Currently, age is the primary indicator of kindergarten readiness. A concise list of readiness skills to guide parents and teachers when deciding if a child is ready for kindergarten is lacking. The literature reveals that older age kindergarten entrance is not a predictor of academic success, nor is age an accurate indicator of readiness. In this…

In the wake of several highly publicized school shootings, the problem of school violence has increasingly become a focus of concern for the general public as well as teachers, school officials, and students. Drawing on case studies from publicized violent incidents as well as from the authors private practice, this book provides techniques for…

This booklet describes issues that may occur in schools with refugee children, examining how to cope with refugee children who are unable to participate adequately in school. It describes how these children's problems show up (e.g., explosive anger, problems with authority, disruptiveness, inability to concentrate, rule testing, withdrawal,…

This book explores the relationship between effective teaching, behavior management, discipline, and colleague support. After an introduction, "I Never Thought I'd Become a Teacher," eight chapters include: (1) "The Dynamics of Classroom Behavior" (how student and teacher behavior affect each other, and control for the purpose…

Teachers in too many schools are confronted with too many students who have become disengaged from classroom learning. Re-engagement in classroom learning is the key to maintaining positive behavior. This issue of the quarterly newsletter of the Center for Mental Health in Schools includes the following features and regular segments: (1) Beyond…

Written for the skeptical teen who groans at the mere concept of manners, this guide provides answers to simple and complex etiquette problems, showing that being polite is a learned skill that can produce effective results. Chapters over a broad range of behavior issues including gift-giving, conversation, personal hygiene, appropriate attire,…

Most research on adolescents has been conducted with white, middle-class adolescents, which has created a lack of differentiation among the majority and minority cultures in the United States. To correct this, adolescents from two cultural groups at two points in time were studied so as to see how their trajectories differ in terms of academic…

This paper shows examples of thought-provoking picture and chapter books that can be used as springboards for discussing, analyzing, and solving authentic problems by pre-school through middle-level children in diverse settings. The paper begins with a description of a conference presentation which introduced participants to the notion of using…

This study examined 35 first- and second-year teachers' perceptions of several current issues pertinent to their profession. Analysis of data from an open-ended questionnaire found that teachers' perceptions of their beginning teaching experiences were not all positive, though they were still satisfied that they had chosen to become teachers.…

This book demonstrates that therapeutic play can provide a solution to contemporary socialization problems. It provides a selection of games and activities that teach children about living in the world through the dynamics of play. Section 1, "Introduction," defines "play" and the philosophy and rules behind a healthy play…

The importance of examining classroom processes was highlighted in a 1992 British report on primary education, which emphasized the role of classroom management. Before that, several studies determined that misbehavior was small-scale and not widespread. For example, the 1989 Elton Report was a national policy document that described the extent of…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference among disciplinary procedures used among urban and suburban teachers. Thirty-eight elementary school teachers of grades K-5 were asked to complete questionnaires on classroom control techniques. Of this group, 19 teachers taught in the urban school district of…

Aggressiveness and violence in schools are concerns that educators have to address. Using a random method of sampling, this study focused on six secondary schools located in the Chicago Public Schools System. Each school's administrator was interviewed, and two teachers at the school were also interviewed by a person trained in the Urban Teacher…

This paper is about how 36 student science teachers described and responded to a classroom management problem. Each had written an account of a well-remembered event about classroom management. The accounts were analyzed to determine whether student teachers attended to the engagement of groups or focused on the misbehavior of individuals, and…

This study explored the personality types of beginning emergency permit teachers to determine whether those pursuing alternative certification displayed patterns in personality type. It also investigated the predictive relationship between personality types and teachers' beliefs concerning control in classroom management. Participants were 120…