It is estimated that around 2.4 million students per year were retained in U.S. schools in the late 1990s. Are these children receiving the best educational services to suit their needs? Are there differences between low-achieving students who are not retained and those who are? Researchers and practitioners are asking these and other questions as…

Teachers and caregivers understand well how important their role is in the promotion of young children's cognitive development. However, they must also emphasize the development of prosocial behaviors in children, particularly in light of some recent data indicating possible heightened aggression and lack of prosocial interactions among…

This paper explores high school teachers' professional collegial relationships, exploring teachers' perceptions of collegiality and contextual features that affect collegial relationships. The study involved 36 volunteer teachers from two urban midwestern high schools who completed a semi-structured interview. The interview focused on teachers'…

Strategies for teaching social skills to students from diverse cultural groups are described. Teaching social skills accepted by the majority culture empowers students to function successfully in inclusive society. It is a proactive approach to managing behavior for culturally diverse adolescents with behavior deficits. To teach these skills…

This paper examines the social-emotional functioning of peer-accepted children with learning disabilities (LD) within the theoretical framework of the Vaughn and Hogan model of social competence. Holding peer acceptance constant within the model (i.e. only peer accepted children participated in the study), teacher and self-reported characteristics…

This study examined advantages and disadvantages of team teaching and elements of successful teams from the perspective of eight teachers and a principal at one elementary school. The teachers were all participants in several types of school teams. During individual interviews, they discussed their thoughts and feelings about team teaching. Their…

This manual is designed to introduce problem-solving and conflict resolution skills to 8-13 year old students. Following an introductory section, eight lesson plans are given. The first three lessons present basic skills of conflict management. Lessons four through eight focus on the steps in the mediation process. Each lesson includes suggestions…

Storytelling with persona dolls (dolls that are given names, family histories, and other traits by teachers) is a powerful tool for teaching classroom and social skills, giving children words for and tools to manage their feelings, developing problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills, expanding children's comfort with difference, undoing…

This book serves as a call to action to anyone who works with young people. It discusses what it means to care for young people at all levels of social interaction: as individuals; in a professional capacity; within an organization; and as a society. It attempts to integrate theories and concepts of those who work with youth. It is intended to…

Noting the renewed attention given to community efforts supporting after-school activities to promote social competence in its youth, this book examines the concepts of play and rites of passage for youth. The book also discusses the contributions of various types of activities on youth social competency, presents a variety of perspectives for…

This paper describes a 1998 evaluation conducted by one Texas school district of its K-5 physical education (PE) program. The director of PE developed a plan for gathering information on scheduling; student performance (motor skills, fitness, and social skills); and teachers' use of best instructional practices. Teachers assessed student…

Group effectiveness skills, including interpersonal communication, negotiation, and teamwork, are essential in today's diverse classroom and workplace. Various ways have been identified to prepare learners to be effective in group situations and to aid teachers to prepare themselves to be skillful group facilitators. The following are some…

This paper discusses the findings from several interviews conducted with grandparents to ascertain the process of grief they experienced with the death of their grandchild. Typically, a grandparent's grief focuses on the dual loss aspect. In addition to the loss of a younger family member, grandparents must console their own child, the bereaved…

Understanding collaborative writing as a form of networking is useful in that it highlights the fact that composition students do not have the same type of networks or networking skills. Composition assignments should take into account the digital divide and should foster networking across social class divisions because invention is a social act.…

A longitudinal study was undertaken to determine whether interpersonal competence of teachers and students was related to coping strategies of students during an oral examination. The main research question was to find out whether expected supportive dyadic coping, the wish to delegate coping and interpersonal trust, assessed 8 weeks before an…