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Adequate yearly progress (AYP) on No Child Left Behind criteria was examined for a randomly selected sample of districts that qualify for the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP). The sample involved 10% of districts that were eligible for the Small Rural Schools Achievement (SRSA) program and 10% that were eligible for the Rural and Low-income Schools (RLIS) program. Based on district reports, nearly 80% of SRSA schools made AYP, 11% failed, and 11% did not have adequate data. For schools in the RLIS program, districts reported that 65% made AYP, 29% failed, and 6% did not report adequate data. The SRSA and RLIS samples had different patterns for the categories of students that did not make AYP. Also, SRSA and RLIS districts were differentially distributed across the United States. Implications for interventions are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

Continuity and change in children's involvement in bullying was examined across the transition to middle school in relation to externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in fifth grade and peer affiliations in fifth and sixth grades. The sample consisted of 533 students (223 boys, 310 girls) with 72% European American, 25% African American, and 3% Other. Although externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in fifth grade were related to bullying involvement in sixth grade, the prediction of stability and desistance in bullying and victimization status was enhanced by information about students' peer group trajectories. Furthermore, peer group trajectories uniquely explained the emergence of bullying and victimization in middle school.

The heterogeneity of peer rejection was examined as a function of social prominence in fifth grade classrooms. From an overall sample of 3,891 (1,931 girls) students, 721 youth (424 boys) were identified with rejected status. Social prominence was determined from the aggregation of peer nominations for "leader", "athletic", "cool", and "popular". Students with rejected sociometric status were classified into one of three prominence subtypes: high, medium, and low. Prominence subtypes were differentially linked to social behavior and peer affiliations. Although relatively few rejected students had high prominence, those who did tended to have higher levels of peer-assessed aggression, were more likely to be identified as bullies, had lower levels of internalizing behavior, and were less likely to be socially isolated and more likely to associate with socially prominent peers as compared to youth in other rejected status social prominence subtypes. (Contains 6 tables.)

The transition to middle school is considered to be a heightened period for involvement in bullying because the lack of a defined dominance hierarchy is thought to promote jockeying for social positions among students. Accordingly, this study examined bullying in peer ecologies at the beginning of the middle grade years in rural schools that did and did not have a transition to middle school. Thirty-six schools (20 with transitions, 16 without transitions) participated in this research with a sample of 1,800 participants (52% female) who were in sixth grade during the second year of data collection. Overall, 67% were White, 19% African American, 7% Latino, 2% Native American, and 5% other (multi-racial, Asian, unknown). Compared to schools without a transition, schools with a transition had fewer bullies following the move from fifth to sixth grade and the social dynamics in schools with a transition appeared to be less supportive of bullying. Further, students in schools with a transition reported being bullied less frequently in sixth grade and they perceived the sixth grade peer ecology as being more protective against bullying than did students in schools without a transition. In addition, proportionally more youth had controversial sociometric status in schools without a transition during sixth grade than in schools with a transition. Collectively, these findings suggest that risk for involvement in bullying may be elevated in schools that do not have a transition to middle school. They also bring into question the conventional view of the small K-8 or K-12 rural school as a peaceful and supportive peer community.

This study examined social network centrality (i.e., social salience, peer group linkages) and peer affiliations in 20 rural high schools across the United States. The total sample consisted of 1,672 students in Grades 9 to 12, including 164 students with disabilities (69 females). In comparison to their peers without disabilities, students with disabilities were more likely to be identified as isolated, peripheral, or secondary in their school social structures. This finding suggested that they had lower levels of social visibility and social connections. Further, peer associates of students with disabilities tended to have less favorable interpersonal characteristics; and the peer groups in which they were members tended to be characterized by risk configurations that are associated with poor educational outcomes. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study investigated the social preference and social prominence of 622 5th graders (290 boys, 332 girls) in relation to peer group membership. The sample was recruited from 11 elementary schools in a southeastern state. The ethnicity of participants was 55% European American, 41% African American, and 4% other. Peer groups were classified on each of three domains (academic, aggression, popular) by the proportion of group members who were high on the characteristic of interest. Participants' peer affiliations were also classified with cluster analytic techniques that yielded distinct configurations of aggression, popularity, and academic competence. Social preference and social prominence were each related to popular peer group type for both boys and girls and differentially related to aggressive and academic group types. Social prominence, but not social preference, was related to peer group configurations for both girls and boys. Implications for the development of social contextual interventions to support students' adjustment and academic engagement during late elementary school are discussed.

The relationship of participation in school, community, and church activities to the academic achievement (i.e., end-of-year school grades) of African American youth in rural low-income communities was examined. Participants included 280 students (177 girls and 103 boys) in the 7th and 8th grades of two public middle schools. Participation in school, community, and church activities was measured by participants' involvement in extracurricular activities in these contexts. Results indicated that after accounting for school activities and other control variables, church activities were related to academic achievement. Findings suggested that it is important to consider participation in the activities of contexts outside of school that may support the achievement of African American youth in the rural Deep South. (Contains 6 tables.)

This study examined the social preference nominations (i.e., "liked most" and "liked least") in relation to peer group and classroom social dynamics in a sample of 622 fifth graders from 11 schools in a southeastern state. Liked most and liked least nominations were given to a small concentration of students within classrooms. The top five nominees for liked most and liked least tended to be in peer groups and associated with at least one classmate who shared their position as a top nominee. The majority of liked most nominations in a classroom were made toward members inside the nominator's group, whereas the majority of liked least nominations were made toward peers outside one's group. Students in the same peer group were more likely to nominate the same peers as liked most than were students who did not affiliate together. In contrast, the concordance for liked least nominations was moderate at both the peer-group and classroom level. Implications for school-based social interventions are discussed. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

This study examined teachers' awareness of their classrooms' social networks, as reported by their students. Teachers and 549 students in 19 fourth- and 11 fifth-grade classes from 7 schools in 2 suburban/small urban school districts were asked twice during the school year to list the members of classroom social groups. In addition, we gave participants questionnaires to obtain teacher ratings of and peer nominations for student characteristics. Results indicated that teachers were most aware of classroom social groups that were also most salient to their students and overlooked fewer groups in spring than in fall. Comparisons of students in fully teacher-identified, partially identified, and completely overlooked groups revealed that they tended to differ in teacher- and student-perceived characteristics such as aggression and popularity. Knowledge of which students' social associations tend to be less easily detectable may be helpful to teachers as they endeavor to capitalize on and improve the social dynamics of their classrooms. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study examined the relationship between end-of-year grades and the academic, behavioral, and social characteristics of rural African American youth. Participants included 392 7th and 8th grade students from 2 rural middle schools in the south. Participants were African American and were from 2 communities that have child poverty rates exceeding 50% for public school students. Girls were more likely to have positive characteristics than boys. Academic, behavioral, and social difficulties were linked to low end-of-year grades, and positive characteristics were linked to high grades. Implications for supporting low-achieving African American students from low-resource communities are discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)

Early adolescents' strengths were examined in relation to factors that are associated with developmental risk or resilience in two rural low-income southern communities. The sample was comprised of 279 students (101 boys, 178 girls), all of whom were African American and reflected the public school attendance of this community. Parent reports on the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) were used to assess strengths. BERS scores were examined in relation to academic, behavioral, and social characteristics of participants. For girls, total strength scores on the BERS were positively associated with indices of high competence and negatively associated with problematic characteristics. For boys, high and low total strength scores differentiated between youth who did and did not have risks associated with externalizing behavior problems. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for assessment and prevention.

Examines peer affiliations of aggressive children in a sample of 948 students from 4th through 6th grades. The deviant peer group hypothesis was partially supported. Two thirds of aggressive boys and one half of aggressive girls were most likely to be members of nonaggressive groups, whereas popular aggressive boys were most likely to be in aggressive and mixed groups. (Contains 47 references and 5 tables.) (GCP)

Followed the development of 57 women from childhood to adulthood and the development of their children from infancy through the early school years. The academic competence of the mothers, when they were children, was related to their children's academic competence. Correlations between measures of the aggression of the mothers, when they were children, with their children's aggression were unreliable. (BC)

The Interpersonal Competence Scale (ICS-T) is a set of brief rating scales for teachers and parents. It consists of 18 items that assess social and behavioral characteristics of children and youths. The ICS-T yields three primary factors: AGG (argues, trouble at school, fights), POP (popular with boys, popular with girls, lots of friends), and ACA (spelling, math). Subsidiary factors include AFF (smile, friendly), OLY (appearance, sports, wins), and INT (shyness, sad, worry). The psychometric properties of the scale (internal structure, reliability, long-term stability) are presented and evaluated over successive ages. The scale factors have been linked to contemporaneous observations of behavior and social network membership. Developmental validity of the ICS-T includes the significant prediction of later school dropout and teenage parenthood. The lCS-T scale is described, along with instructions for use and scoring.

Aim: Fatigue is commonly associated with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). However, information about its prevalence and associated factors is sparse. The primary objective here was to find the prevalence and magnitude of PsA fatigue. The secondary objective was to explore its associated risk factors, particularly emphasis on the effect of disease activity control. Methods: PsA patients who fulfilled Classification Criteria For Psoriatic Arthritis were consecutively recruited from local rheumatology clinics. Fatigue was assessed by a 13‐item self‐administered questionnaire (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Fatigue [FACIT‐F]) (0‐52). Data collected and analyzed included: demographic data, disease activity data, comorbidities and medications use. Results: There were 231 eligible PsA patients recruited. The mean FACIT‐F score was 37.5 ± 9.1. Severe fatigue, defined as FACIT‐F score < 30, was found in 49 (22.1%) of them. The univariate model identified these associated factors of fatigue: tender and swollen joint count, dactylitis count, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, pain and general health perception, Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) score, Health Assessment Questionnaire, the use of cyclosporine, sulphasalazine and biologic agents. The final regression model identified DAPSA and PASI were closely associated with severe fatigue (P =.003 and P =.04 respectively). No associations with fatigue were found between age, gender, disease duration, comorbidities and medication use. However, there were weak correlations between the magnitude of FACIT‐F score, DAPSA and PASI with r = −.3 and r = −.26 respectively. Conclusion: Severe fatigue was common in PsA patients, and its magnitude was closely correlated with DAPSA and PASI score, indicating its multifactorial nature. Achieving DAPSA and PASI remission could significantly alleviate the fatigue intensity to a certain extent. However, treatment for PsA‐related fatigue should adopt a multidisciplinary approach in addition to disease activity control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]