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More children and adolescents who have chronic illnesses are being included in regular education classrooms today than ever before. However, teachers may not feel confident about being able to meet these children's educational, social, or emotional needs in the classroom. School psychologists are able to assess children's functioning in these areas and can provide information to teachers on a case-by-case basis to ensure that children with chronic illnesses receive appropriate and comprehensive services at school and are included in regular education settings to the fullest extent possible. This study assessed special education and regular education teachers' perceptions of their knowledge about and confidence in meeting the academic and social needs of children with chronic medical conditions. Two-hundred and forty-seven teachers from 15 midwestern elementary schools completed a survey rating their knowledge and confidence in meeting the academic and social needs of children with 13 chronic medical conditions. Special education teachers reported being more knowledgeable than regular education teachers about cerebral palsy, epilepsy, hemophilia, spina bifida, renal failure, and allergies. However, overall, special education teachers were not more confident than regular education teachers in meeting the academic needs of children with chronic medical conditions. Future research should focus on whether experience affects teacher knowledge and confidence and should examine the effectiveness of interventions to improve teacher knowledge for working with children with medical conditions. C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The present study sought to evaluate the efficacy of group contingency procedures via meta-analysis. A total of 182 studies published between 1980 and 2010 were identified via PsychInfo that included group contingency as a keyword. Studies that met inclusion criteria (e.g., single-subject design, school-aged children; N = 50), were coded and effect sizes were calculated. Results strongly support the efficacy of group contingencies with an overall effect size of 3.41. Types of group contingencies were also evaluated for dependent group contingencies (ES = 3.75, n = 11), independent group contingencies (ES = 3.27, n = 8), and interdependent group contingencies (ES = 2.88, n = 35). These results clearly establish all varieties of group contingencies as efficacious for a wide range of target behaviors with school-aged children. Results are discussed with regard to practical implications.

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Classroom management (CRM) has been associated with discipline, control, or other terms that connote reducing unacceptable student behavior. However, CRM involves not merely responding effectively when problems occur, but also preventing problems from occurring by creating environments that encourage learning and appropriate behavior. Teachers' managerial abilities have been found to positively relate to students' behavior and achievement in every process-product study to date. Researchers have consistently identified the components necessary for effective CRM. However, no one has surveyed working teachers to ascertain the extent to which teachers use the research findings in their classrooms. A survey was developed in order to attempt to answer this question. The survey consisted of three sections asking questions on demographics, classroom rules, and classroom child management. One hundred and forty-six teachers from U.S. school districts in the Midwest, South, and Southwest were surveyed. Results indicated that, overall, teachers reported the use of appropriate CRM procedures in relatively high frequencies. However, the high percentage of districts reporting the use of corporal punishment was disturbing given the research findings regarding its lack of effectiveness. Along with the presentation of the survey results, this article also discusses how the data on CRM, collected by psychologists, has contributed to improvements in teacher behavior and student achievement and the apparent gap between best practice and actual practice. C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.