School Problems and Solutions for Students With Disabilities: A Qualitative Examination

The inclusion of students with disabilities is a process that requires collaboration among multiple individuals, with teachers, aides, parents, students, and school systems playing important roles in resolving student problems. In the current study, we examined data from 75 teachers concerning 126 students about problems that students with disabilities had following a transition from a school primarily serving students with disabilities to more inclusive schools. Reported problems were reviewed and five major themes emerged: academic, behavioral, mobility/accessibility, social, and transportation issues. Teachers typically resolved academic problems by working directly with the student or collaborating with school staff. Social problems were resolved through student and teacher initiatives. Behavioral, transportation, and mobility/accessibility problems were resolved through collaboration among many key school figures and family members. Implications for theory, research, and inclusive school practices related to academic curricula, resources, services, and architectural accommodations for students with disabilities are discussed.     

Age Differences Among Homeless Individuals: Adolescence Through Adulthood

The present study examines differences between homeless adolescents, young adults, and older adults served by homeless shelters or food programs to inform service provision. Four homeless studies using the same sampling and measurement methods were pooled to permit comparisons across age groups. Results showed that homeless adolescents demonstrated greater resilience than younger and older adults. Adolescents reported the shortest duration of homelessness, lowest number of life stressors, fewest physical symptoms, largest social networks, and fewest clinically significant mental health problems. Adolescents also received fewer alcohol and drug abuse diagnoses than younger and older adults. Younger adults reported less time homeless and fewer physical symptoms than older adults, but more life stressors. Younger adults also endorsed higher levels of hostile and paranoid psychological symptoms. Implications for service provision and policy are discussed.     

Transportation Challenges for Urban Students With Disabilities: Parent Perspectives

This qualitative study explored parent perspectives of the transportation difficulties students with disabilities experienced getting to and around school. Participants were parents of predominantly African American and Latino/a high school youth with disabilities from low income neighborhoods. Content analysis of 14 meetings with 5 to 12 parents sponsored by the school district revealed five primary themes concerning transportation: the role of aides, exclusion from school programming, scheduling problems, equipment problems, and physical safety issues. Findings are discussed in regard to students' social and emotional experiences at school. Implications for school policy include improving the integration of transportation within inclusion best practice models. Incorporating parent perspectives can help school administrators and staff enrich the quality of inclusive, socially just education for students with disabilities.     

Student–Teacher Relationships Matter for School Inclusion: School Belonging,Disability, and School Transitions

For students with disabilities, the process of school inclusion often begins with a move from segregated settings into general education classrooms. School transitions can be stressful as students adjust to a new environment. This study examines the adjustment of 133 students with and without disabilities who moved from a school that served primarily students with disabilities into 23 public schools in a large urban school district in the Midwest. These students and 111 of their teachers and other school staff rated the degree that students felt they belonged in their new schools and the quality of their social interactions. Results show that students who experienced more positive and fewer negative social interactions with school staff had higher school belonging. Teachers accurately noted whether students felt they belonged in their new settings, but were not consistently able to identify student perceptions of negative social interactions with staff. Implications for inclusion and improving our educational system are explored.     

Stress and coping: the roles of ethnicity and gender in substance abuse recovery

This study investigated ethnic and gender differences in reported resource losses and gains for recovering substance abusers living in Oxford Houses (OH). Participants (n = 829) completed a version of Hobfoll's (1998) Conservation of Resources (COR) Evaluation. Results indicated significant individual differences in resources, based on gender, ethnicity, and the length of OH residential stay. Men reported fewer resource gains and losses than women. With respect to ethnicity, African-Americans reported greater gains and losses in resources than European-Americans. Individuals with less time in an OH also reported having experienced more losses in the past 3 months.     

Social Justice and the University Community: Does Campus Involvement Make a Difference?

We examined perceptions on school sense of community and social justice attitudes among undergraduates (N = 427; 308 women, 115 men; M age = 19.72, SD = 1.91), and how year in school and club membership affected these constructs. Results demonstrated that involvement with a greater number of clubs was associated with having a stronger school sense of community and more positive social justice attitudes. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that year in school did not significantly predict social justice attitudes. Results suggested that greater involvement and sense of school belonging might be linked to social justice attitudes.     

Characteristics of School Bullies and Victims as Perceived by Public School Professionals

Abstract

A large body of international research substantiates the concern with problems of peer-on-peer violence in schools and its common beginnings as taunting, harassment and other forms of bullying. One common difficulty in developing better ways of handling these problems is the professional literature's inconsistency in the identification of bully and victim characteristics. This study surveyed school professionals (teachers and counselors) who work with youth on a daily basis to see how closely their perceptions of victims and bullies matched the criteria commonly found in the literature. Participants rated 70 characteristics as to their importance in recognizing the potential for children to become bullies or victims. The results demonstrated strong agreement on five characteristics as being exclusively those of victims, 11 as exclusively those of bullies, and 15 as strongly associated with both victims and bullies. These characteristics and additional ones identified by an earlier study of international experts are offered to assist all those related to the school community in more effectively recognizing young people with the potential to develop into bullies or victims. Earlier and more accurate identification of such developing problems would increase the ability to create and implement prevention methods to improve safety and security for all youths.     

Stress,Coping, and Black Mental Health:

Despite the fact that blacks are disproportionately exposed to social conditions considered to be antecedents of psychiatric disorder, epidemiologic studies have not conclusively demonstrated that blacks exhibit higher rates of mental illness than whites. The present paper employed a research approach which considered not only rates of psychological distress, but also the stressors that blacks face and thc various coping strategies used to adapt to those stressors. The data were obtained from the National Survey of Black Americans, the first study of a national probability sample of the adult black population. The information on mental health and coping was collected within the context of a single stressful personal problem. The analysis indicates that prayer was an extremely important coping response used by blacks especially among those making less than $10,000, above the age of 55 and women. The informal social network was used quite extensively as a means of coping with problems. This was true for all sociodemographic groups studied. The young (18-34) were less likely than those age 35 and above to seek professional help, while women were more likely than men to seek formal assistance. Income was not related to professional help seeking. With respect to the use of specific professional help sources, hospital emergency rooms, private physicians and ministers were used most frequently. The implications of these findings for research on black mental health and primary prevention are discussed.     

Chapter 7

Abstract

This study investigated ethnic and gender differences in reported resource losses and gains for recovering substance abusers living in Oxford Houses (OH). Participants (n= 829) completed a version of Hobfoll's (1998) Conservation of Resources (COR) Evaluation. Results indicated significant individual differences in resources, based on gender, ethnicity, and the length of OH residential stay. Men reported fewer resource gains and losses than women. With respect to ethnicity, African-Americans reported greater gains and losses in resources than European-Americans. Individuals with less time in an OH also reported having experienced more losses in the past three months.     

Examining the Role of School Resource Officers on School Safety and Crisis Response Teams

School resource officers (SROs) are being increasingly employed in schools to respond to incidents of school violence and to help address safety concerns among students and staff. While previous research on school safety and crisis teams has examined the role of school mental health professionals’ and administrators, fewer studies have evaluated the role of the SRO. The current study examined differences between SROs, school administrators, and school mental health professionals (i.e., school psychologists, school counselors, social workers) regarding experiences with crisis events, as well as perceived effectiveness of crisis prevention and response strategies. The most common crisis events across professionals included student assaults, drug offenses, and mandated child abuse and neglect reporting. While SROs and school mental health professionals had similar ratings of school safety strategies, school administrators had less effective appraisals of crisis response plans and crisis postvention activities. Implications for practice and future directions for research are reviewed.     

Examination of the Predictors of Latent Class Typologies of Bullying Involvement among Middle School Students

This study employs latent class analysis to construct bullying involvement typologies among 3114 students (48% male, 58% White) in 40 middle schools across the U.S. Four classes were constructed: victims (15%); bullies (13%); bully-victims (13%); and noninvolved (59%). Respondents who were male and participated in fewer conventional activities were more likely to be members of the victims class. Students who were African-American and reported being less successful at school had a higher likelihood of membership in the bullies class. Bully-victims shared characteristics with bullies and victims: Students with more feelings of anger toward others and a higher tendency toward sensation-seeking had a higher likelihood of membership in the bullies and bully-victims classes, whereas lower levels of social inclusion was associated with membership in the victims and bully-victims classes.     

Should I report? The role of general and sexual orientation-specific bullying policies and teacher behavior on adolescents’ reporting of victimization experiences

Empowering students to report peer victimization is a major part of bullying intervention. Nevertheless, although bullying often can be discriminatory (e.g., homophobic), there remains limited attention to how issues of diversity relate to students reporting their victimization experiences. Among 572 students in four Chilean high schools, we tested a model in which multiple factors predicted students’ consistency of reporting victimization. Students who perceived having a sexual orientation/gender identity-specific antibullying policy reported less frequently hearing teachers or staff make homophobic comments, and students who perceived having a general antibullying policy reported that teachers and staff more frequently intervened against homophobic behavior. In turn, hearing teachers and staff make fewer homophobic comments and seeing them more frequently correct homophobic behavior related to students reporting stronger trust in their teachers and staff. Finally, stronger trust in teachers and staff was associated with more consistently reporting victimization experiences.     

Exposure to School Bullying and Psychological Health in Young Adulthood: A Prospective 10-Year Follow-Up Study

Being bullied at school is strongly related to psychological health complaints at the same time point. Studies have also found long-term associations, but few have combined a prospective design with children’s own reports on bullying, and conducted gender-specific analyses. The present study assesses health consequences in young adulthood of self-reported victimization in adolescence using data from Child-LNU in 2000 and the follow-up in 2010 (including 63% of the original sample, n = 813). At ages 10–18 a clear cross-sectional association was found for both girls and boys. Among girls, exposure to bullying also predicted psychological complaints 10 years later, at ages 20–28 (OR = 2.86). This association was not explained by socioeconomic circumstances, neither in adolescence nor in young adulthood. Instead, it can partly be understood as victimization, among adolescent girls, being associated with negative self-image and psychological health as well as with deficits in social resources more generally.     

Educational Services for Children in Foster Care

ABSTRACT

Most literature on the education of foster youth focuses on their individual outcomes and characteristics. A small body of literature documents a lack of collaboration between the child welfare and education systems. This study explores commonalities and differences in perspectives between child welfare and education system stakeholders. It draws on findings from a multi-county exploratory study on educational services for foster youth. The findings in this study identify several systemic barriers including placement instability within the child welfare system, limited financial resources of schools, and poor inter-agency communication. In addition, differences in the perceptions of school and child welfare agency personnel regarding the needs of foster children in school, problems encountered in enrolling children in school, and the role and motives of each agency in addressing these needs and problems are identified. These differences point to both the challenges involved in improving communications and collaboration between the two systems, as well as the opportunities to improve educational services to children in foster care.     

论领导资源的开发与利用

领导资源是指有利于形成领导力,提高领导效能,达到领导目标的条件和因素.文章主要就一个领导者或领导集体如何开发利用人才资源、机遇资源、人脉资源、知识资源等四种资源来提高领导能力,达到预期目标进行了深入分析研究.     

从综合运输体系理论视角看我国交通运输业的发展

我国综合交通运输体系自20世纪50年代开始建设以来,已初具规模。目前在实践中存在交通基础设施建设任务依然繁重;各种运输方式衔接不畅,运输服务水平不高;外部资源约束越来越强,粗放发展难以为继等问题。需要在交通基础设施建设中搭建综合运输体系发展的平台;充分发挥各种运输方式比较优势,实现组合发展;发挥政府宏观调控和发展政策的引导作用;转变交通发展方式,实现资源节约集约利用等措施,实现各种运输方式之间、各个子系统之间协调发展和有机配合,提供连续、无缝衔接和一体化的运输服务,达到交通运输与自然资源、经济发展和先进技术相适应的可持续发展。     

公安院校邓小平理论教学中存在的问题及其对策

公安院校邓小平理论教学中存在着许多问题 ,主要表现在师资力量不强、教学内容与高中政治课的教学内容部分重复、教学方法落后 ,针对这些问题 ,从事邓小平理论教学的教师应该注重提高自身的综合素质和业务水平 ;注意研究学生心理 ,调整邓小平理论课的教学内容 ;改革教学方法和手段 ,提高教学效果。     

Exposure to community violence and daily feeling states among urban African American youth

This longitudinal study examined the relationships between exposure to community violence and daily feeling states among 175 6th- through 8th-grade African American students. The relationships were tested both cross-sectionally and longitudinally over the 3-year span. Four daily feeling state subscales: contented, hostile, anxious, and dysphoric were developed from a factor analysis of the 30 Experience Sampling Method (ESM) feeling states. Cross-sectionally, regression analyses indicated that exposure to violence individually predicted most feeling states and more variability in most feeling states in 7th and 8th grades. When feeling states were entered into regressions together, fewer predicted violence exposure. Longitudinally, regression analyses revealed that more variability in dysphoric feelings in 6th grade predicted exposure to violence in 7th grade, while 6th-grade hostile and anxious feelings predicted 8th-grade exposure change. Longitudinal analyses did not indicate that exposure to community violence predicted later daily feeling states. Preventive and intervention implications are addressed.     

The Positive Role of School Climate on School Victimization,Depression, and Suicidal Ideation Among School-Attending Homeless Youth

Although homeless youth face a higher risk of victimization and mental health problems, little is known about school victimization and mental health outcomes for school-attending homeless youth. This study examined the relationship between school climate and school-related victimization and mental health problems among homeless youth. Multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between school climate factors and school victimization, suicidal ideation, and depression tendency in a representative sample of 1,169 school-attending homeless youth in 9th and 11th grades in California. Findings show that school-attending homeless youth are at high risk of being victimized at school and have high rates of depression tendency and suicidal ideation. Positive school climate, especially perceived high expectations from teachers and safety in school, was associated with lower rates of school victimization and mental health problems. The role of supportive school climate in the lives of school-attending homeless youth is discussed and future implications are suggested.     

Depressive Symptoms in Young,Urban Schoolchildren: Environmental,Social, and Cognitive Risk

This study examined relations among stressors, perceived social competence, attributional style, and depressive symptoms in young urban schoolchildren. Data were collected from 85 5- to 11-year-olds, mostly African American, who attended a public elementary school in a low-income urban area. Social competence was examined as a potential mediator, and attributional style was examined as a potential moderator of the relation between stressful life events and depressive symptoms. Separate analyses were conducted by age and gender. For older children and girls, main effects were found for stressful life events as predictors of depressive symptoms. Mediational analyses indicated that perceived peer acceptance served as a mediator of the relation between stressful life events and depressive symptoms for girls. In addition, attributional style moderated the relation between stressors and depressive symptoms in the older children. Together, findings suggest that significant relations exist among stressful life events, social and cognitive processes, and depressive symptoms in young urban children and that these relations are influenced by gender and development.