Examines why children who experience high levels of peer acceptance in preschool and who have friends entering kindergarten with them make a better adjustment to school. Reviews research on the relation between social behavior and peer acceptance in preschool children and discusses recommendations for fostering social development in preschoolers.…

A commentary precedes this previously published study that indicates school modifications for a highly gifted 9-year-old in a mixed ability fifth-grade classroom took little account of affective needs and resulted in limited success in the cognitive area. The student's difficult personality interfered with the success of his schooling. (Contains…

Presents the following 10-step strategy for fostering meaningful staff-parent relationships: convey professionalism, make parent relationships a priority, be positive about each child, be personable and friendly, be proactive in interactions with parents, show passion about teaching, communicate problems tactfully, inform parents about daily…

A 2-year study of 92 inner-city African American first-graders examined aggressive behavior patterns in relation to individual behavioral profiles, peer affiliations, and classroom social positions. Analysis uncovered considerable heterogeneity in relationships among overt aggression, popularity, and social network centrality. Two subsets of…

A team of educators, parents, and an outreach consultant developed Unified Plans of Support (UPS) for three students whose academic performance was below grade level and whose social participation was limited. Evaluation outcomes suggest consistent implementation of the UPS was associated with increases in academic engagement and social…

Thirty pupils aged 13-15 from East Anglia (England) with special educational needs (moderate learning difficulties) participated in a 5-day residential outdoor education course. Student interviews before and after the course indicate that all students increased in self-esteem; they made more friends, developed greater trust in others, were…

Using Swindler's settled discourse theory, examined 12 women superintendents' discourse to determine whether patterns in their talk about work experiences contain events or episodes of inequality. Five topics emerged: power, silence, style, responsibility, and people. Each was analyzed to discover how women treated such experiences in their…

Leaders bring to new jobs their values and vision, the authority of their position, and their reputation and accomplishments. How new superintendents conduct themselves during the critical entry/"honeymoon" phase affects their subsequent working relationships and leadership effectiveness. Structured interviews with staff, parents, and…

A study compared Euro-American and Taiwanese mothers' descriptions of the social competence benefits of early parent-child interaction and what they do during interactions to achieve these benefits. Visual analysis of probability patterns indicated that mothers in each group thought somewhat differently about their roles in developing different…

Examined motivationally related variables among three types of students. In particular, students' perceptions of competence, control, and academic coping as well as parental, teacher, and peer autonomy support were investigated. Significant group differences were found on measures of perceived competence, academic coping, and parental autonomy…

Compared self-reported parental values and child-rearing practices and teacher-reported and observed children's social skills among families of young children who were first-generation Chinese Americans, European Americans, or Taiwanese Chinese. All Chinese parents more strongly endorsed traditional Chinese values and exerted more parental control…

A classroom-based pragmatic language intervention program was conducted with 6 boys (ages 8-12) with emotional and behavioral disorders. The intervention positively influenced the ability of the participants to employ pragmatic skills, such as providing sufficient and detailed information, stating opinions, and using verbal language to negotiate…

This study examines the association between acculturation and subsequent binge drinking among Asian American adolescents and investigates the mediating effect of friends' alcohol and tobacco use. Data from a nationally representative sample of 714 Asian American adolescents in grades 7 to 12 were analyzed. There was no gender difference in terms…

This study examined the concept of relational aggression and its application to high-risk girls in treatment. Sixteen male practitioners from 9 different agencies serving young people were interviewed about their feelings and perceptions in working with female clients. The survey presents selected examples of manifestations of relational…

This article seeks to describe attributes of effective health educators by presenting the interrelationships between Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and the responsibilities and competencies proposed by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. A brief historical account of key figures and events…