Frequency of prosocial and antisocial student behaviors was rated by 1,503 students and 92 teachers in 4 urban middle schools ranked by achievement. The highest achieving school combined academics with a culture of caring, reflected in higher prosocial and lower antisocial behavior rates. Lower achieving schools had higher antisocial behavior…

Describes the activities and benefits of Positive Peer Groups (PPG), a Cleveland-based diocese program involving 40 schools. Designed for students with behavioral or academic problems, it focuses on school service projects that teach students to develop and implement valuable social skills. Describes the positive social and academic effects PPG…

Based on past incidents involving racial tension and student wearing apparel that displayed the Confederate flag, a South Carolina middle school prohibited clothing with the Confederate flag visible. Judge William B. Traxler Jr. ruled for the district. Advises administrators that they can regulate or ban expressive conduct by students only if…

Investigated tobacco use from 1976-1992 among urban and rural adolescents using data from Monitoring the Future, a project that examines high school seniors' risk behaviors and sociodemographics annually. Results suggest rural white males smoke most often and urban black females smoke least often when compared to other groups. Smoking rates…

Examines issues involved in collecting observational data and conducting a functional analysis of student problem behavior directly in the elementary classroom. Two cases of children with behavior disorders in special classes illustrate the active role that teachers can take in data collection and decision making prior to program changes.…

Evaluated an in-school mentoring program for underserved elementary students that emphasized personal and social responsibility (self-control, respect, effort, participation, self-direction, and helping others). Student interviews and teacher and mentor journals indicated that students were able to apply the goal of effort to classroom learning…

Describes a study conducted at Oakland University (Michigan) to examine the degree to which syllabi in general education classes reference general education guidelines. Finds that knowledge transmission was primary in syllabi, whereas skills and attitude development were less emphasized. Proposes that syllabi can be used better by promoting the…

Explored preschoolers' solitary-active play in the presence of peers as a marker for maladjustment among 153 children. Found that, compared to peers, children with frequent solitary-active behaviors were temperamentally less attentive, were more difficult to soothe, behaved more shyly, displayed more externalizing problems, performed more poorly…

Describes and tests the Stay Alive from Education (SAFE) program, a one-hour behavior modification program that informs students of the dangers associated with driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and not wearing seat belts. Quantitative data seem to suggest that students may change their driving behaviors due to the influence of…

States that in two experiments, instrumental students with 1 to 7 or more years of performance experience matched selected target pitches within a melodic context. Determined whether melodic pitch accuracy was affected by location or duration of target pitch. Subjects erred most often in the sharp direction. Includes references. (CMK)

Examined how self-efficacy level influenced children's motivational intentions, future self-efficacy beliefs, and attributions in physical education or sports. Children participating in low or high self-efficacy groups were exposed to a failure scenario. Higher self-efficacy children chose to participate and had higher future self-efficacy. They…

Nonacademic subscales (social acceptance, athletic ability, physical appearance, and behavioral conduct) of the Self-Perception Profile for Learning Disabled Students and the Children's Depression Inventory were administered to 83 fifth graders and 88 eighth graders (66 with learning disabilities). Self-perceived social acceptance was related to…

Although there are new forms of cheating among college students, particularly technology-related, overall cheating has increased only modestly. Significant increases in test cheating are occurring among women and in unpermitted collaboration among students on written work. Also, students report engaging in a wider variety of test-cheating…

One way for physical educators to keep track of students' class behavior is to use Momentary Time Sampling (MTS), which enables teachers to assess their teaching effectiveness. The article explains how and why to use MTS, what to observe, appropriate student motor engagement, and on-task and off-task behavior. (SM)

This article offers teachers 12 suggestions for dealing with cursing by students, such as teaching students the differences among assaultive cursing, racial insults and slurs, lewd and sexually assaultive insults and slurs, and profanity and epithets; differentially reinforcing less offensive profanity; trying self-mediated interventions; and…