Conscientious educators grapple with the challenge of teaching all students, including emotionally troubled, high risk students. The general expectation is that teachers should know how to reach and teach every student--even the most irritating and obstinate child. To do that, teachers must be able to identify basic psychological factors of…

K-12 education in the U.S. is costing one-half trillion dollars annually. In constant dollars, the amount spent per student has increased 600% in the last sixty years. Test scores, however, have remained flat. Political leaders are constantly clamoring for more education dollars, yet there is no clear direction on how the funds will be used…

Maintaining well-disciplined schools is becoming more difficult in today's educational system, and problem behavior or lack of school discipline is reaching crisis proportions. Nationally recognized author and educator Geoff Colvin provides the "what's," "why's," and "how's" for establishing an effective discipline program while promoting an…

This book helps school practitioners go beyond putting a label on student behavior problems--it shows how to use assessment to partner with teachers and students to develop effective solutions. The authors provide a framework for determining the types of behavioral data that are needed in a given situation, selecting appropriate measures, and…

Background: Looking at dress code violations and demographics surrounding kids breaking the rules. Purpose: To see if there is a connection between dress code violations and discipline referrals. Setting: Jr. High School; Study Sample: Students with dress code violations for one week; Intervention: N/A; Research Design: Correlational; and Control…

In almost every sector of the educational arena, educators, administrators and parents are concerned with the problem of establishing environments that are contributing to a successful educational outcome. The most profound questions today are safety in the schools, which stimulated political and educational leaders to establish zero tolerance…

Thousands of schools throughout the country are now implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) as a way to improve school culture, safety, and climate. Research is needed to assess the effects of implementing SWPBS on (a) teacher stress and (b) teacher efficacy. The present pilot study provides a preliminary study of these…

This study evaluated the effects of visual performance feedback (VPF) on teacher use of behavior-specific praise. In addition to receiving individual VPF, teachers participated in group consultation focused on increasing competence in the use of behavior-specific praise. Three general education elementary teachers and six students participated in…

The National Household Education Survey, a nationally representative data set (N = 4,306 high school students and one parent of each), was analyzed to describe characteristics of adolescents, the nature of their service activities, and academic, behavioral and civic outcomes associated with service (voluntary compared to school-required and by…

Background: Teaching is considered a highly stressful occupation. Burnout is a negative affective response occurring as a result of chronic work stress. While the early theories of burnout focused exclusively on work-related stressors, recent research adopts a more integrative approach where both environmental and individual factors are studied.…

A role model is someone an individual looks up to and wants to be like--but also someone an individual connects with as a person. There is a special relationship between a child and a teacher, particularly in the early childhood years. Teachers must think carefully about how their manner affects the children in their classrooms. This article…

The aim of this article is to identify factors the author feels facilitate learning in introductory courses focused on multicultural populations and related issues. These are reflections based on observations of patterns over a number of years, in a variety of teaching settings and structures, and with a very diverse body of students, and include…

This paper is based on information researched and presented in a faculty development seminar for elementary teachers for use with students preparing for national testing to manage stress and increase attention focus. It reviews effects of stress on behavior, mood, and concentration; explains basics of breath work and meditation; provides…

This article considers dual relationships between faculty and students from an ethical perspective. A review of the literature focuses on the potential impact of dual relationships on students, faculty, academic institutions, and the consumers students will ultimately serve. Models promoting ethical dual relationships are identified and strategies…

Negative stress in physical education can reduce a student's enjoyment of physical activity and destroy the individual's desire to be a lifelong mover. The purpose of this article is to explore the concept of stress in physical education. Stress is defined as a substantial imbalance between the demand of a situation and the individual's capability…