The importance of preventing and intervening in bullying and other forms of school violence has been well established. This has resulted in the publication of numerous programs designed to prevent bullying and violence in schools. However, a missing piece revolves around the social worker's role in identifying and assessing violent behaviors in…

Research has documented the educational difficulties that maltreated children face. No work exists, however, that examines how maltreated children are provided services by school social workers or how these services overlap and interface with services provided by child welfare. This article attempts to fill that gap by presenting data from the…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a solution-focused, alternative school in preventing students from dropping out of high school. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest group design was used with 85 students to examine differences in credits earned, attendance, and graduation rates. Follow-up data on students in the experimental group were…

Since the enactment of the federally funded Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) program, students considered at risk of school failure have received increasing attention. Identification and treatment of students considered at risk often emphasize the risk behaviors themselves. The traditional medical model assumes there is a disease entity or…

This study examines cognitive functioning and academic achievement in maltreated children. The data are from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, a national probability study of children receiving child welfare services due to alleged child maltreatment. Assessments of the cognitive and academic functioning of school-age…

Recently, the use of solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) has received considerable attention in school settings. However, limited empirical evidence supports the utility and effectiveness of SFBT with at risk students. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of SFBT with a group of at-risk students in a junior high…

This study compared adolescents on a continuum of risk of school dropout: adolescents in the mainstream program (low risk); in an at-risk program (medium risk); and in an alternative evening program for dropouts (high risk). The researcher wanted to determine what factors predict school dropout, with particular attention given to family and social…

The authors describe a collaborative project that brought together children's mental health and education professionals to provide an intervention in schools for at-risk students with learning disabilities. Recognizing that the school environment is a target of change, the project used a direct intervention consisting of school-based group…

Assesses the effects of middle school students' academic risk and out-of-home placement status on the proportion of students indicating that they received each of eight types of social support. Results indicate that students not identified as academically at-risk and in out-of-home placement reported receiving fewer types of support than any other…

Briefly examines resilience, risk, and protection in youth development and education. Commonly cited protective factors receive empirical support and the case is made for strategically layering these factors throughout schools to promote positive outcomes for youth. In contrast to adding new programs or curricula, emphasis is on the redesign of…

Study investigated the relationships among neighborhood informal social control, crime, and negative peer culture; students' sense of school coherence; and students' educational behavior. Neighborhood crime had a substantial negative effect on their educational behavior that was not mediated by a sense of school coherence. Discusses implications…

This study investigated the association between community violent crime rates and middle school students' (N=857) perceptions of school danger. Findings indicate that community crime rates are associated with male middle school students' reports of school danger but not female students' reports. Discusses community- and school-based prevention…

This study examined the relationships among academic achievement, dropout patterns, and welfare reform strategies. Findings suggest that welfare reform has not translated into better educational trajectories for children from poor families. Findings suggest the need for stronger linkages between welfare departments and school systems for adopting…

Elementary, middle, and high schools often become separate islands for children as they move toward their diploma. This article describes the Culbreth Middle School Communities-In-Schools High School Transition Initiative, a program designed to make connections between a supportive middle school program for at-risk students and the high school…