Children can be taught to change their own inappropriate behavior and thereby make better use of their school time. This study indicates that such learning can be accomplished in small groups which should have efficiency appeal to counselors and administrators. (Author)

A third grade teacher followed the development of a peer tutoring program involving third- and fifth-grade study partners. The cross-age tutors included students representing diverse learning styles and academic achievement. Students were matched by personality. Cross-age tutoring was judged to be good for all the students. (SM)

Discusses the difficulties that students who are culturally/linguistically diverse or students with learning disabilities have in learning "how to do school." Components of learning to do school are described, as well as an ethnographic study of regular and special education students who were learning to do school in inclusive settings. (Author/CR)

Discusses the concept of cooperative learning and its application to library and information skills. Topics include Bloom's Taxonomy of Instructional Objectives; interpersonal skills; circles of learning; meaningful-use tasks, including decision making and problem solving; and suggestions for cooperative activities for library information…

Investigates social communications skills of 709 principals working in restructured schools, using the Social Skills Inventory. Results suggest generally marginal social skills among these principals. Positive associations were found between social competence and female gender, higher education levels, larger school size, urban school locus,…

A study of 74 undergraduates examined whether creativity training and interpersonal problem-solving training are equivalent or complementary. Results showed the training programs were complementary. Each training program specifically affected performance only on related measures of performance. A combination of the training programs affected both…

This article describes how to develop a "job club" for students with disabilities, to assist them with the transition from school to work. The ability of job clubs to teach goal setting, self-determination skills, and interpersonal competence is discussed. Step-by-step instructions are included as well as a sample meeting agenda. (CR)

Lists documents and videotapes recently entered into the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) and ECER (Exceptional Child Education Resources) databases that address the issue of enhancing the social competence of adolescents with disabilities at school and at work. Each listing includes a description of the content of the material. (CR)

Elementary students (n=152) with either learning disabilities (LD), low achievement (LA), or mild mental retardation (MMR) were contrasted on 41 measures of school-related factors. LD students scored higher on cognitive ability whereas the LA group showed higher academic achievement. No differences were found on measures of social skills, problem…

Four boys and 4 girls (ages 13-17) with learning disabilities were interviewed upon completion of psychodynamic group therapy to obtain their perspectives of the group. Results indicate that the participants regarded the therapy as beneficial. The phenomenon of "mutual recognition" led to enhanced self-esteem and ability to relate to peers. (CR)

Although the role of the college governing board secretary should be low-profile, this officer can contribute to effective leadership at the institution by establishing and maintaining open channels of communication, formal and informal, among board members and between individual trustees and the chief executive. A well-designed orientation can…

Examined the role of same-sex peer interactions in influencing early school competence and the degree to which effortful control (EC) moderated these relations. Results indicated that EC, measured at the end of the Fall semester, moderated the relations of children's same-sex play to their school competence, measured at the end of the following…

Differentiates behaviors of peer-rejected and peer-neglected children at the early childhood level. Offers suggestions for teaching alternative behaviors to aggressive or withdrawn children, direct entry behaviors, positive responses to peers' initiation, verbal assertiveness, engagement in complex pretend play, and ways to show positive affection…

This article describes success of an intervention to improve the social-communicative interactions of six Head Start children (age 3) at risk for delays in language and social skills. Skills targeted included: commenting about one's own play actions and actions of peers, asking and responding to peer questions, and taking turns. (Contains…

A study compared the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) with the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised in 61 children (ages 4-16) with autism. Correlations between the test scores for DSM-IV criterion sets were on the order of 0.7. SRS scores were unrelated to I.Q. and exhibited inter-rater reliability on the order of 0.8. (Contains references.)…