Resilience allows one to achieve emotional health and social competence in spite of a history of adversity. There are three waves of resilience research. The first wave, 40 years ago, examined risk factors in children. The second wave of research asked the question, what do resilient children look like? These studies concluded that while there is…

The alternative education program remains a viable response for engaging students who would otherwise be dropouts. Raywid (1994) synthesized and advanced an alternative school typology describing organizational characteristics with related effectiveness that appeared useful for considering and improving program practices. A Unique opportunity…

Napoleon Dynamite, the quirky hit film from 2004, is a fascinating portrayal of a teenager with social difficulties. The character Napoleon provokes intriguing diagnostic questions in distinguishing between mental illness and the spectrum of normal behavior. He demonstrates several symptoms of Asperger's disorder, yet he also challenges the notion…

Objective: This study examines the role of an introductory course in cognitive therapy and the relative importance of trainees' characteristics in the selection process for an advanced course in cognitive therapy. Method: The authors assessed the files of all trainees who completed one academic year introductory course in cognitive therapy over…

A latent variable modeling approach to reliability and measurement invariance evaluation for multiple-component measuring instruments is outlined. An initial discussion deals with the limitations of coefficient alpha, a frequently used index of composite reliability. A widely and readily applicable structural modeling framework is next described…

Social Effectiveness Therapy for Children (SET-C) is a comprehensive behavioral treatment combining social skills training, peer generalization experiences, and individualized in vivo exposure for the treatment of social phobia in youth. SET-C results in positive treatment outcome and its effects are maintained at least 3 years later. In this…

All academic librarians can be easily convinced from studies and personal experience that the best way to help students learn lifelong research skills is by collaborating with teaching faculty. The author explores the need for this collaboration to be relational rather than circumstantial, with a long-term focus. She explores practical ways to…

Lack of courtesy among children is a social trend that, along with the decline of the family, the troubling character of some young people, and the lack of shared ethical values, is of some concern. In this article, the author discusses why it is important to teach pro-social behavior and suggests some ways of doing so in the classroom.

School counselors often have to give difficult news to parents, a process that can be stressful and troubling for everyone involved. While the reaction of each parent is unique, research indicates that many parents who have been given difficult news about their children feel that the information was delivered poorly. This article provides…

In this comparative analysis, the author aimed to reproduce V.S. Merlin's and M.F. Khriakova's 1930 study of children's social concepts in order to find out how today's students account for the actions of characters in stories and to compare their answers to the responses given in the earlier study. In this study, the author defines "moral…

This article discusses a "peer mentoring" teacher education initiative that aims at developing pre-service teachers' capacities to participate successfully in learning communities, both during their initial teacher education and throughout their teaching careers. Peer mentoring utilizes the latest conceptualization of mentoring, that of…

Students with disabilities, whether they are developmental, cognitive, or physical, can find the "unwritten curriculum" of social life at school painfully isolating. Yet these children can be included, and experience the joy of connecting with peers. This article presents some simple techniques teachers can use to foster positive social…

Children with autism learn in ways that are unique to their peers without autism. While children with autism may have difficulty with comprehending and using language, exhibiting social skills, attending to instruction, and staying on task, they also have strengths that teachers should take advantage of. Treatment and Education of Autistic and…

This paper describes the support of secondary pupils at risk of school exclusion through a course of group work designed to promote individual responsibility for behaviour. Following self-reflection the young people are encouraged to write their own behavioural targets and consider their progress in working towards them throughout the six-session…

Recent research indicates that children's learning-related skills (including self-regulation and social competence) contribute to early school success. The present study investigated the relation of kindergarten learning-related skills to reading and math trajectories in 538 children between kindergarten and sixth grade, and examined how children…