Because research synthesis enables one to determine either the overall effectiveness of a particular treatment or the relative effectiveness of different types of treatments, it is becoming increasingly popular as a tool in program evaluation. Numerous methodological problems arise, however, when research synthesis is applied to studies conducted…

This report recognizes the problems faced by community-based placement as a result of deinstitutionalization of clients from rehabilitation and treatment centers for youth, and offers an alternative approach for serving these youth. The program described involves specialists in residential placement working with specialists in education/therapy…

This paper describes causes of mental retardation in rural America, preventative methods, and factors impeding preventative approaches in rural settings and offers principles for tailoring traditional preventative methods for rural areas. Relevant findings of research conducted by the National Rural Project, American Council on Rural Special…

This paper presents an overview of the evolution of the Yale University Child Study Center's School Development Program (SDP) since its implementation in New Haven, Connecticut in 1968. The needs of inner city school children are discussed, and results of parent and staff surveys are presented. A critique of alternative school improvement…

Results from the evaluation of a large-scale educational intervention designed to prevent school disruption suggest that altering the school organization is a more effective approach to delinquency prevention than treating individuals. Data for this comparison came from the evaluation of a school-based delinquency prevention program, Project…

This resource manual was developed to assist Texas school districts in their efforts to address and respond to the dropout problem. A 1986 study revealed a dropout rate of 33 per cent in Texas. A task force was initiated in 1987 to study the educational and social problem and produce this manual as a step toward overcoming it. The manual has the…

This practicum project sought to increase teachers' awareness of handicapping conditions and of the role of support service personnel, and to encourage them to make more appropriate and more timely referrals of potential special education students. The project's goals were to enable teachers in two targeted elementary schools to: understand the…

A diagnosis of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has both a physical and psychosocial impact that require substantial support. Relating to the families of origin concerning an AIDS diagnosis is a difficult task which sometimes results in rejection and sometimes results in support. In this study subjects (N=32) with AIDS described their…

A classroom-oriented therapeutic program was devised for four pragmatically impaired preschoolers who showed little spontaneous language use within the classroom. Intervention strategies focused on facilitating interactions during free play and were based on four principles for practitioners: be child-oriented; engineer the environment; use…

New York City's Early Grade Improvement Program (EGIP) was initiated in the 1985-86 school year as an effort to improve pupil achievement in the primary grades through a reduction of class size. Schools without sufficient space to reduce class size through creation of new classes were given EGIP funds to provide paraprofessional assistance to…

The report describes activities conducted during a 12-month baseline period preceding a series of longitudinal studies of the costs and effects of various types of early intervention with handicapped children conducted by the Early Intervention Research Institute at Utah State University. A systems theory perspective forms the theoretical base for…

The report describes second-year project activities of the Early Intervention Research Institute (EIRI) at Utah State University, relating to a 5-year project to conduct 16 longitudinal studies of the effects and costs of alternative types of early intervention with handicapped children. Six of the studies are to investigate effects of varying the…

A middle school principal with 17 years of experience as a classroom teacher implemented a practicum designed to develop positive, long-lasting social skills among elementary school students in the intermediate grades. The primary goal of the intervention was to decrease the number of instances in which students used verbal or physical aggression…

This document was prepared to aid Rhode Island schools in dealing with youth at risk of school failure. It defines at-risk students as young people who in danger of not completing school and notes that in Rhode Island over 25% of students who enter school fail to graduate from high school. It stresses the need for schools and communities to focus…

This guidebook is part of a series of program materials for a school-based intervention process to help at-risk students stay in school. It is intended for participating adults and begins by giving them a quick look at the extent of the dropout problem nationwide. The booklet goes on to provide a discussion of the basic steps of the helping…