A practicum project was developed and implemented to reduce the incidents of aggressive behavior and impulsive actions among kindergarten students by means of win-win situations for conflict resolution. The objectives for the program were to achieve: (1) a 25 percent decrease of impulsive and aggressive behavior; (2) 50 percent of the target group…

This manual describes the buddy skills training program, which provides teachers with a set of tested strategies designed to facilitate interactions and support the development of friendships between preschoolers with and without disabilities. The training procedures are philosophically based on social exchange theory. To support the concept of…

The Michigan Department of Education's vision for health education is a continuum of learning experiences which enables people to make informed decisions, modify behaviors, and change social conditions in ways that are health enhancing, with students learning to obtain, interpret, and apply health information and services in ways that protect and…

This document discusses a program designed to decrease students' off-task behaviors in order to help create a positive learning environment. The targeted population consisted of elementary students from two midwestern communities. Children attended schools in both lower-middle class and upper-middle class schools. The problem of off-task behavior…

In April 1999, the Australian Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training, and Youth Affairs established a subgroup to develop a national youth development strategy. Youth development is about helping young people make the transition to happy, productive, and successful adulthood through the guided provision of opportunities to try new…

Inappropriate social skills exhibited early in elementary school can interfere with cooperative group work, completion of academic tasks on time, and academic growth. This action research project evaluated the impact of a program for improving social behavior in a cooperative group setting to reduce inappropriate interactions and increase positive…

This guide presents lessons that teach high school students the essential skills they will need to manage and resolve interpersonal conflict in creative, positive ways. Along the way, students will also explore diversity, power, and prejudice as they continue to develop greater emotional and social skillfulness. The curriculum encourages students…

This monograph summarizes what is known about youth and violence, identifying 10 myths that confound people's understanding of the real causes of youth violence. It focuses on: what contributes to youth violence (e.g., children exposed to domestic violence are at risk of using violence, children and adolescents use guns when they are easily…

This volume is designed for use by facilitators in school settings and youth agencies in which "Second Step: A Violence Prevention Curriculum" is being implemented. The "Family Guide" kit contains background information on the program, techniques for leading a successful family group, and participant handouts in this volume,…

This book provides educators with an understanding of Asperger syndrome (AS) and how it affects a student academically and socially, and provides specific strategies for helping elementary school students with AS function successfully. Following an introductory chapter, chapter 2 presents the major areas of difficulty for individuals with AS with…

This document consists of three separately published fact sheets combined here because of the close relationship of their subject matter. The first fact sheet, "Communication Interactions: It Takes Two" (Kathleen Stremel), defines communication; suggests ways to find opportunities for interactive communication; offers specific suggestions for…

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is a public-private organization of leaders and educators in business and education that works to close the gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in a typical 21st century community and workplace. The Partnership's work includes:…

This booklet provides an orientation tool and quick reference for camp counselors, and is designed to help them understand and enhance youth behavior and development. Chapter 1 discusses the camp environment, the camp counselor's responsibility as a role model, the benefits of camp for kids, establishing a positive relationship with campers at the…

This training module presents a social skills curriculum designed to be utilized as a tool for parents and teachers to increase levels of interaction between preschool children with and without autism. The curriculum consists of five social skills that were chosen based on evidence suggesting that they tend to result in more lengthy interactions…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that used indirect language stimulation techniques and modeling to encourage language development in a 5-year-old child with cerebral palsy. Initially, the student's communication system had very severe limitations. He used fewer than 10 spoken words which were unintelligible to most listeners. Both…