The report presents findings of a 3-year investigation of a language intervention program for young children (3-6 years old) with serious language disabilities. The model features a communication game approach to teach linguistic elements through stress on meaningful conversation. An initial chapter describes project aims and accomplishments and…

The Better Babies Project is attempting to intervene with inner city pregnant women, many of whom are poor, to change their behavior in order to reduce the many behavioral risks associated with delivering a low birthweight infant. The research objective of this intervention is to offer and document the provision of consistent and comprehensive…

Describes the planning, implementation, and effects of a psychoeducational leadership training program designed for 15 high school girls elected to student council. Discusses how the program resulted in greater self-confidence and leadership among the participants and the assumption of greater responsibilities by council members in subsequent…

Schools committed to the success of all children must have an array of activities designed to enable learning by addressing barriers to learning. An enabling component for schools encompasses six areas of program activity. This unit, "Introduction to Classroom Focused Enabling as a Key Element in Addressing Barriers to Student Learning," is the…

A groundbreaking synthesis of developmental, relationship-based, and skill-based approaches, The SCERTS[TM] Model provides a framework for improving communication and social-emotional abilities in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. Developed by internationally recognized experts, SCERTS[TM] supports developmental…

This instrument is designed to help school administrators assess the level of implementation of the essential elements of the Instructional Support Teams (IST) process in Pennsylvania. The instrument is a rating sheet, or checklist, on which the presence and absence of components of the IST process are noted. The number of features in place is…

This action research outlines an early reading intervention project for improving students' reading skills and promoting the implementation of early reading intervention programs. The targeted population includes first and second grade students in one school located in the suburbs of a major city in Illinois. The problem of early reading…

This study is a retrospective examination of elements that influenced one elementary school staff to initiate and implement a school-wide innovation in their reading program in 1990-91. This school served 315 preschool children through grade three in a small town set in the rural countryside. Case study methodology was used to discover how the…

Reading Recovery has proved to be an effective intervention for meeting the needs of at-risk first graders. When Reading Recovery is not fully implemented in a school, the teacher then assumes responsibility for intervention. This project addresses how a regular education, first grade classroom teacher can best meet the needs of first grade…

This article argues that the standard tenets of the teaching of children also apply to the ways in which programs are implemented: they run on tentativeness, flexibility, and problem-solving. How these qualities reveal themselves in five important areas is discussed in the following sections: (1) standards and guidelines for delivering Reading…

This commentary on inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs raises issues concerning why so little progress toward inclusion has been made; quality of early childhood instruction versus inclusion expectations; the need to "just do it" (inclusion); and the need to allow for the child's individual preferences. (DB)

Identifies underlying paradoxical bases for expansion and replication of early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs. Presents history of ECCE in the United States. Proposes typology of expansion and replication processes, and considers paradoxes associated with replication process. Offers recommendations for funders, policymakers, and…

Rural middle school teachers were recruited and trained to implement Life Skills Training, an empirically-supported school-based prevention intervention to reduce student substance abuse and other problem behaviors. The teacher training model and classroom implementation focused on an interactive process designed to engage students in the…

A new outcome-oriented, utilization-focused approach to program evaluation is introduced. The new framework encourages stakeholders to consider academic dissemination, product development, and implementation as three primary outcomes when evaluating educational and clinical approaches. Secondary outcomes focus on education, clinical service, and…

This discussion of the role of interagency collaboration in implementation of Part H of Public Law 99-457 focuses on interagency collaboration as a foundation for early intervention services; critical points in establishing a collaborative foundation; cornerstones for building lasting interagency systems; and realities that affect collaboration.…