Vikki F. Howard

Educational capital: A proposed model and its relationship to academic and social behavior of students at risk

We examine and review the relationships between variables descriptive of cultural and social capital and the development of a new term: educational capital. While school personnel can use demographic variables to predict outcomes, such predictors do not lend themselves to implementing treatments or programs which may more directly mediate the effects of unequal cultural, social and human capital across the population. To increase and improve the education capital of its constituents, school can: set high expectations, match student skill level with curricular materials, provide home work hotlines, set up peer tutoring programs, develop partnerships with businesses and other community groups, match teacher characteristics with those of the student population, and reduce class size. Likewise, ways that parents might increase their childrens educational capital include increasing attendance, taking part in parent-teacher discussions, helping with homework, participating in extracurricular activities, and transmitting aspirations in parent-child interactions.

The Effects of Directed Art Activities on the Behavior of Young Children with Disabilities: A Multi-Element Baseline Analysis

AbstractThe effects of directed art activities on the behavior of two preschool children and one kindergarten child with disabilities in a rural classroom were examined. A multi-element baseline design across participants was used to compare directed art activities with typical preschool art activities. The behaviors measured were aggression, eye contact, and social initiation. Each art activity directed by the teacher focused on an affective concept such as anger or happiness. The control condition used the same art materials as the directed art activity, and the children chose how they would use the materials. The results indicated that the directed art activity had a larger effect than the control condition on the social behavior of two children, while the control condition generated little effect. Neither art activity had a measurable effect on the targeted behavior of the third child. Implications for use by preschool and other teachers were suggested.

Children Exposed to Cocaine: Characteristics and Implications for Research and Intervention.

The 1990 Presidents National Drug Controi Strategy Report estimated that 100,000 babies who have been prenatally exposed to cocaine are born each year. Medical research has established risks for both cocaine-using pregnant women and their unborn children. Infants prenatally exposed to cocaine may experience a marked failure to adapt to the neonatal environment, a lack of appropriate interaction with caregivers, and language, cognitive and motor abnormalities that clearly place them at risk. Initial results of follow-up on these infants have suggested that some will suffer long-term educational and behavioral handicaps. Little has been empirically documented concerning the characteristics of children 18 months and older who were exposed to cocaine prenatally. There is an urgent need for study of this group to determine what, if any, long-term effects children prenatally exposed to cocaine may later exhibit. Such information could be vital to a wide range of professionals in health, education, social service, and childcare. Such research must proceed with caution, however, for other interacting explanations of any identified long-term effects must also be considered.

Use of contingency contracting to increase on-task behavior with primary students

The effectiveness of contingency contracting to improve the on-task behavior of 3 primary-age students was evaluated using an ABABA single-subject replication design. The contract was developed by the teacher and the consequences were selected by the students. Increases in on-task behavior were observed each time that the contingency contracts were in effect. This study has important implications for the use of contracting with primary school children.

Suggested behavioral interventions in the classroom to assist students prenatally exposed to drugs

The population of children exposed prenatally to alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other legal or illegal substances has been rapidly growing in America. The known characteristics of this group include deficits in rule-governed behavior, impulsivity, attention to task, language, sleep attachment, learning, social competence, coordination, hypersensitivity to environmental stimuli, and conduct problems. The purpose of this paper was to describe the characteristics of this population and match known, empirically demonstrated, data-based strategies, such as teacher attention and praise, token reinforcement programs, daily report cards, contingency contracting, self-instructional training, self-management, peer tutoring, Direct Instruction, and combining behavior therapy with stimulant medication therapy, to specific academic and social deficits in children with parental histories of substance abuse.

The NCATE Process and Behaviorally-Based Special Education

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has long sought to identify effective programs for teacher preparation in this country. Recently, the Council has revised its standards to be more rigorous and demanding. This revision presents new and challenging standards for the accreditation of programs preparing educators. The most problematic but most important of these new standards is the requirement of a well-articulated knowledge base supporting a programs content and processes. Development of the knowledge base statement involves the articulation of the programs philosophy, theme, model, goals, objectives, primary research base, wisdom of practice, and evaluation procedures. A behavioral model serves well in meeting these requirements, particularly since behavioral applications in education are well researched and the approach is compatible with the emphasis on specific goals and objectives and evaluation of effectiveness. Effective educational methods are available and are mostly behavioral. The articulation of the NCATE knowledge base encourages education faculty, traditionally nonbehavioral, to examine the effectiveness of their programs and to demonstrate research and professional support for content and instructional methods. A behavioral knowledge base statement appropriate for NCATE is demonstrated through examples drawn from Gonzaga Universitys knowledge base for special education.

Biological and Genetic Factors in Human Development

The human species has a tremendous potential for adaptation, a potential accompanied by the promise of great diversity across its individuals. Human development, from the moment of conception, is influenced by a multitude of factors including genetic heritage, interaction with the physical and social environment, and personal biological and psychological limitations. Individual reactions and responses to these factors insure that no child is quite like another. The differences between most children are relatively small, well in the range of what is considered normal.

A Picture Symbol Transitional Instructional Procedure for Mentally Handicapped and Autistic Students and Adults

CHARLES SPELLMAN PAMELA CRESS ROBERT SIMMONS CLAUDIA SEE Bureau of Child Research University of Kansas The picture reading system was developed for individuals who lack the ability to use written words for gaining information. Historically, people with autism or other developmental disabilities who did not learn to read in the conventional way (written word) have had to rely on others to tell them what, when, and how to perform unfamiliar tasks. That dependency is not confined to new tasks, but extends to tasks that are partially learned or infrequently used. These deficits in reading and memory provide a rationale for developing a form of self-instruction for such learners. The intended outcome of picture reading is that persons without reading skills will have reduced dependency on others to teach them or prompt vocational, domestic, and leisure activities. In fact, picture reading may have far-reaching utility in improving independence and self-confidence. A wide range of students have been successfully trained to complete tasks by reading pictures. Instruction beginning in the primary grades will enhance the likelihood that students will become competent and independent picture readers by the time they leave school. Adults can also be trained to make use of picture instructions. Because of the generic nature of this system, it is useful in schools, community environments, workshop or employment sites, group homes, and other settings in which persons with developmental delays live, work, and play. Picture reading can be used in activities ranging from shampooing hair to cooking a meal, from constructing a circuit board to vacuuming the floor. Though it is likely that teachers using this system will be required to engage in some problem solving for individuals with unique differences, the framework described herein provides a starting point based on systematic research. The following sections describe the components of the picture reading system. Teachers should continue training even though initial learning is sometimes agonizingly slow. Persistence will be rewarded. For example, in one project, an adult student required 11 months to learn to prepare a simple meal by reading pictures. However, on the next task, the student completed training on a vocational skill in just 2 weeks! The flow chart in Figure 1 shows the components of pictue reading instruction and the key points of decision making. The following sections use components from the Picture Reading Flow Chart to guide the reader through the decision-making process.