A British summer adventure education program aims to re-engage high risk secondary students into society. A qualitative evaluation found that although the participants had fun, there was not enough focus on transferring skills to daily life. Because of the many factors affecting the experience, any difference made in the lives of the youths was…

A program designed to enhance children's prosocial development was conducted in three suburban elementary schools for five years. Findings for students from kindergarten through grade four emphasize the need for supportive teacher-student relationships and opportunities for student decision making, autonomy, and collaborative interaction. (TJH)

The Bronx Community College's Department of Student Development has provided an array of developmental minicourses to help incoming freshmen acquire coping skills and a new social support system. These courses foster cognitive, affective, and interpersonal development. (TE)

Videotaped exemplars of social situations were successfully used to model, rehearse, and provide directed feedback of appropriate alternatives to aggressive behaviors by two male special education students (ages 13 and 14). Following a reduction in levels of aggressive behavior, peer willingness to interact with the students improved. (JW)

An exploratory study involving 31 families found that chronically ill children and their parents express needs and concerns to their pediatricians in veiled ways. Physicians sometimes provide reassurance too soon rather than attending to the family's underlying pathology. Vignettes describe the families' styles of communication with their…

The Transition Checklist was developed to compare characteristics of mainstream settings with performance levels of students entering those settings. The checklist assesses classroom instructional methods and materials, course content, evaluation techniques, and classroom management; interpersonal/social relations; and related school environments,…

A superintendent who was nearly appointed New York City Schools chancellor explains the physical and mental stamina his job requires. Most school executives don't recognize job stresses leading to physical disorders, adverse effects on family life, and alcoholism. Since superintendents' demise usually centers on political/interpersonal conflicts,…

City Bound, an urban-based Belgian youth program, uses challenging social tasks such as visiting a prison or preparing for a mock job interview to foster individual development and social awareness. Discusses options for mixing elements of Outward Bound, a nature-based learning program, and City Bound, as well as specific adaptations for at-risk…

Sixth-grade teachers collaborated with staff development coordinators on a cooperative-learning project which taught social skills to 300 students and incorporated attributes of cooperative learning into teaching of all content areas. A primary benefit of the process was the collegiality and teamwork experienced between the teachers and staff…

Describes design and development of work skills simulation intended to help youth acquire skills, attitudes, behaviors, and effective competencies necessary for making the transition to work. Discusses the degree to which the simulation met its objectives in recent field tests, and briefly reviews student learning outcomes. (Author/LKS)

Examines the profession of physical education and what it could become if it embraced somatic work, explaining the basic concepts and processes of somatic education. Somatic education focuses on the interactions of posture, movement, emotion, thought, self-concept, and cultural values. A case study details somatic education in practice. (SM)

Derailed superintendencies are a colossal waste of talent and resources. Major causes include interpersonal-relationship problems, conflict with district staff, micromanagement, and failure to make strategic decisions during transitional times. Superintendents should establish rapport with principals, build trust throughout the organization, and…

Social skills needed for effective collaborative learning by college students are discussed, including skills in interpersonal interaction, group building and management, inquiry, conflict resolution, and synthesis and presentation. Five instructional strategies to enhance students' collaborative skills are described: identification,…

Examined two questions related to adolescents' perceived control, conceptualized as agentic representation persons construct for themselves: (1) To what extent is perceived control specific to particular domains? and (2) How many dimensions are involved in perceived control? Confirmatory factor analyses revealed a two-factor structure: an…

Examination of developmental scores of 198 infants and young children with Down's Syndrome attending exemplary early intervention programs found more similarity to other children in Personal Social and Adaptive Domains and less similarity in Communication and Cognitive Domains of the Battelle Developmental Inventory. These differences were…