The Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) is the second-largest public school system in Pennsylvania. The state has only one other major big-city school system--Philadelphia's. The school district has made substantial gains in student achievement over the last several years, significantly increasing the numbers of students at the proficient level in…

Classroom management skills are critical for teachers. Yet teachers receive little training in classroom management, and empirical research on teacher training in classroom management is lacking. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of explicit training and performance feedback on teachers' implementation of three classroom…

This study examined the effects yielded from the implementation of assessment-based behavior support plans on the engagement and problem behavior of three young children with behavioral challenges in a community early childhood program. A concurrent multiple-baseline design across children with generalization probes was used with data collected…

In the current study, tacts with positive qualifying autoclitics for reading were reinforced in order to determine if this procedure would increase the time spent reading by participants. Participants included 5 children, between 9-10 years old. Participants were individually exposed to 4 free operant sessions during which they were instructed to…

This study evaluated a contingency management (CM) program in a drug court. Gift certificates for compliance were delivered at 4- to 6-week intervals (total value = $390.00). Participants in one condition earned gift certificates that escalated by $5.00 increments. Participants in a second condition began earning higher magnitude gift…

We investigated the extent to which a contingency management (CM) procedure that deducted money from a grand total available at the end of the study compared to a procedure in which money accumulated with continued abstinence from cigarette smoking. Results suggested that the procedure in which money increased contingent on abstinence resulted in…

This paper explores some of the ways in which schools can help to maximise the positive engagement of students with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). The discussion begins with a brief consideration of the nature of SEBD and goes on to examine some of the ways in which schools can, on the one hand, create and exacerbate the…

Progressive-ratio (PR) schedules were used to identify the break point (i.e., the last schedule value completed) for 2 reinforcers under single and concurrent schedules. After the respective break points were established, the same reinforcers were presented under concurrent fixed-ratio (FR) schedules that were yoked to the break points obtained…

Severe behavior disorders are among the most perplexing conditions encountered by clinicians, and as a front page article in the past Christmas Day's "New York Times" illustrates ("Parents defend school's use of shock therapy"), treatment options remain a topic of contentious debate. Not all that long ago physical restraint was the only option,…

Young children with disabilities acquire behavior problems as a result of many factors. When planning interventions, it is important to remember that all children may display stages of inappropriate behaviors at various times during their early development. In most cases, the problems are short-lived and typically improve with guidance and age.…

For many years women have been under-represented in mathematics and related careers. Many women have been successful at the undergraduate level in a mathematics major, yet chose other career paths. In this study seventeen women, all of whom had done well in mathematics and have either graduated with an undergraduate degree in mathematics or had a…

The "National Dropout Prevention Newsletter" is published quarterly by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Intercepting the Dropout Trajectory (JoAnne Malloy); (2) The NH APEX Dropout Prevention Model; (3) How PBIS Can Lead to School Improvement (Julie King and JoAnne Malloy);…

Does the new realm of positive psychology and strength-based strategies complement or clash with the remedial discipline of social control traditionally practiced in juvenile justice programs? Many welcome the balance of positive psychology, the strengths perspective, and coping and resilience studies. Although emerging from different disciplines,…

Early childhood programs are growing increasingly concerned about the number of preschoolers exhibiting challenging behavior. This case study describes how educators at the Visiting Nurses Association Child Care and Family Resource Center program addressed this concern by implementing the systems, data, and practices of Program-Wide Positive…

This study examined outcomes associated with participation in a program, Preparing for the ACT, designed to enhance student performance (N = 126) on the ACT college entrance exam. This targeted intervention was implemented as part of a three-tiered model of positive behavior support. Results of descriptive analyses revealed that only academic…