Show AN ANGRY CHILD CAN CHANGE A new program to prevent violent and behavior is showing signs of promise anti-soci- al the school day she quietly asks permission “She's become my special helper" Hackney said “She's wonderful" The change in Hackney's classroom did not come by accident Chadwell Elementary School is participating in a research project to see if children at risk for AtCtadwan chronic aggressive behavdeveloping Etanantary m Mvivpcpf u ior problems — such as bullying truanNatovilla cy or other angry disruptive behavior — can be identified and changed before their lives go irretrievably wrong The ttand first results hold promise that they can Called Fast Track the project began togithir when a group of scientists pooled their Along with Mgiriar about children at risk and knowledge subject tha found that most of them have had simchildpon ro taught ilar histories: “If there's violence in the in home if parenting is inconsistent or violent that’s predictive of problems later getting on” explained Kenneth Dodge professor long with ooch othor of psychology at Vanderbilt University and a of Fast Track “Children who are socially rejected by their e classmates andor may be failing academically are also at risk" “Of course” added Dodge “not every child with these problems will grow up to have serious trouble But they are predictive of adolescent violence chronic crime and dropping out of school" For many yomg people dealing wkka violent peer can be a problem In a reAfter developing a set of guidelines cent issue PARADE adted "How do yon slop a baity?" Meaty cfyou reamt-mendhis colleagues went to a "Hand lough" approach somewbkacmadve twist Herein sample: Dodge and schools in Seattle Durham NC My mam want to fw vlae priMipd nOTWRUnWUKNOAIm Nashville and rural Pennsylvania and tftavlatlRi at a feuEy la high stood At MiitoandhafeaAana tfewtoii wHhma found 447 students who fit the criteria aaa print I IMy got w tha cearaga and tha fealty la tha raaafcMa tohl bar to enroll in an intervention program MmtwHi MMw er first-grad- 0I V HERE ARE SOME V k'hiMVn yu become familiar with before yiw ever teach them 1 Janet Johnson lold me After nearly 20 yean ax a first-gra- teacher at Chadwell Elementary School in Nashville Johnson knows when trouble is coming “You hear their names repeatedly" she said “These arc the children that other teachers have given up on They're Their enangry they're ergy cannot he directed to academics" Consider the experience of Johnson's colleague Barbara Hackney One year Hackney learned that she was about to get a new student — a girl whose first year at school had been a nightmare The girt refused to do school work used obscenities in addressing her teacher and fought with classmates After a year in Hackney's class however the child has changed Now she dutifully takes attendance for the teacher And if she wants to leave her scat during self-center- Wlten Violence Threatens ed iiwiiiaAwr now mow They then formed two comparison KIM pdMtoa going to IwlLI er for children without any behavior Ha mV groups — one for those at risk the msmmmim law U few TAKE A LEBAL ROUTE TIM Mn at a m attao — wLv Wa nIM 10 sag wan feeing taMteg fey a aaMhblg-g- w I Just bay Ma toM Ma tothes — M "has wwfeattogwTItoMghlgat rf TBAAMAUINtOTTVAart I was la tha miM IhagagM toy sandy aqrMd to gat away ana sag ahs taM tha vies vhabvaught the fealty hi sag hag Mt a asto aaytag aatagaatW la tha manning rg to! aqr want togs to aahssL BY -- wants to Ife sag ha tight gich a tons sag glass Ml baffl toto Ms gag telg hia M see wm I tost ta tha feuNy yen’ flgMNaiwv tfeaoangaayylBewassaeaaoyoagot a lottos algnog fey both of his yavaats aeylag they wM not haM you seas atoa far any gaawgaa sag fegiaSaa Ifeofeay Mg what his tog and Altos ' it tan a tow gay Mg net want Mg ths tws haaama feaggaa ton Magew tha to light K MICHAEL RYAN oth- problems who would not be given special treatment (Neither the children nor their parents were told which comparison group they were in) “We did not select on the basis of gender" said of the Dodge “but about children who fit the criteria were male” Special training sessions were set up for all teachers in each school Then the teachers began to work with their entire classes each week — not just with the kids—on issues such as anger aggression sharing and getting along with each other Though all the children attend classes together the ones in the intervention program get extra attention and attend special weekly groups "We start very basically" explained three-quarte- rs at-ri- Mas to anna m teas smmm mausi |