The relationship of school‐wide Positive Behavior Support to academic achievement in an urban middle school

An emerging literature on school‐wide Positive Behavior Support (PBS) in urban settings suggests the utility of PBS in addressing student social development while decreasing the need for disciplinary actions (i.e., office disciplinary referrals [ODRs]). This research represents a significant addition to, and expansion of, this literature by examining the relationship of school‐wide PBS‐induced reductions in out‐of‐class referrals to student academic achievement. School‐wide PBS was implemented in an urban, inner‐city middle school in the Midwest over a 3‐year period. Data on ODRs, suspensions, standardized test scores, and treatment fidelity were gathered and analyzed. Results demonstrated significant reductions in ODRs and suspensions and increases in standardized math and reading scores. Additionally, regression analyses suggested a significant relationship between student problem behavior and academic performance. Treatment adherence to PBS procedures was significantly correlated with reductions in problem behavior. These findings are discussed in terms of helping urban schools address challenging behavior. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 701–712, 2006.     

自闭症儿童融合教育入学准备研究综述

入学准备是学龄前儿童为了能够从即将开始的正规学校教育中受益所需要具备的各种关键特征或基础条件。自闭症儿童的社交互动障碍与行为问题使其容易受到入学准备不足的影响,对参与融合教育造成困难。目前国外通过课程和量表两种方式评估自闭症儿童入学阶段的优弱势,基于学校和家庭方面开发了多种早期干预项目,为我国开展自闭症儿童入学准备关键影响因素、评估工具研究、探索入学准备的早期干预提供了借鉴。     

Reports of child sexual abuse in the schools

Few studies have examined the problem of child sexual abuse (CSA) as it relates to the role of the school psychologist. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of CSA reports to school psychologists, to examine the perceived quality of service to child victims, and to survey the usage of CSA prevention and screening programs as adjunct services in managing this problem. Of the 171 respondents, 498 child sexual abuse cases were reported. Respondents with prior CSA training rated their performance significantly higher than those without training in handling these cases. Those respondents reporting use of CSA prevention and screening programs generally rated their effectiveness as average or above. The results of this study suggested a need for training of school psychologists in the assessment of child sexual abuse. The results also implicated the use of prevention and screening programs as part of a service delivery program to all students in the public schools.     

School functioning of children in residential care: The contributions of multilevel correlates

ObjectiveThis study, using an ecological approach, examines the relationships between problems in school functioning (including academic and behavior problems) of children in residential care with a number of variables describing the child and the care setting.MethodsThe study reports on 4,061 children and youth (ages 6–20) in 54 Israeli residential care facilities supervised by the Ministry of Welfare. It is based on data derived from an ongoing system of monitoring care based on annual reports by social workers on children in care settings. Additionally, data on the characteristics of the settings were collected through a structured questionnaire completed by the supervisors at the Ministry of Welfare. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was utilized to examine how characteristics of the individual children and the care settings were related to problems in school functioning among the children.ResultsMost of the children (about 62%) had at least one problem in school functioning. The most vulnerable children were boys, children who were taken from parental homes by court decree, children with problems in quality of contact with their biological parents, and children who stayed in the care setting for shorter periods. The settings’ characteristics most associated with poor performance at school are group structure (vs. mixed and family home structures), higher levels of peer violence, fewer after-school activities, and settings in which children tend to stay for shorter periods of times.ConclusionsThe findings demonstrate the need for an ecological perspective in addressing children's problems in school functioning within the care system. The results help to identify the types of placements that should benefit from additional resources in order to promote adaptive performance in school among the children.Practice implicationsSocial workers in residential care should give high priority to children's positive academic involvement. The study demonstrates the need for identifying the intersection of the individual, familial and institutional contexts in which problems in school functioning are more prevalent. Therefore, it is important to allocate sufficient resources to care settings which serve these children. The study suggests some priorities and directions for policy and practice with children in residential care.     

国际视野下的学校腐败——《腐败的学校》述评

《腐败的学校》是国际教育规划研究所关于全世界不同地区和国家学校腐败的调查报告。我们从中可以了解学校腐败的最新定义,特别是具体了解教育经费、教师管理和教师行为、薪水外教育支出、考试、信用和认证、私人辅导等最易滋生学校腐败行为的几个方面的腐败表现以及世界各国反学校腐败的经验。由此可以认为,学校腐败是一个世界性的现象,不能轻易地根据国家经济情况区分出哪些国家腐败情况更加严重;滋生学校腐败的原因很多;在治理学校腐败行为时,所采取的措施应当系统化,全社会都应该为治理学校腐败而努力。我国应该结合本国实际学习国际经验,防范和治理学校腐败,促进教育公平和教育事业的发展。     

The daily report card: A simplified and flexible package for classroom behavior management

There is a growing need for rapid low cost, and proven behavior management techniques for classroom teachers. Often, an uncomplicated system of feedback to pupils at frequent intervals, backed by reinforcers delivered at home by cooperating parents, is sufficient to decrease problem behavior and accelerate homework and classwork completion. The present paper presents a system consisting of report cards, instructions for students, parents, and teachers, which is designed to accomplish these objectives. One application of the daily report card in a regular fourth-grade classroom will be presented. In this case, a behavior problem (talkouts), and homework assignment completion were targeted and recorded during a baseline period, and then sequentially remediated using a multiple baseline design. The results indicated rapid improvement with a minimum of teacher time and effort. The use of the card with various problem behaviors in classrooms is discussed as a valuable consultation tool for school intervention.     

Reflections on “teachers' thinking about at‐risk learners and others”

This article examines the contextual, conceptual, and empirical foundations of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) in general educational settings. Schools today face 2 important, contextual challenges: the need to design effective responses to increases in individual problem behavior and the need to be compliant with the 1997 amendments to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. FBA as a solution to these challenges is explored from a conceptual framework. Finally, the empirical literature supporting the use of FBA in typical school settings is reviewed briefly.     

Demography of Problem Behavior in Elementary Schools

The complex mix of systematic and unsystematic discipline that characterizes most schools creates heightened potential for variation and violation in school and classroom behavior. The challenge of maintaining order intensifies with teachers' concerns about the growing inclusion of students with emotional and behavioral problems in general education classrooms and the general levels of diversity common in America's schools. Little is known about the demography (i.e., who, what, where, when, how) of behavior requiring attention from administrators and other professionals in elementary schools. The need for comprehensive and continuous monitoring of what goes on in schools within the context of increasing appropriate behavior and reducing inappropriate behavior is clear. In this research, we investigated the extent of variation in problem behavior at the school and classroom level. We evaluated office referrals, reasons for removing students from the classroom for discipline, and consistency of reasons for office referrals in schools using different recording systems. Rates of referral differed greatly among teachers within schools and a small group of students accounted for most of the documented behavior problems. The results have implications for efforts to improve academic and behavior instruction in elementary classrooms, which we discuss.     

Education participation in Sri Lanka—Why all are not in school

Despite Sri Lanka's 1990 commitment to provide 10–11 years of free education to all, only 93% of children in the 5–14-year-old age group were in school by the year 2000. Moreover, the education participation rates are not equitable across the country, varying by socio-economic groups. This paper examines the determinants of school non-participation of 5–14-year olds in Sri Lanka using household, community and school-level information obtained from an island-wide survey. The study finds that demand side problems such as poverty, direct and indirect costs of schooling, and cultural factors as well as supply side shortcomings such as quality of education seem to affect schooling behavior of children. Policies facilitating compulsory education in the country at present gives prominence to awareness building, monitoring and improvements in education delivery. The results show that these efforts need to be complemented by other supply side improvements and income transfer measures, especially for the poorest, to achieve universal school attendance.     

The relative value of reading ability and IQ as predictors of teacher-reported behavior problems

Measures of early family adversity, pre-school-age IQ, school-age IQ, and reading ability were obtained from 779 Dunedin children. The data were used to examine the role of reading ability in the relationship between intellectual performance and teacher-reported behavior problems. Results of regression analyses showed that family adversity and pre-school-age IQ predicted problem behavior during the first year at school. However, reading scores accounted for a larger proportion of the variance in the later behavior problem scores than did school-age IQ scores, and when reading ability was entered in the regression equation before IQ, then reading but not IQ significantly predicted change in problem behavior during the primary school years. The results indicated that the association between IQ scores and problem behavior was mediated by reading ability and that a measure of school-age IQ has limited usefulness for models of primary school-age problem behavior.     

The Reciprocal Links Between School Engagement,Youth Problem Behaviors,and School Dropout During Adolescence

Drawing on the self‐system model, this study conceptualized school engagement as a multidimensional construct, including behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, and examined whether changes in the three types of school engagement related to changes in problem behaviors from 7th through 11th grades (approximately ages 12–17). In addition, a transactional model of reciprocal relations between school engagement and problem behaviors was tested to predict school dropout. Data were collected on 1,272 youth from an ethnically and economically diverse county (58% African American, 36% European American; 51% females). Results indicated that adolescents who had declines in behavioral and emotional engagement with school tended to have increased delinquency and substance use over time. There were bidirectional associations between behavioral and emotional engagement in school and youth problem behaviors over time. Finally, lower behavioral and emotional engagement and greater problem behaviors predicted greater likelihood of dropping out of school.     

Effects of Head Start REDI on Children's Outcomes 1 Year Later in Different Kindergarten Contexts

One year after participating in the Research‐based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) intervention or “usual practice” Head Start, the learning and behavioral outcomes of 356 children (17% Hispanic, 25% African American; 54% girls; M_age = 4.59 years at initial assessment) were assessed. In addition, their 202 kindergarten classrooms were evaluated on quality of teacher–student interactions, emphasis on reading instruction, and school‐level student achievement. Hierarchical linear analyses revealed that the REDI intervention promoted kindergarten phonemic decoding skills, learning engagement, and competent social problem‐solving skills, and reduced aggressive–disruptive behavior. Intervention effects on social competence and inattention were moderated by kindergarten context, with effects strongest when children entered schools with low student achievement. Implications are discussed for developmental models of school readiness and early educational programs.     

Engaging pre-service middle-school teacher-education students in mathematical problem posing: development of an active learning framework

Although official curriculum documents make cursory mention of the need for problem posing in school mathematics, problem posing rarely becomes part of the implemented or assessed curriculum. This paper provides examples of how problem posing can be made an integral part of mathematics teacher education programs. It is argued that such programs are a good place to start the process of redesigning mathematics curricula so that school mathematics will pay more than lip service to problem posing. Data are presented and analyzed showing that teacher education students can recognize the need for problem posing both in their own programs and in school mathematics curricula. Examples of problems posed by teacher education students are presented and discussed. An active learning framework for interpreting the role of problem posing in mathematics classrooms is presented.     

Testing an Idealized Dynamic Cascade Model of the Development of Serious Violence in Adolescence

A dynamic cascade model of development of serious adolescent violence was proposed and tested through prospective inquiry with 754 children (50% male; 43% African American) from 27 schools at 4 geographic sites followed annually from kindergarten through Grade 11 (ages 5–18). Self, parent, teacher, peer, observer, and administrative reports provided data. Partial least squares analyses revealed a cascade of prediction and mediation: An early social context of disadvantage predicts harsh–inconsistent parenting, which predicts social and cognitive deficits, which predicts conduct problem behavior, which predicts elementary school social and academic failure, which predicts parental withdrawal from supervision and monitoring, which predicts deviant peer associations, which ultimately predicts adolescent violence. Findings suggest targets for in‐depth inquiry and preventive intervention.     

Assessing Noncognitive Aspects of School Readiness: The Predictive Validity of Brief Teacher Rating Scales of Social–Emotional Competence and Approaches to Learning

Research Findings: Head Start teachers completed brief rating scales measuring the social–emotional competence and approaches to learning of preschool children (total N = 164; 14% Hispanic American, 30% African American, 56% Caucasian; 56% girls). Head Start lead and assistant teacher ratings on both scales demonstrated strong internal consistency and moderate interrater reliability. When examined longitudinally, preschool teacher–rated approaches to learning made unique contributions to the prediction of kindergarten and 1st-grade academic outcomes, need for supplemental services, and grade retention, even after we accounted for preschool academic skills. In contrast, preschool teacher–rated social–emotional competence made unique contributions to the prediction of reduced behavior problems and peer difficulties in kindergarten and 1st grade. Practice or Policy: The findings demonstrate that preschool teachers are able to provide distinct and reliable ratings of child social–emotional competence and approaches to learning using brief rating scales, with validity for predicting elementary school adjustment.     

EVALUATING AN ABBREVIATED VERSION OF THE PATHS CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTED BY SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIANS

When evidence‐based prevention programs are implemented in schools, adaptations are common. It is important to understand which adaptations can be made while maintaining positive outcomes for students. This preliminary study evaluated an abbreviated version of the Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) Curriculum implemented by school‐based mental health clinicians in preschool/kindergarten classrooms. Results suggest that students (N = 80) demonstrated increases in emotional understanding and prosocial behavior. Children with low initial levels of problem behavior demonstrated large and continual increases in prosocial behavior over the entire course of the intervention, whereas children with high initial levels of problem behavior only demonstrated small gains in prosocial behavior during the first half of the intervention. These preliminary results support the general effectiveness of the adapted intervention, but also suggest the need for additional intervention to produce meaningful and sustained behavioral gains for higher‐need students.     

Observations of the middle school environment: The context for student behavior beyond the classroom

This article describes the use of an observation system to measure middle school staff practices, environment characteristics, and student behavior in the school common areas. Data were collected at baseline from 18 middle schools participating in a randomized controlled trial of school‐wide Positive Behavior Support. The observations were reliable and showed sensitivity to differences between school settings and between schools. Multilevel models with students nested in schools were used to examine the associations of staff practices and the school environment with student behavior. Less effective behavior management and more staff criticism, graffiti, and percentage of low‐income students were associated with student problem behaviors. Greater use of effective behavior management and positive attention, and fewer low‐income students were associated with positive student behavior. The use of data‐based feedback to schools for intervention planning and monitoring is illustrated. Implications for school‐wide efforts to improve student behavior in middle schools are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Pupil participation and the home–school relationship

Schools are required to develop policies and practices in line with the principles of both partnership with parents and pupil participation. However, there is increasing recognition of the potential tensions that may exist between these two principles. This paper reports on a study that aimed to explore the question of how schools might develop their home–school relationships in ways that enhance rather than constrain pupil participation. It focuses on the perspectives of children aged 6 to 16 years (with and without special educational needs), parents and teachers concerning children's involvement in decision-making at home and at school, and their participation within the home–school relationship. The findings highlight the need for schools to develop a coherent view of what active participation means for children and a vocabulary to communicate about this not only with pupils and staff across the whole school, but also with parents. They demonstrate that there is scope for two-way support between parents and teachers in relation to the promotion of children's involvement in decision-making both at home and at school. Further, they illustrate the complex and evolving three-way partnership between parent–child–teacher that is central to the home–school relationship. While it is acknowledged that children may rightly wish to keep a distance between aspects of home and school life, it is argued that there is a need for schools to give explicit consideration to the place of pupil participation within the home–school relationship.     

藏族大学生学校环境与问题行为的关系

文章采用《青少年行为问卷》和《学生学校情景量表》对450名藏族大学生进行调查,探讨学校环境对藏族大学生问题行为的影响。结果发现:学校环境的课业与自我适应维度对学业适应不良有显著影响,常规和自我适应维度对攻击行为有显著影响,常规维度对违纪有显著影响,常规、同学关系和自我适应维度对退缩、神经质和问题行为总分都有显著影响,课业、同学关系和自我适应维度对考试焦虑有显著影响。表明学校环境对藏族大学生问题行为具有显著的影响。