A color-blind approach often signifies that an educator has not considered what racial/ethnic identity means to youngsters. Students want to find themselves reflected in the faces of teachers and other students. Color-conscious teachers seek out materials that positively reflect students' identities and initiate discussions about race and racism.…

Describes a professional-development program to address the social needs of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) in general-education classrooms. The program is based not only on current knowledge of students with AH/HD, but also on professional development needs of teachers. Program components are described. (Author/CR)

Examines fundamental conceptual, methodological, and outcome issues with respect to the social integration of preschool-age children with mild developmental delays in inclusive early-childhood settings. A model of factors that influence social integration and their interrelationships is presented as a means of organizing future integration…

Recounts working with a young client in the Serious Habitual Offender Comprehensive Action Program. Client's reflections offer insight into how youth can use significant events in their lives as pathways to more antisocial behavior. Includes Rolf Loeber's (1990) developmental model that describes how children progress from disruptive to criminal…

A study compared the effects of different intervention approaches designed to promote peer-related social competence of 83 preschool children with disabilities. Analyses indicated that the peer-mediated condition had the greatest and most sustained effect on children's participation in social interaction and on the quality of interaction.…

Investigated the role of classroom characteristics and preschool children's complex interactions with teachers, objects and peers. Found that complex interactions with objects were most probable in dramatic play and in art activities with the teacher present. Complex peer interactions were rare, but complex teacher interactions were probable in…

Ethnic differences in self-appraisals among 2,743 incoming college freshmen were examined. Results showed that Asian and Black students reported lower career and social self-appraisals than did White students, and Asian students reported lower career and social self-appraisals than did Black students. Practical and research implications are…

Positive Peer Groups (PPG) is a leadership training program that helps alienated and disengaged students bond to school via participation in school-oriented service activities stressing work, discipline, and responsibility. Students form affiliations with peers involved in the same efforts. Results in Ohio schools are encouraging. (MLH)

Proposes a cultural framework for examining socioemotional development of infants and young children across cultures. The framework recommends three distinct yet interrelated units of analysis for research on socioemotional development across cultures: cultural contexts, cultural complexity, and cultural pathways. (JPB)

Describes a study exploring the social dynamics within a typical preschool classroom that included a 3-year-old with severe visual impairments. Notes findings that this child was an active participant in shared social experiences with his peers, which contributed to his membership and acceptance. Discusses adult mediation and interpretation of the…

The skill of accepting criticism was taught individually to eight female adults with moderate developmental disabilities. Evaluations, which were based on a ten-item checklist with a three-point scale per item, were conducted during role play situations. Results indicate that the training program was effective for all subjects. (Contains…

Examined whether parenting and child characteristics of term and preterm 2- and 3.5-year-olds had common paths of influence on children's independent cognitive and social functioning at age 4.5 years. Found that high levels of mothers' maintaining children's interests across these ages supported later independence, but directiveness needed to…

This article suggests "mainstream inclusion" be replaced by "educational inclusion" in order to avoid the implication that venues other than mainstream schools are inferior. It argues that placement of pupils with disabilities should be informed by a consideration of the effectiveness of the venue in raising academic and social standards.…

Offers suggestions for improving administrative interpersonal skills, which are just as, if not more important, than technical skills. (LMI)

Demographic, economic, and social realities make linguistic and cross-cultural competence essential skills for today's students. This article discusses three innovative program types that build on basic education while enriching it through second languages: second-language immersion for native English-speaking students; developmental bilingual…