It is not easy to describe American efforts during the past dozen or so years aimed at improving the quality of education for all, with particular attention to those termed "the disadvantaged." The difficulties stem from the diversity of activities and programs, the ebb and flow of various efforts, the responses and resistances to legislative and…

IQ and reading achievement in grade five were examined in a ten-year follow-up study of children who had participated in an early-intervention program, at ages 24 or 36 months. The intervention program varied age of training, type of training (concept versus discovery), and social class for 310 black male children from Harlem. The follow-up study…

Suggestions for narrowing the discrepancy between the knowledge base of early communication development and the implementation of effective communication interventions for severely handicapped infants and young children are offered including strategies for facilitating emerging language development, increasing positive interactions with infants,…

Thirty-four stimulant-treated, academically deficient, and attention deficit disordered, hyperactive (ADDH) boys (ages 7-12) participated in a 16-week, intensive cognitive training program focusing on academic skills and tasks. Intervention did not enhance self-esteem and there was poor agreement between teacher ratings of academic competence and…

This paper reviews learning characteristics and best intervention practices for the mentally retarded; research on the use of computer-assisted instruction to teach language skills; alternative models for computer use, such as expert systems and learner-based software; characteristics of computer-based language activities that complement learning…

Hyperlexic children have superior word recognition skills accompanied by delayed development of cognitive and language abilities. Assessment of four hyperlexic children (ages 5-9) confirmed their superior abilities to retain sound/symbol associations. Written prompts were then effectively used to increase functional speech in one of the subjects.…

This paper discusses the historical development of schooling for deaf children in Sweden, providing statistical information and describing special schools for deaf pupils, efforts to integrate hearing-impaired children into the regular school system, Swedish research on early training of deaf children, and current efforts to improve education of…

The Trust-Conflict Cycle conceptually organizes the tools and skills available to foster positive relationships between teachers and emotionally disturbed students. A menu of intervention tools to help teachers stay within the Trust Cycle and out of the Conflict Cycle includes appropriate responses, stress reduction, self-esteem/worldview,…

Retention research shows that the highest amount of attrition occurs around the freshman year. Freshman-year programs designed to support students in their academic and social development and to involve them more deeply with the education process are described. (MLW)

The study examined the effects of classwide peer tutoring (involving team assignment, a game format, contingent point rewards, and immediate error correction) on the academic performance of mildly handicapped and nondisabled students (n=91) in ninth- and tenth-grade math classes. Group and individual results indicated significant improvement in…

Discusses the characteristics of child abusers and physical and behavioral indicators of child abuse. Advocates parenthood education programs for children and parents as child abuse preventive measures. Suggests ways that educators can handle cases of suspected child abuse. (DMM)

A total of 43 studies, involving 1,703 subjects with a mean age of 6:11, were analyzed to assess the effectiveness of language intervention with language/learning disabled children. Results suggested that the average language-disordered child moved from the 50th percentile to the 85th as a result of language intervention. (Author/JDD)

This empirically-based model depicts the interactive, constructivist process of reading and three classes of variables that influence reading. Teacher variables include presentation, instructional intervention, instructional climate, and behavior management. Text variables include text language, relevance, organization, story structures, and…

Assigned 21 individuals with recurrent genital herpes to psychosocial intervention, social support, or waiting-list control conditions. Those receiving psychosocial intervention (herpes simplex virus information, relaxation training, stress management instructions, and an imagery technique) reported significantly greater reductions in herpes…

Literature reports of individual and group child-focused interventions designed to help students cope effectively with divorce-related transitions and to reduce potential maladjustment are described. Indirect interventions with parents, teachers, and the school organization are also discussed, and a comprehensive model of divorce-related school…