Many educators seem reluctant to instill in their pupils good habits such as honesty, respect, and truthfulness. This book emphasizes how teachers can create schools in which students practice and exhibit respect and responsibility. Many problems in schools, homes, and society at large, arise from a lack of good character. To develop moral…

This paper presents the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as statutory frameworks for providing educational services for students with disabilities. The paper then addresses the issue of disciplinary exclusion as provided for in each of…

A study examined when, how, and with whom literacy acquisition occurs in the school setting. The study developed an observation technique, focused on how it evolved, how it could be applied to the classroom setting, and how data from classroom observations over time can be interpreted. Subjects were 243 children deemed to be at risk of future…

Prior to fall 1993, students at California's College of the Canyons had until the 11th or 12th week of a 17 or 18 week semester to drop or withdraw from a course. In spring 1993, the state Academic Senate recommended that the drop deadline be changed to the 8th week. Students were notified of the new withdrawal deadline on the college calendar, in…

Grade 7 mathematics students (n=18) were audiotaped while working in cooperative learning groups on 4 occasions over a 16 week period. After the second and third recordings, students were given edited transcripts of their discussions and were trained in how to interpret them. They used an instrument to appraise their group processes 1-2 times per…

Noting that there is a relationship between hunger and the ability to learn, this study examines teacher opinions of the impact of a school breakfast program on student success. A survey, focusing on grades 1 through 3, was completed by 188 elementary teachers in 100 Connecticut schools in which breakfast programs had been implemented. Respondents…

This digest discusses mediation as a form of conflict management that is receiving widespread attention in schools. Mediation involves a neutral third person, called a mediator, who assists the disputants in resolving their problem with the consent of all parties. It offers a risk-free way to settle disputes for the parties involved. Unresolved…

This paper first outlines the objectives of programs which focus on conflict management and violence prevention. The paper then describes the application of a model of aggressive communication as a potential component in conflict management and violence prevention programs. The model presented in the paper incorporates training in argument and…

This study investigated teachers' perceptions of their students' behavior problems in nursery classes. A total of 154 female teachers from rural, small town, and urban areas in Greece completed a self-reporting questionnaire and an evaluation of their students' behavior. The overall prevalence rate identified by teachers for all behavior problems…

Undergraduate college students in the United States have, for generations, indulged in drinking alcohol and engaging in sexual activity as part of their "coming-of-age" socialization process. This study was conducted to examine the relationship in college students' lives between alcohol consumption and engaging in high-risk sexual activity. It…

This study compared the relative frequency of the identification of students as maladjusted to school by standardized achievement tests and by teacher ratings. Subjects were 290 primary school children between 8 and 12 years of age from London, England. Children's achievement was assessed using the mathematics, maps, and reading subscales of the…

In Annie Proulx's novel "The Shipping News," the anti-hero undertakes a journey of change that transforms the way he sees himself and his ways of acting and relating. This novel about the complexity of life and difficulty of change mirrors the course of wilderness-enhanced narrative therapy. Narrative therapy suggests that the sum of…

This study examined the impact of the use of cooperative learning on classroom discipline in third-, fourth-, and fifth- grade classrooms. Data were collected by means of teacher and experimenter observations of student classroom behavior. Problem behaviors were classified into two categories that involved the students themselves: off-task and…

This study examined the degree to which 50 high school students with learning disabilities (LD), 50 normally achieving high school students, and 50 high school mainstream teachers agreed as to which social skills are important for success in the mainstream. Results indicated that LD students differed significantly from teachers on the importance…

This chapter on positive behavior management is taken from a guide to designing, implementing, and evaluating instruction and services for students with disabilities. The chapter describes considerations in designing positive management programs to prevent inappropriate student behaviors, foster the development of student responsibility, and…