This digest familiarizes counselors with the four major types of child maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, and emotional abuse or neglect. A definition is provided for each, along with relevant symptoms and statistics. The subsequent discussion focuses on identifying maltreatment and on counseling abused children.…

Site-based decisionmaking programs offer important opportunities for school systems; however, the risks involved are significant and the decision to embrace the concept at the local level is a highly complex one. With site-based decisionmaking programs, teachers are directly involved in making decisions that affect the whole school, not merely…

This document is a stand-alone training package for staff development providers in rural small schools. Based on research and best-practice information, the school improvement model used promotes cooperation, content transferability, and adaptations for long-term program maintenance. The underlying assumptions of the model are that when school…

A process of decision making and professional growth is described as a tool for refocusing on individual growth for professional development and redefining the relationship between professional development and organizational outcomes. Refocusing on individual professional growth is an intervention aimed at reconceptualizing the linking…

A study examined the relative merits of individual and cooperative methods of vocabulary instruction in the seventh grade. It was hypothesized that socialization would act as a motivating force among these adolescents, and that those involved in paired instruction would show increased vocabulary retention. Students in both control (individual) and…

Cooperative learning methods capitalize on the heterogeneous student bodies of most urban schools. They appear to foster better student achievement than individualistic methods, to increase cross-ethnic friendships, and to improve students' self-esteem and positive attitudes toward other students and the school. Six currently published cooperative…

This ERIC Digest describes research findings, mainly in elementary social studies classrooms, on the effects of cooperative learning on multicultural awareness and cross-ethnic friendships, interpersonal relationships, and prosocial behavior. Research findings on cooperative techniques in the classroom are summarized as follows: compared with…

An insightful overview of what makes schools effective is presented. The report is based on a study of 272 schools that have been recognized by the Department of Education as exemplary, with particular focus given to the 60 private elementary schools within this group. Themes and characteristics that are frequently mentioned include strong…

Despite prestigious reports, most notably "A Nation at Risk," and fervent reform efforts, school performance is unlikely to be improved by measures failing to recognize that schools are institutions--complex organizations composed of interdependent parts, governed by well-established rules and norms, and adapted for stability. Effective…

An investigation was made of the relationships among teachers' stages of development; their perceptions of school and classroom problems; and their reasons for participating in a collaborative action research project. On the basis of observations, logs, interviews, and introductory questionnaire data, life age/cycle profiles of each of 10 middle…

In a reflection upon the characteristics of effective schools and colleges of education, descriptions are offered on the qualities of effective leaders, management teams, and organizations. The dean is characterized as the key to the effectiveness of a teacher education institution. The dean must not only have a clear mission and high…

This two-part guide recognizes the importance of pupil services to the educational process and presents the pupil services team approach as an effective means of providing comprehensive services to pupils. Part I emphasizes the need for a clear understanding of the team concept and discusses basic rules of a team operation. Various purposes for…

In April 1984, 26 schools were selected as pilot sites for the Minnesota School Effectiveness Program (MSEP). A leadership team composed of four teachers, the building principal, and a district office representative from each site participated in a week-long training session sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Education. In August 1984,…

Integrated learning refers to the interrelatedness of subject and skill areas within and across grades of a school program. A description is given of the framework for integrated learning programs developed by the state of North Carolina. This monograph addresses factors that influence efforts toward integrated learning as well as processes for…

This paper explores a model of self-supervision for professional school psychologists which maximizes the amount of supervisory resources available. The history and current status of supervision in school psychology is reviewed. One model of self-supervision for professional school psychologists, the supervisory pool concept, is described and…