John Chubb, in his November 1998 "Kappan" article, does not dispute the accuracy of the author's observations about the Boston Renaissance Charter School. It was the author's job (as a journalist) to report widely held descriptions of controversial, harsh disciplinary practices, not present a story Chubb would find favorable. Chubb…

Used interviews, observations, and surveys to identify how Montessori early childhood teachers make accommodations to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Found that teachers were developing effective strategies to support children with challenging behavior, including modifying activities, using flexible scheduling, and incorporating…

Examines the effects of mothers' strategies of combining employment and welfare receipt during the first three years of their child's life on the child's cognitive development, behavior problems, and home learning environment at ages five and six. No negative association was found on most child outcomes with a mother's employment whether or not it…

In survey responses from 409 of 611 nursing schools, all respondents identified student disruptive behaviors, including inattentiveness, attendance problems, and lateness; 24.8% cited objectionable physical contact of teachers by students; and 42.8% reported verbal abuse of clinical instructors by students. (SK)

This study examined whether problem behaviors of three adults with profound mental retardation, which had been maintained by continuous reinforcement schedules, could be extinguished more rapidly than those maintained on an intermittent schedule of reinforcement. No significant differences in extinction rate were found between the two conditions.…

This paper describes a schoolwide staff development model based on a proactive instructional approach to solving problem behavior. Discussion focuses on comparison with traditional models of staff development, reactive approaches to school discipline, and students with diverse learning and behavioral histories. (DB)

This interview with Sylvia Rockwell and Ennio Cipani (authors of books on dealing with behavior problems in the classroom) discusses major issues that teachers have to cope with, challenges in dealing with students who are hostile and disruptive, strategies proven effective in research and practice, and how their publications are used by…

Examines the problems facing college administrators from the spread of legalized gambling, with its resulting increase in the incidence of gambling problems. As many students arrive at college with gambling experience and continue as active gamblers while on campus, student affairs officers should be informed about these problems. (JPS)

Behavior modification and assertive discipline approaches use rewards and negative consequences (extinction procedures) to deal with students' maladaptive behavior. Behavior modification has significant limitations, as it treats symptoms, not causes; yields only short-term benefits; has limited transfer value for other environments; and values…

In reversing an expulsion order for a high-school student suffering from (undiagnosed) ADD, a federal district court judge has limited schools' ability to punish students with disabilities for serious offenses like vandalism. Nondisabled culprits escaped expulsion by withdrawing from school. All three boys were criminally prosecuted. (MLH)

All too often, one behavioral intervention is used universally to handle a variety of problem behaviors, regardless of the function of the misbehavior. This article describes how a functional assessment of behavior can be used to identify the purpose of misbehaviors and plan effective behavioral interventions. (Author)

Article reviews strategies used by the most highly effective classroom teachers to achieve long-term goals of self-discipline while simultaneously achieving short-term goals of classroom management and control of discipline problems. Profiles three national projects that employ comprehensive, broad-based, preventive approaches to improving…

Evaluates the self-report method in the assessment of attitudes and behaviors. Self-report factors from 42 problem youth were compared against parental report factors and police and school records. Significant relationships were found only for self-report factors that contained more positively oriented items. Implications of these findings are…

Demonstrates the merits of preceding experimental analyses with descriptive analyses of functional variables with preschool children who engage in problematic behavior. A two-phase descriptive analysis was conducted in daycare settings with three children. Results show that when the descriptive data were plotted via functional variables, specific…

Reviews current scientific and clinical information regarding consequences of insufficient sleep in adolescents, including sleepiness; tiredness; changes in mood, attention, and behavior; emotional and behavior problems' effects on sleep patterns; and bidirectional effects. Lifestyle forces are pushing teens' sleep/arousal balance in the wrong…