The five papers in this set describe a research program designed to examine how an intended science curriculum, as described in policy documents and textbooks, is interpreted by teachers and adapted to an established pattern of classroom functioning embodied in what is called a "functional paradigm." The overall objective of the research is to…

This pilot project explored the use of video in an elementary school as a catalyst for group discussion and self reflection in connection with conflict resolution. Subjects were 32 students in an extended day care program for grades K-6; 80% of these students were of Hispanic background. Videos were created with the students, and then played back…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Recognition for special effort and achievement has been noted as a component of effective schools. Schools in the Moreland School District have effectively improved standards of discipline and achievement by providing forty-six different ways for children to receive positive recognition. Good…

Theory is a useful guide for program design and implementation. This paper uses a large-scale school-based delinquency prevention project to illustrate the use of theory in program design and the need for line staff to have a clear understanding of the program's theoretical underpinnings. Evaluation results for the program show that the program…

The Effective-School Scale is presented for addressing student outcomes associated with an effective school or district for minorities. This measurement device is based on the expectations that differences in academic performance need not exist between minority and majority students, and that goals of student equality should be extended beyond…

Findings from indepth studies of discipline policies in three middle schools are summarized. Although all the schools were in a single urban district, significant differences were identified among them. The written policies of each school varied in the elaboration and emphasis of various themes in district policy, and the schools varied in the…

Prevention and problem solving approaches to behavior management in classrooms for behaviorally disordered (BD) students are reviewed. Attention is focused on positive strategies teachers can use to manage inappropriate behavior and to teach students alternative appropriate behaviors. The following components of prevention that contribute to a…

A majority of the school districts that desegregate use magnet schools as part of their effort. Magnet schools offer enriched academic or vocational programs to attract committed students whose neighborhood schools do not offer the coursework and activities they seek. This paper is concerned with science magnet schools. This study was designed to…

This study seeks to evaluate if and how undergraduate and graduate students in an early childhood education program applied theories of child development and knowledge of pedagogy in discussing and interpreting young children's behavior in two different contexts.This was assessed by analyzing their discourse as they discussed video tapes: (1) in…

Past research has shown that teenagers with less educated parents and teenagers with lower academic aspirations are more likely than their peers to smoke. This study was conducted to provide additional descriptive data concerning the relationships of smoking to parents' education and students' educational aspirations and to provide preliminary…

Schoolyard bullying, a pervasive and significant problem, tends to lead to anti-social behavior in the adult/parental years as well, perpetuating the pattern of violence in a new generation of students. Bullies, and often their victims, tend to operate at a unilateral, or one-way, attitudinal level instead of a reciprocal or collaborative level.…

This book provides six lessons that help high school teachers increase students' knowledge about self-esteem, develop students' positive attitudes about themselves, and build skills to enhance everyday communication and decision making. This module is designed to show students the links between their self-concepts, self-expressions, and choices…

This module developed by the Research Applications for Teaching (RAFT) project assists the preservice teacher in constructing test items to better measure the outcomes of instructional objectives. Student teachers are also assisted in the interpretation of results of a student's performance on a standardized test. Students also…

This factsheet examines alcohol use among college students. It explains how to identify problem drinking, discussing negative consequences of drinking, excessive consumption and intoxication, and reasons for drinking. Correlates of problem drinking are described in the areas of personality and gender; peer, family, and environmental influences are…

In a study of whether more student control and responsibility in the classroom would cause them to feel more positive about a task and to like their co-workers better, 57 undergraduates were asked to complete an 8 statement questionnaire on how much control they would be willing to allow others working with them. They were placed in pairs with…