Group exercise leader certifications often include a written, as well as a practical, component. In order to prepare candidates for certification, some organizations offer workshops before the examination. However, candidates are expected to have prior experience in leading group exercise. Undergraduate fitness leadership classes can be an…

This article presents a Relational Goal-Oriented Model of Service Delivery to Children with physical or mental health difficulties and their families. This research-informed and practice-relevant model provides a broad understanding of what effective service provision entails and requires from practitioners and service organizations. The model…

A questionnaire was given to 500 mental health and child welfare professionals asking for maximum acceptable ages for siblings to engage jointly in certain family practices related to hygiene, affection, and privacy. A large proportion of respondents felt it was never acceptable for siblings to take showers together (40%), kiss on the mouth (37%),…

Too many educators avoid using data when making decisions because they believe it is too time-consuming to do so. The authors present five steps that make it easier to use data in making school decisions. The first step is to review school improvement plan to identify the most salient issues a school wants to improve. The second step is to…

Of the many responsibilities of a high school principal, overseeing the athletics program is one of the most difficult and potentially headache-inducing because of the thorny nature of the conflicts that arise. Sports-related controversies often are time-consuming and difficult to resolve, and they put a huge strain on relationships, public…

Because of the relatively poor treatment available, the high financial costs of hospitalization, multiple and complex issues of persons with severe mental illnesses, and advancements in pharmacotherapy, psychiatric patients are often only hospitalized for a few days before they are discharged. Thus, brief psychosocial interventions for persons who…

For those seeking ways by which they might serve more knowledgeably and effectively as members of their institution's leadership team--particularly when it comes to issues of institutional assessment and effectiveness--the author strongly recommends active participation in any aspect of the accreditation/reaffirmation process, including serving as…

The "2003 National Science Teachers Association Standards for Science Teacher Preparation" (NSTA-SSTP) were developed to provide guidelines and expectations for science teacher preparation programs. This article is the second in a special "JSTE" series on accreditation written to assist science teacher educators in meeting the "NSTA-SSTP" and to…

In 2003, the American Counseling Association (ACA) adopted the ACA Advocacy Competencies (J. A. Lewis, M. S. Arnold, R. House, & R. L. Toporek, 2002) to provide guidance to counselors and acknowledge advocacy as an ethical aspect of service to clients. This article provides a foundation for this special section by sharing a historical perspective…

Science educators are beginning to establish a theoretical and methodological foundation for constructing and using stories in science teaching. At the same time, it is not clear to what degree science stories that have recently been written adhere to the guidelines that are being proposed. The author has written a story about Louis Slotin, which…

The underrepresentation of women at the top of math-intensive fields is controversial, with competing claims of biological and sociocultural causation. The authors develop a framework to delineate possible causal pathways and evaluate evidence for each. Biological evidence is contradictory and inconclusive. Although cross-cultural and cross-cohort…

Interviews and a survey were conducted to assess both the structure and content of mentoring and advising provided to early-career faculty in geography. Results indicated three broad conditions for structuring effective mentoring: (1) regular, proactive meetings; (2) engaging diverse groups of individuals within and outside of a department; and…

A number of different countries and states have or are in the process of developing formal or informal guidelines to govern gambling advertising and marketing of gambling. There is a growing consensus that gambling advertising should not mislead the public, be fair, provide information on the odds of wining and there should be provisions in place…

The current media are laden with reports of the many significant problems facing today's youth. In fact, parenting has become a national topic of discussion. Parenting instruction, a responsibility that had previously rested in the home, has become part of educational curricula. Courses in child development are offered for high school students in…

The eagerly awaited federal guidelines on some $100 billion in stimulus funding for public education aim to pump money out quickly, while giving the U.S. Department of Education leverage to demand improvements from states and districts. But those same states and districts are also warned not to expect the hefty sums for K-12 programs in the…