Book review of The School-to-Work Revolution

Middle-school boys at risk for behavior problems participated in a program designed to teach positive skills and provide incentives for academic achievement and following school rules. The program was administered via an intramural basketball program, in which the program components were taught by a male teacher who served as the coach. Participation depended on maintaining appropriate levels of academic achievement and adhering to school rules. Students who failed to meet the criteria for continuing participation were suspended from the program and received tutoring and counseling instead, until they met the criteria for resuming participation. Compared to a control group of similar students, participants displayed a large reduction in disciplinary sanctions, and large to moderate gains in academic achievement in all subjects but 1. Both the participants and their teachers perceived significant improvement in the participants' behavior across a wide range of student characteristics.