The authors suggest that the most promising route to effective strategies for the prevention of adolescent alcohol and other drug problems is through a risk-focused approach. This approach requires the identification of risk factors for drug abuse, identification of methods by which risk factors have been effectively addressed, and application of these methods to appropriate high-risk and general population samples in controlled studies. The authors review risk and protective factors for drug abuse, assess a number of approaches for drug abuse prevention potential with high-risk groups, and make recommendations for research and practice.

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Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

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From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development

Pedagosko i psiholosko testiranje i procjenjivanje spadaju među najvažnije doprinose znanosti o ponasanju nasem drustvu i pružaju temeljna i znacajna poboljsanja u odnosu na ranije postupke. Iako se ne može ustvrditi da su svi testovi dovoljno usavrseni niti da su sva testiranja razborita i korisna, postoji velika kolicina informacija koje ukazuju na ucinkovitost kvalitetnih instrumenata u onim situacijama u kojima je njihovo koristenje potkrijepljeno validacijskim podacima. Pravilna upotreba testova može dovesti do boljih odluka o pojedincima i programima nego sto bi to bio slucaj bez njihovog koristenja, a također i ukazati na put za siri i pravedniji pristup obrazovanju i zaposljavanju. Međutim, losa upotreba testova može dovesti do zamjetne stete nanesene ispitanicima i drugim sudionicima u procesu donosenja odluka na temelju testovnih podataka. Cilj Standarda je promoviranje kvalitetne i eticne upotrebe testova te uspostavljanje osnovice za ocjenu kvalitete postupaka testiranja. Svrha objavljivanja Standarda je uspostavljanje kriterija za evaluaciju testova, provedbe testiranja i posljedica upotrebe testova. Iako bi evaluacija prikladnosti testa ili njegove primjene trebala ovisiti prvenstveno o strucnim misljenjima, Standardi pružaju okvir koji osigurava obuhvacanje svih relevantnih pitanja. Bilo bi poželjno da svi autori, sponzori, nakladnici i korisnici profesionalnih testova usvoje Standarde te da poticu druge da ih također prihvate.

Standards for educational and psychological testing

25. Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys. By D. B. Rubin. ISBN 0 471 08705 X. Wiley, Chichester, 1987. 258 pp. £30.25.

Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys

Statistical Analysis with Missing Data

Parent school involvement in children's education is associated with positive educational outcomes. This association has prompted efforts to increase such involvement through formal programs. However, among the few programs that have been rigorously evaluated, most do not appear to improve child outcomes. Using data from a study of 193 Los Angeles area 2nd- and 5th-grade children and their mothers, the authors attempted to confirm the relationship between parent involvement and child outcomes and understand what underlies it. The findings indicate that parent school involvement contributes to positive child outcomes. However, such involvement appears to be a manifestation of parental enthusiasm and positive parenting style. Parent-involvement programs might be more effective if they focused on such underlying constructs.

Understanding the Impact of Parent School Involvement on Children's Educational Outcomes

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Improving School Leadership

https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/notes/2009/N3225.pdf

Report decision-making patterns among mandated child abuse reporters

The impact of case characteristics on child abuse reporting decisions.

Laws in every state require specified groups of professionals who work with children (e.g., physicians, psychologists, school staff) to report suspected child abuse to child protective agencies. These child abuse reporting laws were designed to provide child protective services (CPS) agencies with high quality information about possible abuse for their investigation. But these laws are frequently violated. This article presents data from a national survey of mandated reporters about their reporting behavior. Reasons for failure to report were factor analyzed and formed three clusters. Most commonly, respondents chose reasons from the “not reportable” cluster, (e.g., lacked sufficient evidence). A substantial number failed to report because of perceived problems with CPS. These latter reasons have potentially important implications for child protection.

Gail L. Zellman

Papers

Understanding the Impact of Parent School Involvement on Children's Educational Outcomes

Improving School Leadership

Report decision-making patterns among mandated child abuse reporters

The impact of case characteristics on child abuse reporting decisions.

Child Abuse Reporting and Failure to Report among Mandated Reporters Prevalence, Incidence, and Reasons