This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year project in Mississippi to encourage the use of best practices in early intervention with children having disabilities and to increase community-based service options through use of a flexible inservice training and support model. The outreach training model focused on…

This report is a summary of a December, 1994 research briefing presented by the Board on Children and Families of the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, and the Family and Child Well-Being Research Network of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This…

The contributions in this volume grew out of a conference at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1989. They examine issues that promote a longer range perspective on preventing disabling conditions and intervening early in the lives of children with disabilities. The range of preventable disabling conditions, perinatal influences on…

A study determined classroom teachers' opinions of causal factors of reading failure and reported their attitudes on the major issues in reading instruction as suggested in current research. A representative sample of 100 elementary classroom teachers from School District #299 in the Chicago, Illinois area were sent the Ross Reading Survey. A…

Illegal drugs pose a significant threat to young people. Ways in which children between the ages of 8 and 13 can be warned about the dangers of drug use is presented in this book. It is a health education text containing precise information presented in a simple way. The book's fictional characters are vividly portrayed through colorful pictures…

This monograph presents a follow-up cost-benefit analysis of the High/Scope Perry Preschool program, conducted when the program participants were 27 years old. Chapter 1 introduces the study, outlining the basis for the cost-benefit analysis, and describing the methodology. Chapter 2 details estimated program costs, addresses the issue of how much…

An individualized infant screening/parent education program using the Kent Infant Development (KID) Scale to identify infants at risk for developmental delay and to provide parent education and counseling about infant behavioral development is examined here. The screening was integrated into established community agencies, utilizing current agency…

This digest reviews a variety of the policies, programs, and practices to prevent youth violence so that local leaders can base decisions on the experience of other communities. The effectiveness of school violence prevention initiatives is increased by public policies that reinforce their message and by community programs that attempt to prevent…

This report describes a program to improve reading and language arts skills. The targeted population consisted of students in 2 first grade classrooms (average class size 25) from a midwestern elementary school in a predominantly white, middle to upper-middle class neighborhood. Data documenting the problem was obtained from the previous year's…

This final report describes the implementation and outcomes of a project designed to assist Wisconsin in meeting its need for qualified and appropriately trained personnel to carry out their new roles as service coordinators in the provision of early intervention services. The project's activities included: (1) development of a set of training…

Both educational attainment and mental health are part of the whole development of the child. School psychologists are indispensable in the schools because they alone bridge the gap between learning and mental health. They become even more in demand when they demonstrate that they can leverage mental health through educational interventions, and…

Despite the field's growth, development, and maturity, in many ways the typical psychologist in the schools in little better off than a quarter century ago. Presently school psychology positions rest primarily on the shaky bedrock of financial and legislative considerations rather than perceived need. Following marketing strategies can enhance the…

It is essential that communities, businesses, parents, and students work together to develop a disciplined environment for children which includes safe and drug-free schools. Emphasizing the need for commitment and community will, this guide outlines steps each of these groups can take to create safe schools. Communities must place school safety…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Preventing Early Reading Failure Project in the Griffin-Spalding County School System (Griffin, Georgia) during the 1994-95 school year. The approach was based on research on phonemic awareness and phonological recoding. The treatment group of 39 first-grade students received classroom reading instruction…

Focusing on transcending traditional definitions of literacy, this book presents 16 essays that discuss major conceptual and practical issues that confront professionals in the field of literacy. Essays in the book make explicit the questions that underlie a redefinition of literacy and offer specific suggestions for implementation. Essays in the…