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This study examined the effects of the Boys Town In-Home Family Program on improving child behavior and parenting skills. The three-month parenting intervention was delivered to parents in their homes. All children were referred to the program by school personnel. Of the 107 families that enrolled in the study, 79% completed the intervention. Pre-post assessments of child behavior indicated significant improvements on Internalizing and Externalizing problem behavior as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist. Significant gains were found on all child, family, and school behavior subscales of the parent version of Behavioral Emotional Rating Scale. Service provider ratings of child problems and parental capabilities (as assessed by the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale) also demonstrated significant improvement from intake to discharge. These results indicate that the In-Home Family Program is a promising approach for serving at-risk children and their families. (Contains 2 tables.)

In the field of special education, attrition plays a major role in a persistent teacher shortage problem. Over the past few decades, researchers in general education and special education have investigated the various reasons why new teachers leave the field and ways in which they can be better supported to stay in their positions. Despite the increased focus on why new special education teachers leave the field, the knowledge related to teacher attrition in special education is still somewhat limited when compared with the field of general education. For example, previous research has heavily relied on survey research to understand teacher attrition, but these methods may limit some of the important information related to the complexity of why a teacher might leave the field or their job within the first few years. In this study, the authors conduct several Nominal Group Technique (NGT) focus groups to learn more about the perceived needs of new special education teachers. Focus groups are held with three specific groups, preservice special education teachers, new special education teachers, and school administrators to further investigate the potential differences in perceptions about the needs and roles of new special education teachers.

Reading comprehension is important for academic success and is a skill required for many activities in school and beyond. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), many teachers have reported feeling overwhelmed by the expectations that reading and writing skills should be emphasized, taught, and supported in the content area classroom. This article discusses how to teach a paraphrasing strategy using the self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) model in content area texts to support the development of comprehension skills. The strategy can easily be incorporated into existing curriculum as a support for a variety of readers who struggle with comprehension and aligns well with the CCSS.

Reading comprehension is important for academic success and is a skill required for many activities in school and beyond. This study investigated the effects of the TRAP (Think before you read, Read a paragraph, Ask myself, "What was this paragraph mostly about?" and Put it into my own words) paraphrasing strategy taught using the Self-Regulated Strategy Development model. Participants were seven middle school students identified as fluent readers who experienced difficulty with comprehension. All instruction for the participants was in pairs or small groups. Results indicate that the TRAP strategy increased reading comprehension as measured by the percentage of text recall and short-answer questions. Ideas for future research and implications are discussed.

Reading comprehension is an important component of academic success and a skill required for many activities in school. However, little is known about effective reading comprehension interventions for younger students. This study investigated the effects of the paraphrasing strategy taught using the self-regulated strategy development model. Participants were six third grade students identified as fluent readers who experienced difficulty with comprehension. All instruction for the six participants was one on one. Results indicate that the use of the RAP paraphrasing strategy increased reading comprehension as measured by the percentage of text recall and short-answer questions (RAP is a three-step strategy: Read a paragraph, Ask myself "What was the main idea and two details?" and Put it into my own words). Ideas for future research and implications are discussed. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)

This study evaluated the characteristics related to a successful reintegration among youth from a residential facility. Specifically, this study describes the transition skills of youth at departure in five areas: (a) education and employment goals, (b) self-determination skills, (c) social support, (d) life skills, and (e) hopefulness. Further, self-report and teacher ratings of youths' self-determination and life skills were examined to determine possible differences in perception between youth and their school and Family Teachers (house-parents). One hundred four youth departing the Boys Town Treatment Family Home residential program participated in the study. The majority of youth reported average to above average skills in the five domains. However, significant differences were found between youth and schoolteacher reports of self-determination skills. The results indicate the need to provide transition services related to success post-discharge, including individualized transition plans and family involvement during treatment.

Little is known about the characteristics or functioning of children with ADHD in residential care as compared to their non-ADHD peers. This study evaluated data on 538 children with (n = 125) and without (n = 413) ADHD in residential care to determine demographic, mental health, behavioral, and treatment (i.e., medication use) characteristics. Results revealed that both groups presented elevated risks, however, scores for children with ADHD indicated even greater levels of need. Specifically, differences were found between the two groups on demographics (e.g., family reunification status, restrictiveness of prior out-of-home placements), behavior (e.g., attention problems, rule-breaking and aggressive behaviors) and medication status. Findings suggest there is a need for aftercare services to help support families as children transition from care, interventions to address behavior, and medication management through assessment and monitoring.