Suitable for those contemplating a program alternative to school suspension, this student handbook describes a special class for middle school students who have been removed from their regular classes because of serious behavior problems. Separate sections describe the nature of the class, reasons for the students' placement in the class, the…

This summary presents findings from the Monitoring the Future project, which involves repeated cross-sectional surveys as well as panel studies of youth throughout the United States. The data showed both changes and continuities in drug use and other deviant behaviors. Discussion of the findings focuses on five broad themes: (1) consistencies…

Eight elementary school teachers, judged outstanding in ability to deal with difficult students but differing in socialization style (behavior modification, which involves rewards, or induction approaches, which emphasize rationales for behavior change), were the subjects of a study on classroom management strategies. The teachers nominated one…

This paper describes Peer Culture Development, Inc., a private, non-profit agency which provides a school-based delinquency prevention program to public schools. The basic components of the program are described along with the selection and role of student leaders in the program. The dynamics of the group meetings are discussed and seven…

The Pine County (Minnesota) Special Education System has adapted a database for use in decision making regarding programs for learning disabled and behavior problem students. The system is used for decisions in seven areas: identification, initial assessment, eligibility determination, individualized education program (IEP) selection, IEP…

This article describes an in-class suspension program in a junior high school, designed by the Turn Around Program (TAP) committee of the Myron J. Michael School (Kingston, New York). The committee developed a specific model to fit their needs, emphasizing reform rather than punishment. Suspended students received tutoring, remediation, and…

This paper reports the findings of a study set up to establish the impact of a particular scheme on the attendance and punctuality performance of a group of Basic Skills learners against the backdrop of various theoretical postulations on managing undesirable behavior. Data collected on learners' performance was subjected to statistical analysis…

In this study, teachers were asked to complete questionnaires designed to determine how they handle 16 typical classroom problems concerning students' failures to conform to the academic achievement or social behavior norms of the school. In one form of the questionnaire, 156 teachers from 14 schools were presented with hypothetical profiles of…

A training program by teachers for parents of school children who were creating problems at school was investigated. Parents (N=10 couples) rated their child's at-home behavior by means of a checklist, participated in group sessions led by the teachers with a focus on means for dealing with student behavioral problems, and then rated their child's…

This study investigated questions concerning the incidence of student off-task activities, which interrupt learning, in different academic activities, within different activity formats (e.g., individual, group), and among students differing in achievement growth (AG). AG was defined as a pattern of continuous growth during the previous two years…

This article describes the philosophy and methods used by the staff at the Granite Alternative School in changing student attitudes through behavior modification. The students involved all have a failure syndrome or low self-image, and are dropouts from traditional high schools. Among the techniques used are: (1) reinforcing good behavior (praise…

Short-term suspensions are a severe disciplinary tool that can be dispensed by school officials for one to five days at their own discretion. In addition to the negative impact of suspension on students, districts lose some state financial aid when students are not in school because they have been suspended. A continuing assessment of suspensions…

The effects of behavioral and performance contingencies on classroom behavior and on academic performance were investigated. The subjects, third grade students from an inner city elementary school, were exposed to a series of conditions including baseline, behavior contingencies, performance contingencies, and a mix of behavior and performance…

This is a report on the application of operant condition methods to classroom discipline problems. The setting was Clara Tagg Brewer Elementary School in CLEVELAND, Ohio. The school is located in a community consisting mostly of lower-middle class black families. A few children come from a "run down" section of the community, including…

An investigation sought to identify student characteristics and behaviors as they related to work habits, classroom disturbances, and dependence on the teacher, in the foreign language classroom. It is suggested that such data are useful in planning teaching methods. (AM)