Recently, educators have initiated programs to help students address the social and emotional problems which can impair academic performance. This paper reviews current knowledge on one such program called a Student Assistance Program (SAP). SAPs were initially designed to intervene with chemically-dependent high school students, but more…

The first in a series reporting on strategies to improve children's readiness for school and to help schools be better prepared to meet the needs of all children, this report traces Arkansas' efforts to improve reading instruction. This issue discusses the following topics: (1) Reading in the First Grade: Now or Never? (2) Limitations and…

The selected annotated bibliography was prepared to demonstrate the range of published materials available to students, teachers, and community practitioners. Topics were selected that are central to the concerns of those who have an interest in child welfare issues associated with the Latino and Chicano communities. By the year 2000, the Latino…

The goal of Minnesota's Early Childhood Screening (ECS) program is to identify normal aspects of a child's health and development while sorting out potential problems that need further evaluation. In addition, all parents are linked to resources in the school and community to enhance their child's development and their own parenting skills. This…

This document consolidates, clarifies, and updates federal regulations on Head Start services for children with disabilities. The regulations are designed to complement the Head Start Program Performance Standards governing services to all enrolled children. Specifically, these regulations require Head Start programs to: (1) design comprehensive…

This paper presents findings from a 5-year research project involving 50 primarily rural families with infants identified neonatally in birth crisis, or shortly thereafter, as having developmental disabilities. Parents were interviewed to gather information on their perceptions of and experiences with the early intervention (EI) process.…

Noting that the physical and mental growth of children are influenced by many environmental and familial factors, this paper explores improving the well being of children. The first part of the paper discusses child rearing, emphasizing three fundamental themes: creating an environment where children are born healthy and wanted; helping children…

New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) conducted a statewide telephone survey of 531 randomly selected kindergarten through fourth-grade public school teachers to obtain information on how schools prevent and address reading problems. Results indicated that (1) 95% of respondents said remediation should begin at grade 1 or earlier, but less than…

Four years after passage of Public Law 99-457, a survey was conducted of 30 state Part H Coordinators regarding the financing of Part H services. Coordinators were asked to estimate the percentage of the state's total funding that came from each of 44 potential sources for financing the implementation of Part H. Every one of the 44 sources was…

Parents (N=58) of young children with disabilities and their service providers attended 18 focus group sessions where they discussed what services they would choose if given a million dollars to spend on their own service programs. The focus groups were held in nine geographically and demographically diverse communities in Colorado, North…

Since 1984, large-scale, longitudinal, and experimental research on class size has been conducted in Tennessee. Project STAR (Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio) changed in 1989 to the Lasting Benefits Study (LBS) and Project Challenge. In 1985 almost 7,000 students in kindergarten were randomly assigned to either small classes, regular-sized…

A school psychologist becomes indispensable to a school by responding to school needs and becoming and instrumental part of the solution. An essential prerequisite to responding to a need is first identifying it. However, the need identification process is fraught with pitfalls. Immersion into the culture of the school is critical to establishing…

School psychologists have a long and successful history in making themselves indispensable in schools by expanding their roles and their skills to meet the demands of an ever-changing clientele. As the rates of survival of children with a wide spectrum of genetic and neurodevelopmental disorders and acquired injuries and disease affecting the…

Offered as a policy statement rather than as a how-to manual, this program advisory provides the policy direction and instructional guidance needed to support the improvement of reading achievement in California through the development and implementation of a balanced, comprehensive reading program in prekindergarten through grade 3. The first…

This paper synthesizes information about shortages among the professions working with young children with disabilities, birth through age 5, and their families. The paper begins with a look at national data on personnel working in early intervention and preschool special education. Distinctions between the work force in early intervention (Part H…