An educator of the gifted reflects on issues equally relevant to gifted students and their teachers including being stifled by misconceptions about giftedness, spending more time reflecting on future efforts than on current achievements, and awkwardness about using the term "gifted" in relation to self. (DB)

This article describes a functional experiment designed to evaluate the ability of 128 preservice teachers to interpret pupil problem-behavior nested in two distinct learning settings (cooperative and traditional). (IAH)

Describes a study of community college transfer students who completed bachelor's degrees to determine whether they followed the stereotyped pattern of enrollment in a community college directly after high school and in a university after two years. Indicates that many students do not follow a direct route from high school to community college to…

This study observed a classroom of 15 students (ages 3 to 11) with behavior disorders, using amount of teacher attention to generate hypotheses about problem behavior function which were then validated in individual functional assessments. For 14 of the students, accurate hypotheses were efficiently generated by noting how teachers distributed…

This article reviews the development of functional analysis in understanding behavior problems like self-injury and aggression and, more recently, school-based problems. Seen as particularly promising is current work on the analysis of setting events and analysis of dependent variables by considering the effects of intervention on response…

Discusses ways that whole-language teachers can address the concerns raised by administrators, parents, and other teachers about the physical environment and noise level in the classroom. Notes that teachers using whole-language approaches often need to explain and justify their expertise and teaching methods to individuals not familiar with the…

Two kindergarten boys with behavior problems were given "happy faces" at the beginning of each period, which were removed contingent on inappropriate behavior. Retention of a number of "happy faces" earned a large "happy face," redeemable for privileges at home. Low rates of inappropriate behavior were observed while the system was in effect.…

Two elementary teachers discuss their experiences of having children with attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities in their second-grade classrooms, focusing on the process involved in deciding whether or not to medicate the children with Ritalin to enhance their ability to learn. (SM)

To estimate the extent of childhood sexual abuse, questions were added to the 1993 Oregon Youth Risk Behavior Survey of high school students. Answers from students at 25 Oregon high schools indicated many students had experienced sexual abuse, and such students were more likely subsequently to have very high-risk health behaviors. (SM)

To assess how they compared themselves to peers, elementary school students were observed in class and interviewed over a three-year period. Found that overt forms of social comparison were most frequent among younger children, and subtle forms among older children. With increasing age, children were likely to see subtle forms of social comparison…

Skillful, scientific observation of even one student having difficulty can give teachers ideas for helping all of their students. Discusses planning observation time, tools for observation, and how to observe students and interpret observations. Provides specific suggestions for five observed behaviors and sources of more information (two…

The value of teaching and modeling respect in the classroom is addressed for both general and special education. Six scenarios are covered, including modeling respect for another adult entering the classroom, modeling respect for a student's concerns, modeling respect in giving attention to a speaker, and others. (SW)

A program to decrease unnecessary visits to an elementary school health room involved teachers asking students to visit the health room only for serious problems and urging parents to support the goal of reducing health room visits. Substantial decreases in ambiguous, unidentifiable complaints and health room visits were found following program…

Investigated the relation of change in maternal depressed mood across time and adolescent functioning. Analyses revealed that increased depressed mood across one year predicted teacher reports of higher levels of externalizing and internalizing problems and lower levels of social competence. A static maternal depressive mood did not forecast…

Examined the influence of friends' behaviors and the features of their friendships on 297 adolescents' school adjustment. Found that students whose friends described themselves as more disruptive increased in self-reported disruption over the course of the school year. Girls' self-reported disruption was more influenced by that of their best…