We describe changes in adaptive functioning for children enrolled in the Intensive Mental Health Program (IMHP), an innovative model for serving children with the most severe forms of SED. Most children show marked improvements in multiple indicators of role performance and symptomatology. Although a high risk, high need group, most children…

Increasing numbers of young children are being expelled from child care settings because of their problem behavior. Access to mental health consultation is related to lower rates of expulsion, but additional data are needed to document the pathways through which mental health consultation reduces the risk of expulsion. We report on outcomes from a…

The purpose of this researcher-school collaborative study was to examine factors which might be intervenable by urban high school counselors in assisting at-risk students. There were two primary objectives. The first was to examine the degree to which urban adolescents' academic competence predicts cumulative grade point average (GPA). The second…

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which cognitive and non-cognitive measures predict academic success for conditionally-admitted students enrolled in a comprehensive public university. Stepwise multiple regression analyses reveal that one cognitive variable (high school grade point average) and two non-cognitive measures…

This study involved the analysis of the complex interactions that take place between tutors and preschool children using a computer during early literacy tutoring sessions. Eight five-year-old pre- and early-readers attending a childcare centre participated in daily 20-minute tutoring sessions for two weeks. The literacy software (a beta version)…

The primary goal of the Words Work (WW) early literacy initiative was to prepare diverse students to become successful learners in school. Four groups of students were followed over 6 years: students from traditional Head Start (HS) centers, students from augmented HS centers (WW students), students eligible for HS but not enrolled (waitlist or…

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with and at risk for disabilities evidence the greatest need for quality instructional programs of all students in our schools because of disproportionate academic underachievement, special education referrals, and disciplinary actions. Authorities on culturally responsive instruction…

Nine ninth graders at risk of school failure participated in a supportive group counseling intervention. Students' GPA in the treatment group did not significantly improve when compared to a control group. Additionally, the treatment group completed the Critical Incidents Questionnaire (CIQ) at the conclusion of the intervention, and a follow-up…

There is an increasing awareness that school failure and early school leaving are processes, rather than discrete events, that often co-occur and can have lasting negative effects on children's development. Most of the literature has focused on risk factors for failure and dropout rather than on the promotion of competencies that can increase…

Refugee students, although frequently subsumed under the "immigrant" heading, often suffer from effects of significant trauma that can make them more vulnerable than children of voluntary immigrant families. This study evaluated a program created specifically for refugee youth at-risk for academic failure and "social death." The program goals…

In his 2004 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush described drug testing as "an effective part" of an "aggressive, community-based strategy to reduce demand for illegal drugs" (as cited in Lineburg, Alexander, & Sughrue, 2006 [emphasis added]). His statement fueled debate about the role of U.S. public schools…

The "National Dropout Prevention Newsletter" is published quarterly by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. This issue contains the following articles: (1) A Quiet Crisis Indeed (Beverly Sevick); (2) 2007 NDPN Crystal Star Winners; (3) Making Connections: A Means to Native American School Success (Marilyn Iverson); (4)…

In the field of gifted education, those identified as at risk may include student groups who have been historically underrepresented--among them those who are poor, minority, and/or culturally and linguistically diverse. Typically, the most at risk students are considered those in poverty. Living in poverty often limits equity, access, and…

Some gifts with which children are born are not all that great. There are many categories of at risk gifted children, each with a separate set of needs. Among these categories are profoundly gifted, gifted with LD, gifted and emotionally disabled, and an increasing number of gifted youngsters who try unrealistically to be perfect. In what ways can…

There are increasing demands in schools to provide social-emotional learning opportunities for students. This article reports on the utility of a universal coping skills program for young people at risk for depression in a rural context. The study deals specifically with the utility of the Best of Coping (BOC) program implemented to all students…