Among preadolescents, use of "gateway" substances (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana) is rare. By high school, most students have normally established habits of use or nonuse. Because the occurrence of first and experimental use is most frequent during the years around puberty, programs targeting sixth and seventh grades seem most promising.…

Describes Growing Healthy, a 10-year longitudinal study of a comprehensive K-7 health education/substance abuse program sponsored by the American Lung Association. A summative 10-year evaluation shows a reduced percentage of students using alcohol, drugs, or tobacco, and stronger beliefs that students would not use either alcohol or drugs as…

According to 1987 National Institute of Drug Abuse statistics, more than 67 percent of teens drink, 25 percent drink weekly, and more teens die and are injured in drinking and driving accidents than any other manner. This article describes a Friday Night Live program featuring powerful testimonials and an intense multimedia program to promote safe…

Discusses children of alcoholics as victims of fetal alcohol syndrome, family violence, retarded social development, and severe emotional scars. These children bring family roles to school that allow survival in the alcoholic home but are dysfunctional outside it. Educators can take certain steps to address these students' problems. Includes six…

Administrator recounts experience growing up in alcoholic home, hoping to inspire other school professionals helping young people with substance abuse problems. Although helping others seems natural for adult children of alcoholics, certain unconsciously held attitudes and behaviors can impede school prevention and recovery programs. Organizations…

Outlines deleterious health consequences of tobacco use, including lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, mouth diseases (from smokeless tobacco), and diseases linked to passive or involuntary smoking. Besides adopting stringent penalties for tobacco use on campus, educators need to develop a well-planned health education curriculum based on sequential…

Describes a successful K-12 alcohol/drug prevention program in Burlington, Washington, involving strong superintendent leadership and a close school-community partnership. The program boasts a mission to develop an alcohol- and drug-free environment, long-range planning, reliance on local data, a strong adult influence, appropriate funding, and…

Social consensus concerning drug use and abuse may be only skin deep. Despite numerous "anti" campaigns, Reagan administration is saying "no" to funding for drug treatment and prevention programs, while tobacco advertising and growing incentives continue unabated. Despite these and other societal addictions, schools must reason calmly and offer…

This interview explores William Glasser's ideas about educational relevancy and students' needs for belonging, power (feeling important), freedom, and fun. Glasser advocates learning teams and control theory to help students determine their needs and explore alternative choices for satisfying them. Schools cannot succeed at teaching the basics…

Discusses dysfunctional behavior patterns and early signs of vulnerability linked to adolescent suicide. Early childhood teachers have the greatest opportunities to identify these behaviors and break destructive patterns. A team approach to addressing individual students' needs works best. Profiles of six young suicides are presented. Includes six…

Because children are subjected to undesirable and confusing socialization messages from peer networks and the media, schools are now paying more attention to students' social development needs. To counter schools' hidden curriculum and help students cope with stress and avoid serious interpersonal difficulties, an eight-step Improving Social…

To help adolescents resolve problems with self-esteem, communication, conflict resolution, sex roles, and expectations, the author (a former divorce counselor) developed Dynamics of Relationships program allowing youngsters a chance to talk openly about sensitive personal issues. Piloted in Washington, D.C., schools, the program depends on…

To develop a transitional program for eighth graders, two teachers at a Louisville, Kentucky, middle school decided to open communication lines among eighth- and ninth-grade teachers by creating inservice programs and compiling a telephone directory indicating teachers' subject areas. Student communication was encouraged by letter writing and a…

Middle school students use note writing not only as a natural response to real social and emotional needs, but (when caught by teachers) as an indirect means to communicate with adults. Although these notes are important, it is difficult to determine if note writing makes a difference in children's success at writing or developing social skills.…

Santa Cruz City Traveling School was created to help youngsters cope with life pressures and complexities and gain a more complete education. Each semester, 36 students in grades 7-12 tour a region of the U.S. or Canada in a school bus. They live in hostels and group camps while being taught full range of academics and personal growth skills. (MLH)