Discusses what teachers can do to handle students with conduct disorders. After presenting a situation involving a troubled sixth grader, a child psychologist recommends avoiding labels, assuming underlying causes, advocating a full workup, and reaching out to his family; a school leader agrees and suggests pairing the child with a mentor. Four…

Examined the utility of parent socialization models for understanding effects of middle school teachers on student adjustment. Found that five teaching dimensions (modeling of motivation, and parenting dimensions of control, maturity demands, democratic communication, and nurturance) predicted student motivation, social behavior, and achievement.…

Typical classroom management procedures designed to reduce inappropriate social behavior may adversely impact social development of students with behavior and/or social emotional disorders. Two alternative procedures where students are encouraged to monitor and report incidental prosocial behaviors are described and research supporting their…

Compares the self-reported study behaviors of developmental students to those of regular admission students. The virtually identical self-reported study skills between the groups may be an artifact of using a Likert study skill measure. Discusses the rationale and evidence from other studies that substantiate the threat to validity posed by using…

Despite evidence that school factors are associated with differences in various types of student behavior, little research has explored the predictive utility of school factors for school-level substance offense rates. Using data from the State of Florida Department of Education and the Census, we explore the associations between school climate…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was recently reauthorized as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. Several significant changes were made in the most recent reauthorization. These included requirements for "highly qualified" special education teachers; a track that will result in full…

During the last 3 years we have made many visits to two rural Mexican primary schools. As a result of our experiences there, we believe that students' sense of responsibility in a school setting depends on the nature of the commitments they make and the work they do in and for the school. We have also learned that certain educational and social…

An emerging consensus exists in the school reform literature about what conditions contribute to student success. Conditions include high standards for academic learning and conduct, meaningful and engaging pedagogy and curriculum, professional learning communities among staff, and personalized learning environments. Schools providing such…

The authors examined how bullies and bullying behavior were portrayed in 25 trade books appropriate for children in kindergarten through third grade. Employing a matrix outlining the characteristics of these books, they asked: (1) How are bullies and bullying behavior portrayed in K?3 children's literature?; (2) To what extent do the bullying…

The author talks about graduation ceremonies getting out of hand, wherein graduates misbehave and act without proper decorum. Here, she presents the graduation ceremony at Plainfield High School as an example, when students bounced inflated condoms among their ranks. News of the resulting chaos was plastered in headlines in Chicago-area…

Ensuring that learning takes place in physical education has been a challenge to physical educators for many years. "Busy, happy, and learning" is a variation of Judith Placek's (1983) landmark concept, defined in her article "Conceptions of success in teaching: Busy, happy and good?" In this article, Placek argues that many physical educators are…

Based on concerns regarding current trends in higher education, one Research I institution set out to measure knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and perceptions related to academic misconduct. Through a self-report survey, trends specific to the university's community as well as educational interventions were identified to further educate the campus…

Examines the moral environment in three school districts in Utah. Reviews the various moral and character education programs being used in these districts. Compares and contrasts their methods in terms of literature, textbooks, and activities. Concludes with an evaluation of these programs and their effectiveness in their specific environments.…

In this study, the authors examined (a) the protective potential of multiple components of ethnic and racial identity and (b) the aspects of an Africentric orientation for moderating psychobehavioral risk and protective factors for drug use among a sample of 333 urban low-income African American young adults. Ethnic and racial identity and…

Three studies examined the perception among college students that school performance is instrumental to future goal attainment. Study 1, an exploratory study involving free report goal assessments, indicated that perceived instrumentality (PI) is a subjectively salient aspect of college students' achievement motivation. Study 2 provided evidence…