavior are perceived freedom and perceived competence. Two types of intrinsic rewards are possible from leisure participation: rewards and those obtained from a change in environment. Evaluation should then…

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)

Preliminary test results indicate that the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Demonstration Alcohol Education Project was successful in increasing student knowledge about drinking, changing behaviors that promote alcohol use, and promoting responsible decision making about alcohol use. (CJ)

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)

A program using college students as tutor-counselors with low-achieving inner-city junior high school students is described and evaluated. Results support positive program impact in students using teacher ratings of classwork effort, quality, and attitude, and in students' self-reported attitudes toward education, educational aspirations, and…