Search

School engagement has been identified as an important construct associated with student achievement, school completion, and more recently, student well-being. The present study included data from 200 ninth grade students of diverse ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic, & White) to explore dimensions of student wellness and their association with student engagement in school. Adolescents completed the Child and Adolescent Wellness Scale (CAWS) and the Student Engagement in School Questionnaire (SEQ). Results revealed that students viewed themselves positively on both measures, the two measures demonstrated adequate internal consistency, and all 10 dimensions of the CAWS were significantly related to student engagement in school. The current study provides support for dimensions of wellness contributing to measured student engagement in school, and discusses the potential of wellness concepts contributing to school mental health.

The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) on student academic performance. The participants in the study are eight middle schools from an urban Southern California school district where the implementation of SWPBIS was mandated. Using archival data collected by the school district and information from the California Department of Education Website, multiple baseline trends were conducted. The findings revealed that when schools implemented SWPBIS, the student outcome data was positively impacted and this positive impact continues as schools continue to fully implement all components of SWPBIS. In schools where SWPBIS was implemented fully and the staff sustained the program at the school site, the growth in academic achievement was strongly associated with the implementation of SWPBIS with fidelity. Discussion centers on recommendations for educational leaders for implementing SWPBIS.

In order to increase reading fluency, a research-based tutoring method using repeated reading was implemented over a 10-week period with two second-grade students. Two high school students were trained to be the tutors. In addition, one parent and one older sibling were trained to repeat the tutoring process at night. Treatment integrity was monitored through observation and tutor contact. The six, 30-minute sessions per week were associated with significant increases in sight word vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Limitations, future research directions, and implications for practice are discussed further. (Contains 3 tables.)

Relative to positive psychology, a focus on increasing psychological well-being has been recently supported. Positive psychology is the study of influences and processes that contribute to the successful and optimal functioning of individuals. Nurturing and encouraging wellness competencies creates a buffer against mental illness and fosters intensification of adaptive coping skills. The purpose of this study was to highlight results from a descriptive study of a large-scale sample of Asian youth (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand) who responded to the Child and Adolescent Wellness Scale (CAWS) and compare them with a sample from the United States. The CAWS items reflect characteristics and cognitions of psychologically healthy and resilient children. As predicted, students generally perceived themselves as psychologically well, with all scores being above the theoretical midpoint score of 2.5. The average total CAWS score for the sample was 2.85 (on a 4-point Likert scale). Japanese students scored the lowest in most of the 10 dimensions. There were significant differences in each of the dimensions. The utilization of CAWS for practice with adolescents within a cross-cultural context and future studies is also discussed.

Integrated school psychological services were implemented 12 years ago in the Greeley-Evans Public Schools by combining the positions of school psychologist and school social worker and placing each professional in an elementary school full-time. After 5 years, services were expanded to secondary schools such that all schools had a full-time school psychologist. Using Bennett's (1988) model for the evaluation of alternative services to determine success in meeting stated goals, a number of positive outcomes were achieved. A time-use survey indicated increased involvement with a variety of interventions for school psychologists. The results of a consumer satisfaction questionnaire given to teachers, administrators, and support personnel also suggested positive perceptions of the new role. Additionally, placement of students with significant emotional disturbance decreased over this time period relative to a 34% student enrollment increase. It is hoped that the long-term implementation of an alternative school psychological services model such as this one will encourage others to enact ecologically responsive services relative to their unique systems. (Contains 2 tables.)

Guidelines are given for teaching basic concepts (such as "above,""least," and "different") to students who are educable mentally handicapped. Stressed is direct and systematic instruction in basic concepts as an integral part of the curriculum with concrete, representative, and abstract applications. (DB)

The study investigated the basic concept attainment of 45 primary-level educable mentally handicapped (EMH) children who had been exposed to two to three years of classroom instruction. The study documented that primary-level EMH children have significant deficits in their understanding of the Boehm basic concepts. (SB)

Because teachers' oral directions for group achievement tests assume that children understand numerous basic concepts, the construct validity of subtests assessing abilities other than language is questionable. Implications for teacher administration of primary level tests and suggestions for future test construction are described. (JD)

The article discusses a study which sought to determine the validity of assessing mildly retarded children through the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). The study methodology presented a comparison between three tests including the K-ABC, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, and the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. Results showed that K-ABC was effective in assessing general intelligence but some discrepancies showed that it does not support styles for mildly retarded children.