William, a 10-year-old boy who experienced intermittent rage disorder with attentional deficiencies and oppositional defiance, was accepted at The Children’s Institute (TCI) midyear. His negative comments, aggressive and noncompliant behaviors would usually have a dramatic, deleterious impact on a classroom climate. The parties involved immediately scheduled a meeting that included the teacher, the school clinician, the problem-solving support team, and the consulting psychiatrist to develop a plan of action. Through the use of the TCI social problem-solving curriculum, classroom social–emotional skills groups, TCI’s token economy, and individual cognitive–behavioral counseling, William’s social competence increased. He practiced using problem-solving steps introduced in the classroom. He developed new coping strategies that addressed behavioral problems that occurred at home, with peers, and with staff. In addition, TCI’s family education component promoted a home–school partnership as William’s parents learned improved communication techniques and social problem-solving skills and self-esteem enhancement strategies to reinforce William’s newly acquired skills at home and in the community. Not only was the staff pleased to observe William’s social–emotional growth, but his parents also noticed positive changes in his self-esteem and overall happiness. All William knew was that he was excited when he made friends with two neighbors who previously would not play with him.
Copyright ©2003 by Corwin Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted from EQ + IQ = Best Leadership Practices for Caring and Successful Schools, edited by Maurice J. Elias, Harriett Arnold, and Cynthia Steiger Hussey. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. www.corwinpress.com.
It is essential that schools develop comprehensive programs to promote the social–emotional learning of children in special education. In addition to having to overcome the negative social factors experienced by all children, their acquiring social–emotional skills is negatively impacted by the nature of their disabilities, including distractibility, impulsivity, visual and auditory deficits, language disorders, cognitive impairments, processing problems, and lack of mobility. Children with disabilities may find it difficult to learn important social cues, understand subtleties of language, express their feelings, perceive others’ feelings accurately, and acquire problem-solving skills. Limited social experiences and skills impede success in academics, sports, and social relationships, thereby negatively affecting their self-esteem.
The TCI model has evolved in response to the unmet social–emotional needs of children exhibiting a wide range of learning and developmental difficulties. This approach has demonstrated the beneficial results of implementing a schoolwide, comprehensive, curriculum-based social–emotional learning program. Rather than providing counseling and other related services within a vacuum, the TCI model is delivered within the context of an overall social–emotional skills development paradigm.
The Children’s Institute (TCI), a New Jersey State Board of Education–approved, private special education school for students who exhibit behavioral, emotional, and learning disabilities; pervasive developmental delays; and autism, was the fertile ground in which Dr. Bruce Ettinger, TCI’s executive director/superintendent, cultivated and nurtured the TCI model. Dr. Ettinger understood that students’ deficits in social–emotional skill development must be met with a powerful, positive, integrated educational response that addressed these difficulties and their unique learning, cognitive, and language skills needs.
Over the past two decades, many educators believed that behavior modification was the best solution for “managing” the social, emotional, and behavioral problems found in the school setting. TCI was convinced early on that this method, which still exists in many educational settings, was insufficient because behavior modification alone could not supply the “glue” needed to tie together a comprehensive, schoolwide approach. TCI embraced social–emotional skill training developed in the 1970s as an additional (fourth) approach, complementing the three major psychological approaches used to alter the behavior of emotionally disabled children and to promote their social–emotional well-being: (a) psychodynamic, (b) humanistic–nondirective, and (c) behavior modification. Social–emotional skills training is different from approaches that rely on interventions such as interpretations, reflective listening, or reinforcement to unlock the appropriate prosocial skills assumed to exist with the child but that are not being expressed or used. Most important, social–emotional skills training provides an approach to viewing the behaviorally disabled child in educational and pedagogic terms, rather than clinical terms. The instructor assumes the emotionally disabled child lacks or is weak in certain social–emotional skills and is in need of being taught behaviors essential for life success.
The Peacock Hill Working Group stated in 1991 that “the current state of affairs does not indicate a lack of knowledge and effective interventions and approaches, but a lack of commitment, advocacy, and scarcity of resources that stymie their implementation” (p. 301). Studies also show that most mental health professionals usually do not receive the necessary training to collaborate adequately with school personnel in providing essential support and consultative services. As the need for expanded educational services continued to grow, the U.S. Department of Education indicated in the Tenth Annual Report to Congress in 1998 that there is a dramatic shortage of teachers prepared to instruct pupils with emotional disabilities.
Since 1989, The Children’s Institute acknowledged that reliance on a pullout mental health program, inadequate collaboration with mental health providers, behavioral programs emphasizing classroom management rather than affective education and social skill development, limited staff development, and isolated parent support and education resulted in unacceptable practices. An effective program to meet the increasingly serious difficulties of students must be integrated within all aspects of the special educational setting throughout the entire school day. Furthermore, the work of Dr. James Comer provided inspiration that a truly far-reaching social development and learning approach must transcend the school. Therefore, the TCI model is built on the understanding that social and emotional development must be transferred from the school to the family and the community.
Special education schools serving students with serious emotional disorders that adversely affect educational performance and functioning are forced to accommodate youngsters with more severe behavioral issues. This is further complicated because medical insurance coverage demands shortened psychiatric hospitalizations, referrals to residential settings are few and far between, and aggressive violent behavior in children and adolescents is dramatically increasing. At the same time that special education laws and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s discipline code for disability-related behaviors have limited out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, requiring development of alternative educational programs, mainstream education programs have adopted a “zero tolerance” policy toward children who demonstrate behavioral disturbances and discipline problems. For these reasons, the TCI model helps schools serving this student population to meet these challenging needs.
Through cycles of design, implementation, and feedback, the TCI model has evolved to become increasingly effective in anticipating and responding to the challenges of educating students with serious emotional disabilities. In 1989, TCI discovered Social Decision Making (Elias & Clabby, 1989), a comprehensive social problem solving (SPS) curriculum that integrates many of the essential components that can be adapted for social–emotional skills training for students with more severe emotional disorders (SEDs). TCI uses a cognitive–behavioral approach with all students, ranging from those with cognitive or language weaknesses (or both) to higher functioning students. This involves a step-by-step process to teach students what they need to do to develop socially appropriate replacement behaviors. On a regular basis, students also participate in “practice and rehearsal” of skills specific to the needs of the individual child. It is through this technique that students learn to replace inappropriate actions with appropriate ones within a specific situation. This method is based on the extensive works of Dr. Maurice Elias (Elias & Tobias, 1996), Dr. Arnold Goldstein’s Skillstreaming curriculum (McGinnis & Goldstein, 1984), and Dr. Frank Gresham’s Social Skills Intervention Guide (Elliott & Gresham, 1992). These works focus on the social and emotional learning of all children; using the cycle of design, implementation, and feedback for more than a decade, TCI staff members revised—and continue to revise today—the works to reflect the unique needs of our students. We then added lessons promoting self-esteem and other social–emotional skills. This evolved into TCI’s Social Development Curriculum.
The TCI model incorporates the common vocabulary found in Elias and Clabby’s (1989) approach. A 1989 pilot program introduced the SPS vocabulary to all students and staff members, including administrators, teachers, assistants, “specials” (such as art, music, physical education, and computer teachers), clinicians, problem-solving counselors, and TCI’s consulting psychologist and psychiatrist. The use of this shared language created far greater continuity in care for the students than had previously been in evidence. Messages to them about their behavior, learning, and communication were clearer, less confusing, and more efficiently understood.
It is this commitment to a schoolwide approach that has been the hallmark of our work at TCI and what we believe to be the essential element in our success. Meeting the educational needs of our most challenged students requires educational leaders to take on the greatest challenges. We have found, however, that doing so also yields great rewards. In the following section, we illustrate all of the components that we work to put in alignment so that others may replicate our process.
Cathy is an eight-year-old elective mute who participated for months in the classroom Sharing Circle. She was physically present but did not use any verbal language. She would, however, appropriately accept the “Speaker Power” object and pass it to her classmate. She indicated her listening skills through gestures or written responses. After four months of exposure to this aspect of social problem solving, she delighted her teachers and classmates by responding with a verbal “yes or no” response. This eventually led to Cathy using short sentences.
Working with children like Cathy and others at TCI requires that they develop skills for living, and these skills are imparted through a curriculum structure that pervades the entire school. Staff members relate to this structure and the social–emotional skills it develops, regardless of whether they actually teach the skills. Before describing different staff roles in the school, an overview of some key skills and how they are conveyed in the curriculum follows.
A “Sharing Circle” provides an opportunity for students to develop many attitudes that build group cohesiveness and class unity. Students gain respect for differences of opinions while developing trust through sharing their thoughts and feelings. The goal is not to put students on the spot, but to provide an opportunity to speak and be listened to without interruption. Listening is a critical skill for learning and for getting along with others. Success in life depends in part on one’s ability to participate in groups and listen to other people’s points of view. Knowing when to listen, when to talk, and how to develop and connect ideas that different people in the group express are important social development skills.
Another tool that children enjoy using is called “Speaker Power.” This technique allows students to practice taking turns and can help them remember to listen and pay attention to the person who is speaking. Teachers use items that are appropriate at various levels, such as a stuffed animal for grades K–3 and a koosh ball for middle and upper grades.
Listening, one of the first readiness skills taught, is especially challenging for impulsive children to learn. Although critical to the development of social competence and self-esteem in all children, TCI students often lack this skill, so necessary for building friendships and being included in play situations. The TCI model teaches students the basics of “Listening Position” in a fun and playful way. For example, a photograph of a staff member is taken to demonstrate poor “Listening Position,” and another is taken to show good Listening Position. The students enjoy seeing the funny pictures of teachers, and these easily created teaching aids can be used to decorate the classroom. Students also have an opportunity to demonstrate the difference between what Listening Position is and what it is not as they practice this skill and receive positive encouragement. In addition, students have made Listening Position books. Using a Polaroid camera, students pose in proper Listening Positions in all areas of the building—classroom, art room, music room, lunch room, and so on. The book is used as a visual prompt to gently remind students of proper Listening Positions when he or she may be experiencing difficulty with this skill.
Conrad, a quiet child with an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder classification, had a very low frustration tolerance. When we found his frustration building, his anger would often erupt like a volcano. We worked to help him identify his Feelings Fingerprints before the outburst, and then the teacher or problem-solving counselors practiced the Keep Calm breathing exercises. After a period of weeks, he would automatically begin using the breathing exercises in crisis situations. This made him more approachable and available to brainstorm more appropriate alternatives when he perceived himself to be in a vulnerable situation.
Many problem behaviors in children are preceded by their experiencing “Feelings Fingerprints” (their body’s characteristic way or ways of letting them know when they are under stress, such as a stomachache, clenched fists, rapid heartbeat, tightness in the chest). Feelings Fingerprints are the first sign of what can become much stronger emotional reactions in children with serious emotional disorders. Emotions or feelings exacerbated by an underlying psychiatric condition can flood the brain’s pathways for clear thinking and make it difficult to handle upsetting social situations. The TCI model recognizes the importance of helping children to master the way they think and act when an upsetting incident happens and to do so at the earliest possible time.
Students also learn how to use important skills such as being able to calm down, think clearly, and present themselves appropriately in social situations. TCI students learn to identify “trigger situations,” so that they know which circumstances lead them to “lose their cool” and experience strong emotions that they find difficult to regulate. Although anyone can lose self-control in a trigger situation, this is even more challenging for children with serious emotional or behavioral problems because of poor impulse control.
Once students are aware of what causes them to become upset, they begin to slowly develop the skills needed to stay in control. “Keep Calm” is a technique that involves self-talk, controlled breathing, and imagery to help children stop and think more clearly before acting (Elias & Tobias, 1996). Once TCI students have learned to Keep Calm in stressful situations, they are challenged to begin learning to communicate their feelings and intentions assertively.
B-E-S-T is introduced to TCI students in creative ways to compensate for language-based deficits. Students internalize an effective communication style as they learn to appropriately express themselves through Body language (B), Eye contact (E), Speech (S), and Tone of voice (T). Students with more severe difficulties benefit from frequent reinforcement so that they remember to pay attention to the style of communication used in social interactions, because this is critical in establishing positive relationships. With creative lessons and lots of practice, support, and patience, students can feel calmer, more under control, and more capable of dealing with the stressful situation.
Extensive staff development and ongoing support continue to be the hallmark of this model. In August, the supervisor of instruction and the social development coordinator (see section on this position below) invite new staff members to an orientation and training session. After a brief explanation of the program’s history, participants begin to conceptualize the rationale for the schoolwide integration of social emotional development. This reinforces the significant role that every staff member contributes to the overall program success. Professional development for new and experienced staff is ongoing throughout the school year.
Because most of TCI’s social development classroom lessons begin with a “Sharing Circle,” the supervisor of instruction and the social development coordinator next simulate a Sharing Circle as a way of “Getting to Know You” and as experiential practice. “Processing” the Sharing Circle reinforces some of the key concepts of an open group forum for exchanging ideas and solving problems while allowing group members the freedom to pass if they do not wish to contribute to the discussion. Sample Sharing Circle ideas are presented so new staff members can begin to create topics relevant for their students’ needs and interests. It is recommended that Sharing Circle content move from unemotional to more personal topics and problems, from hypothetical to real, exactly as one would do with students.
TCI Curriculum Guides are reviewed by introducing the three-dimensional model derived from structured learning theory—“Discuss, Demonstrate, and Do”—to familiarize the new staff with readiness skills, common language terms, teaching techniques, and academic applications at the elementary and middle school levels. Staff members learn three broad skill areas that comprise the curriculum.
1. Self-control skills (learning to listen carefully and accurately and learning the Listening Position, remembering and following directions, Keep Calm before problem solving, starting a conversation and keeping it going, resisting provocations and keeping control)
2. Social awareness and group participation skills (Sharing Circle, teaching children how to role-play, developing and maintaining friendships, and asking for help)
3. Improving social decision-making and social problem-solving skills (introducing social problem-solving lessons, reviewing the problem-solving steps, looking for signs of different feelings in self and others, conflict resolution, and peer mediation)
For example, elementary teachers are expected to introduce the Sharing Circle, Keep Calm, Feelings Fingerprints, Friendship and Team-Building skills, and a basic overview of the Eight Steps to Social Problem Solving. For the first half of the year, the middle school program reinforces previously learned readiness skills (Team Building, Coping and Hassles, Asking and Giving Help, Dealing with Criticism, Values and Ethics, and Self-Esteem) before focusing on the eight-step model for the second half of the year. From year to year, this plan is modified and refined so as to meet most efficiently and effectively the needs of TCI students. The sequence of social skills taught varies.
At the elementary and middle school levels, specific social development skills are introduced or reinforced on a quarterly basis throughout the school. In the first quarter, elementary students learn about the Sharing Circle, Listening Position, and listening skills, whereas middle school students learn listening skills, following directions, and Keep Calm. During the second quarter, lower elementary grade students learn about following directions, Keep Calm, friendship, and conversation skills, whereas upper elementary students learn about resisting peer pressure, friendship, and conversation skills. Middle school students are introduced to the Eight Steps of Problem Solving, friendship, and conversation skills before conflict resolution, peer mediation, and feelings, and more about the “Eight Steps” skills are introduced in the third quarter. At the same time, elementary students continue to learn more about feelings, friendship, and an introduction to the Eight Steps. In June, all students practice role-playing scenarios to strengthen the skills taught throughout the year. From experience, staff members have learned the importance of going slower in the instruction of individual social skills, breaking them down into steps, and providing students more opportunities for practice and rehearsal.
Later on during the orientation, the entire staff joins in to share successful experiences and the ways in which SPS and social–emotional skill strategies were used to provide student opportunities to practice the essential life skills of listening, remembering, and thinking. The “seasoned” staff members also share techniques used to introduce other important readiness skills such as being able to calm down, think clearly, and present oneself appropriately in social situations. To enhance professional development (and students’ opportunities to practice social–emotional skills), we also use videoconferencing, providing our staff and students with the opportunity to exchange ideas and collaboratively work with other schools.
The role of the social development coordinator emerged from an identified need for an individual, within the school, to be responsible for the development and facilitation of program activities and the implementation of a schoolwide curriculum for their special needs students’ social development. The coordinator receives a stipend or reduced schedule for chairing and planning monthly staff and social development committee meetings. The responsibilities and job description of the social development coordinator have evolved over the past few years. The position includes training new staff members during orientation; establishing the quarterly skills chart; developing the monthly staff meeting presentation schedule; providing workshop presentations to other special education schools; establishing additional subcommittees to address new ideas; ordering new materials; and locating new resources to maintain high program interest. As of the time of this writing, the position continues to evolve and change in accordance with TCI’s needs. New clinical and instructional staff members have become involved in the process of curriculum development and training.
The quarterly Social Development Skills Chart identifies the schoolwide “Topic of the Month” so that the entire TCI staff works on similar skills at the same time and so that special subject teachers know which skills students are learning so they are able to reinforce the common terms throughout each subject taught. An organizational flow chart outlines a monthly schedule for teachers to share specific skill-based lessons with other staff members. They will demonstrate and make available to their colleagues creative props and supporting materials to supplement lessons from magazines, newspapers, and video-based vignettes. SPS posters, displayed in all of the classrooms, are also used in therapy, art, speech, music, and physical education. This coordinated effort to share successful lessons and materials at each class level has led to innovative thinking and creativity and has infused great energy into the teaching process.
Monthly Social Development Committee meetings scheduled with administrators, clinicians, and representatives from each division and specialty allow committee members to bring back information to their colleagues. In return, teachers share insights with their committee representative, who then brings the ideas to the next Social Development Committee meeting so that all aspects of the curriculum are fully integrated throughout the entire school. For example, an outgrowth of this process was the creation of the Social Decision-Making Chart that helps elementary-level students identify problems, good choices and poor choices, and corresponding consequences. Another example is the middle school Mood Diary, developed so that students learn about emotional regulation by recording and gauging their varying degrees of anger during a situation that triggers angry or other negative feelings. The corresponding elementary tool, the Feelings Thermometer, produces the same result as the Mood Diary but is more concrete and visual, especially for the younger student dealing with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, a pervasive developmental disorder, or emotional disabilities.
Supplemental problem-solving support services provide an integrated approach in which social problem-solving and social–emotional skills training function together. Problem-solving counselors and the Problem Solving Room are crucial elements of TCI’s comprehensive initiative that have evolved since 1994. Before that time, students spent time in “detention” with a “crisis worker” so that the classroom teacher would be able to continue the lesson without disruption. Although this practice has limited demonstrated effectiveness, it still exists in many educational settings. TCI staff members realized that an approach emphasizing consequences could not change a disruptive behavior pattern because the process did not provide an opportunity for social–emotional learning to stop the negative cycle. What was needed was something that addressed the causes of a behavior problem exhibited in students as related to difficulties at home and with peers and staff members in the school.
As part of the clinical staff trained in crisis prevention, problem-solving counselors, who are social workers or certified psychologists, work with “referred” students when they are unable to calm down. The teacher first gives the student “sit and think” and problem-solving time in the classroom. If the student is unable to problem solve in the classroom, he or she may be asked to go to the Problem Solving Room, where counselors and students work through problem-solving steps to reinforce skills previously introduced in the classroom. This interaction provides an opportunity to practice and rehearse specific social–emotional skills. The counselor’s primary goal is to support the teacher in providing students with the opportunity to develop coping strategies and insight into their actions. These techniques foster social competency and establish the essential groundwork for building social competence and appropriate social–emotional skill development in students with serious social, emotional, and behavioral deficits. We are impressed with the increasing number of children who request problem solving; furthermore, staff have noted that once students begin to verbalize their feelings and problem solve, there has been a decrease in aggressive and acting-out behaviors. In light of the increasing number of children admitted to TCI exhibiting aggressive and impulsive behaviors, the problem-solving staff has increased to four professionals.
The full-time school clinician, either a school social worker or psychologist, serves an integral role in the overall therapeutic milieu. The clinician combines a cognitive–behavioral approach, classical behavioral principles (TCI’s Token Economy), and psychodynamic techniques to promote social competence through social–emotional skills training and social problem solving. The major services provided by the school clinician include individual and paired therapies, issues-based group therapy, weekly classroom social–emotional skills groups, and crisis intervention. Besides these direct student services, the school clinician also works with students during recess duty and various school functions that provide other opportunities to teach children problem-solving and social–emotional skills.
In addition to collaborating with the problem solving counselors and all other staff, the school clinician also works closely with TCI’s consulting psychiatrist and psychologist as a “case manager.” The school clinician seeks and coordinates the input of outside professionals and Child Study Team members to maximize the comprehensive integration of the TCI model integration throughout the school day and from school to the community. The roles of parent educator and case manager reflect TCI’s emphasis on helping students generalize to their home environment the skills they have learned at school.
The TCI model recognizes that it is important for parents and the school staff to form a partnership to enhance the social–emotional development of children. It is not enough simply to teach social–emotional skills in the school environment. Newly acquired skills must be reinforced at home so that the social–emotional skills are generalized from the school to the home to the community. Therefore, it is essential that parents learn strategies to increase their child’s social competence through the effective use of communication techniques, praise, problem-solving skills, social–emotional skills, and self-esteem enhancement situations.
The purpose of parent education is to provide parents with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote their children’s success and to foster a positive parent–child relationship. Parents receive updates and a copy of each lesson so they can review the lesson at home and encourage their child to use the social–emotional skill within the family setting. They are encouraged to follow the “Discuss, Demonstrate, and Do” model used in the classroom to provide the consistency necessary for skill development. Parents can play a crucial role in supporting social–emotional learning by appropriately managing their own feelings and behaviors, modeling healthy social interactions, and “facilitating” the step-by-step process of social–emotional skill development. To facilitate parents acquiring these skills, staff members model these approaches and parents have the opportunity to practice and apply these approaches to their unique home settings. A series of consecutive workshops provides parents the opportunity to try these approaches and continue to receive staff support and make necessary revisions. TCI is in the process of building up educational resources for parents and staff in the areas of social development, including new books, CDs, and professional development opportunities. We plan to include such material on TCI’s Web site.
Social–Emotional Development skills are easily inserted into TCI’s educational curriculum. For each subject area, teachers have creatively and effectively incorporated problem-solving techniques and readiness skills. For instance, the Sharing Circle lends itself nicely as an opener to a third-grade science lesson. A typical question for a lesson on water conservation might be, “Tell the group something that water can be used for.” Identifying feelings in others can be addressed through a Venn diagram when comparing characters in a novel. The Eight Steps of Problem Solving can be used in a discussion on any historical or current event. The various methods of inserting problem-solving skills in the academic areas are endless. Using such an approach validates the importance of the skills in everyday life for the students. The TCI staff has created lesson plans in all academic areas in which problem-solving skills are incorporated and emphasized. Teachers have shared their lesson plans at staff meetings and distributed them for use in other classrooms.
Teachers and parents often ask if the social–emotional development program could be applied to our students with PDD or autism. When students are deficient in auditory and visual memory, in language comprehension and processing, or in reading social–emotional cues, they are at a disadvantage when it comes to problem solving, role-playing, and imagining. This is because they have not integrated or comprehended the events of routine situations. We believe, however, that with more direction in the form of verbal and physical prompting, scripted language rephrasing and the use of social stories, we can help our students improve their social understanding of events. Social stories (Gray, 1994) specifically help teachers and parents understand both the child’s perception of an event while at the same time providing them with the “why” of a given situation.
We must teach our students to become good listeners so that they can connect with their social partners. The more astute we are in comprehending another person’s viewpoint, the better listener and communicator we will become. A child’s social–emotional skills or lack thereof has a definite correlation with his or her ability to use language functions effectively. Therefore, our social–emotional skills program for our PDD and autistic students begins with some of the most obvious functions, such as greeting, requesting, commenting, and responding. Children move on as they can to the more complete social development curriculum activities.
The lessons are taught in the morning and reviewed at the end of each day. There are group contingency reinforcers, as well as points earned throughout the day and displayed on a social–emotional skills chart in the classroom. TCI’s social–emotional skills lessons for PDD and autistic students have improved students’ use of pragmatic language; ultimately we hope they also will improve the ability among these students to determine probable causes of events and to predict outcomes of their actions. As educators, we recognize the importance of teaching our students to think for themselves and to reason logically in solving problems.
This brief chapter does not fully describe all aspects of the TCI model, which are now being prepared in book and curriculum forms. The inspiration of James Comer continually guides us; his collaborative model integrates the work of our school staff members, parents, and community leaders and empowers students while building their social and emotional skills. This work “raised the bar” for what one could expect of coordinated work in a regular education setting; the TCI model attempts to do the same for special education.
Although this may seem like it was a daunting process, TCI’s commitment over the past decade provides the creative framework to generate momentum and excitement for the educational administrator who wants to adapt the TCI model or some of its components. Implementation research studies over the years have illuminated ways to improve the components, and outcome studies have shown that the impact has been positive. Over a decade of experience gained by The Children’s Institute can provide the structure needed to support and generate excitement among administrators, staff members, parents, and the community. In light of all the negative messages and influences in today’s media and on the Internet, and in the continuing shadow of terrorist attacks on mainland American soil, educators must meet the seriousness of the problems facing our students with a parallel response. Halfway measures will not produce lasting results. Students deserve and must be provided with the opportunity to develop social–emotional skills and competencies that can last a lifetime. This serves not only to benefit the children, but also creates a positive school climate shared by all; it is a beacon to the larger community. We must settle for nothing less.
Important contributions to this chapter were made by Gina Catania, M.A., Supervisor of Instruction/Curriculum Coordinator; Tara Hayek, M.Ed., Supervisor of Instruction/Behaviorist; and Dr. Stuart Isralowitz, Clinical Coordinator/School Psychologist.
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Elias, M. J., & Tobias, S. E. (1996). Social problem solving interventions in the schools. New York: Guilford. (Available through www.nprinc.com)
Elliott, S., & Gresham, F. (1992). Social skills intervention guide. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Gray, C. (1994). The new social story book. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.
McGinnis, E., & Goldstein, A. P. (1984). Skillstreaming the elementary school child. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
Peacock Hill Working Group. (1991). Problems and promises in special education and related services for children and youth with emotional or behavioral disorders. Behavior Disorders, 16, 299–313.