The project proposes to test the effectiveness of a model program designed to develop mutually supportive role relationships between a community mental health agency and community district schools on the psycho-social growth, academic achievement levels and in-school behavior of the project's participants. Broad objectives for the project will include development of positive-educational achievement values, improved classroom behavior, positive change in educational achievement scores and prevention (or substantial reduction) of an early labeling process caused by underachievement and disruptive classroom behavior. The project will demonstrate, over a three year period (plus subsequent tracking of its participants) that early intervention in the aforementioned areas can make significant differences in deterring classroom disturbances, the degree of escalation in truancy patterns, and the rate of school dropout. A sub-study will be developed to assess attitudes towards the children over the course of the project as a means of examining dynamics of labeling. Measures of change in the children's achievement and classroom behavior, and of parent attitudes towards the child will be made and compared with measurements from a control school. Descriptive statistics will be utilized to analyze results.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter