A critical analysis of social development programs in elementary education

Four social development programs in elementary education are examined. The four programs are (1) A “Causal” Approach to Human Behavior, developed by Ralph Ojemann; (2) the Human Development Program, developed by Harold Bessell and Uvaldo Palomares; (3) Reality Therapy: Schools without Failure, developed by William Glasser; and (4) Developing Understanding of Self and Others, developed by Don Dinkmeyer. Published literature and research studies provided the information sources for the article. The major criticisms of each of the programs can be summarized into four major points: none of the programs (1) has a clearly articulated developmental rationale, (2) focuses heavily on a concern for others, (3) has ongoing programmatic research, and (4) has a rationale for its implementation strategy.