The truancy problem has become one of the most troubling issues that school administrators face while attempting to reform public education. This paper describes the legal evolution of efforts to reduce school truancy and the economic impact of truancy on society. Solutions range from reducing the number of required years of schooling to…

This project involved a program for improving student behavior. The targeted population consisted of second and third grade students in a rural community located west of Chicago, Illinois. Data indicated that behavior problems were disrupting instructional time and students' involvement in learning. The evidence for the existence of the problem…

Truancy is a major problem in the United States that can have negative effects on the futures of young people. Truancy may lead to dropping out of school; may be a precursor to delinquent and criminal activity; and places students at higher risk of being drawn into behaviors involving drugs, alcohol, or violence. Furthermore, truancy has high…

This final report discusses the outcomes of a federally funded study of nine toddlers and preschoolers (ages 29-63 months) with a variety of disabilities. The project investigated the effectiveness of embedding systematic instruction within inclusive, developmentally appropriate practice (DAP), play-based environments to teach young children with…

Behavior management presents an ongoing challenge that requires complex intervention skills on the part of guidance personnel. This paper presents strategies for helping school-based personnel move away from traditional punitive behavior management practices that are derived from a time when public humiliation of someone for social-rule-breaking…

This guide is intended to accompany a staff development videotape which attempts to: (1) heighten awareness regarding attitudes, values and misconceptions about chemical dependency; (2) provide information about the impact of alcohol and other drugs on young special needs children; and (3) demonstrate skills and strategies for working with special…

The legal aspects of four issues concerned with obtaining educational services for children (ages 3 through 5) with disabilities are outlined and analyzed in this paper. Each issue is discussed in terms of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and/or the Americans with Disabilities…

This report has two aims: (1) to stimulate discussion on issues, strategies, and possible activities at the international level relevant to the links between early childhood development and education and primary education; and (2) to gather additional ideas and information on relevant experiences and structures, to be included in a more…

The High School Intervention Centers Program (HSICP) of the Detroit (Michigan) Public Schools was developed to provide an alternative for high school students who were identified as performing below grade level in English and mathematics and who exhibited the self-defeating behavior of truancy. The program provided an opportunity for ninth graders…

This report describes the second module of an early intervention program for at-risk kindergartners who show the early signs of antisocial behavior patterns. The second module of the "First Steps" program describes a school intervention involving the target child, peers, and teachers that teaches an adaptive, prosocial pattern of school…

The consequences of poverty are enormous, and they begin with the birth of children to unprepared mothers. High risk leads to more high risk, and the cycle of poverty continues. Trying to change the attitudes or behaviors of adolescents is difficult. Successful interventions must begin before the birth of the child, concentrating on teenage girls…

This report investigates the lack of services provided to gifted students with attention and/or behavior problems. Issues addressed include: characterizations of gifted children and the resulting prejudice against gifted children who do not meet a certain profile; the similarities among characteristics of high ability/creative children and…

The negative influences on children's development in war-torn Yugoslavia stimulated the development of The Good Will Classroom (GWC), an intervention program designed to promote tolerance, social responsiveness, assertiveness, and proactive behavior. This article describes the components and implementation of GWC, which is structured as…

This program is designed to assist teachers in remediating social behavior problems. The program is structured to provide for evaluation of circumstances surrounding the problem behavior, as well as assessment of the student's behavior at a level sufficient to remediate the problem. Twenty-three specific prosocial skills drawn from classroom…

This final report describes activities and achievements of Project Relationship, a Los Angeles (California) program designed to support the successful inclusion of young children with disabilities and challenging behaviors in publicly funded child care settings. During the 3 years of model development and 2 years of model refinement and…