The effectiveness of a peer leadership program connecting senior high school students with at-risk, new eighth-graders in seven Atlanta (Georgia) high schools is evaluated. The program trains the peer leaders in leadership and group dynamics and then places pairs of leaders with 10 or 12 advisees for weekly meetings. The study population includes…

This paper provides teachers with 35 techniques for promoting preschool children's prosocial development. Research findings that support many of the techniques are cited. Some of the techniques refer to caregivers' personal interactions with individual children or groups, while others target broader systems and require involvement of families,…

Data concerning education are presented in the broad context of families, employment, and health. Statistics are reported that address the following aspects of the lives of youth (14-24 year olds): (1) 11 indicators concerning demographics and family composition; (2) 9 indicators concerning family income; (3) 14 indicators concerning education;…

The Teachers Achieving Success with Kids (TASK) mentorship program was designed to improve the attendance, discipline, academic achievement and attitudes of at-risk students attending an urban middle school. In order to develop positive relationships, 25 teacher-student pairs met each day away from the classroom setting and engaged in one hour…

To gain an understanding of the development of the composing process, researchers observed, categorized, analyzed, and collected the writing of 10 Papago third and fourth graders in the Indian Oasis Public School District of Arizona over a period of two years. Of 30 children originally chosen to represent lower, middle, and upper development…

A review of research findings on context variables in the classroom and their effects on student achievement provided a framework upon which to base conclusions on the following factors pertaining to effective teaching: (1) teacher control of the classroom; (2) adjustment of teacher control of learning activities to student abilities; (3)…

A model for improving school and classroom effectiveness must pay attention to: (1) leadership; (2) school climate; (3) supervision; (4) teacher behaviors; (5) student behaviors; and (6) student achievement. Chapter 1 of this book on effective schools and classrooms introduces these important issues and describes a model incorporating these…

States and 116 general education elementary classroom teachers in Sweden were sent surveys assessing how teachers in the United States and Sweden (1) view the use of stimulant medication to treat ADHD behaviors in children, (2) attribute the causes of ADHD behaviors, and (3) rate the acceptability of various interventions used to treat ADHD…

The basic purpose of this text is to provide teachers with a practical guide for understanding and improving classroom management. Case studies included in the publication represent problems and issues common to urban, suburban, and rural school districts and personnel. Chapter 1, which focuses on broad perspectives on discipline, provides a…

This study assessed the state of educational law, standards, resources, and interventions for students with behavior disorders in Canada. Data were primarily gathered through a mail survey of 12 provincial and territorial departments of education. Definitions for behavior disorder are presented, as used by each province. Prevalence figures, labels…

A review of recent studies addressed the functional uses of code mixing across cultures. Expressions of code mixing (CM) are not random; in fact, a number of functions of code mixing can easily be delineated, for example, the concept of "modernization.""Modernization" is viewed with respect to how bilingual code mixers perceive…

This study examined the learning/behavioral patterns of children exposed to drugs and those not exposed during a math lesson. Data were collected concerning four male second graders (three white students and one black student) and their teachers. All of the students were classified as having severe behavioral handicaps. Two of the students had…

Tennessee's Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio project (Project STAR) was designed to study the effects of class size on pupils in primary (K-3) grades. Responses of Project STAR teachers (N=1,003) to the annual Teacher Exit Interview are summarily reported for 1986 through 1989. Generally, the perceptions of teachers in small classes, in regular…

This paper describes the implementation and effects of a behavior management system in eight middle schools, including control schools, in an urban school district. The components of the system included school discipline policy review and revision, computerized behavior tracking, classroom organization and management, and positive reinforcement.…

In June 1990, a statewide telephone survey was conducted of 1,200 full- and part-time students from the 29 Michigan community colleges as a follow-up to a similar survey conducted in 1988. As in the previous study, the 29 colleges were classified as rural, urban, and suburban institutions and a total of 200 part-time and 200 full-time students…