This action research project examined the impact of a social skills intervention to reduce the amount of inappropriate, rude, and disruptive behavior from elementary and secondary students. Targeted for this study were elementary and secondary students in three schools in rural western Illinois. The problems of lack of preparation for class,…

A national study investigated: (1) the amount of time high school foreign language teachers devote to the study of culture in language courses; (2) culture content covered in language courses; (3) strategies and materials used; (4) the extent of teacher cooperation in combining language and culture study, and whether it fosters inclusion of…

This paper discusses the development of a syllabus for elementary-level college courses in the Japanese language, with a focus on course purpose, objectives, learning materials and resources, setting, learning activities, testing, and other considerations. It examines the characteristics of students who take elementary Japanese courses and reviews…

The plan and purpose of this book is to provide for inservice and preservice teachers educationally sound theories and creative activities in the teaching of English. This third edition of the book keeps many of the activities that were included in the previous editions and adds new material from current research and effective practice. The book…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 4-year federally supported project to develop independence in 12 young children (ages 3-5) with deaf-blindness enrolled in the Portland (Oregon) Public Schools Early Intervention Program. The project focused on helping teachers learn to target communicative and cognitive learning…

This report describes a program for developing literacy skills in order to reduce the number of at-risk students in the identified primary classrooms. The targeted population consisted of students in kindergarten, second, and fourth grades. The kindergarten and second grade classrooms were located in a middle to high socioeconomic area within an…

This digest provides an overview of considerations for teaching students with autism. General considerations for providing effective instruction for students with autism include: (1) ensure that the student is in good health, free from pain and irritation, and in a safe, stimulating, and pleasurable setting; (2) provide structure in the…

Bullying is the most prevalent form of violence in American schools. In their new book "Bullying Prevention," authors Pamela Orpinas and Andy Horne bring together years of experience in research and applied behavioral sciences to show how educators, school psychologists, counselors, and other professionals can address the problem of bullying and…

This paper reports findings of a study examining child-, classroom-, and school-level factors that effect academic achievement among public school children in the South. Using ECLS-K data, we compare and contrast the learning environments in high/low minority and high/low poverty schools. A sizeable minority of Southern children attend schools…

This paper presents and discusses data based on the perceptions of 128 persistent school absentees on their initial and continued reasons for missing school. The findings suggest that a greater proportion of the students were inclined to blame their institutions, rather than social or psychological factors, for their behavior. (SSH)

The effect of the classroom structure and the classroom climate of desegregated schools on the prejudices of White intermediate school students in a large, southwestern school district was investigated. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were performed. Implications of the results for the design of desegregation plans are discussed.…

Describes an individual and group method for learning about children's school attitudes, appropriate for students not yet proficient in paper and pencil usage. Gives directions for administration and interpretation of the Kinetic School Drawing, and suggestions for using it as a counseling or diagnostic aid. (KMF)

Israeli children responded to a questionnaire assessing self-esteem, locus-of-control, and classroom social climate. Data were compared according to school grades, socioeconomic status, and sex. Affective personality variables and children's perception of the school social environment followed divergent patterns of development according to social…

Four primary classrooms, three bilingual and one monolingual, were studied. Final observations showed that "language climate" and the extent to which the two languages developed were influenced by the teacher's style, the organization of the school day, and by the ethnic balance of the class and the neighborhood. (SJL)

Describes the components of positive discipline, including giving children choices, using natural and logical consequences to teach, using follow-through to teach positive life skills, and teaching children the ability to problem solve. Notes that the goal of positive discipline is to guide children's behavior toward development of self-control…