What are some good exercises/drills to help correct running form?

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Hmm, not really sure. I remember when I decided to take running more seriously, and really wanted to get better, I started running more. Sounds like a good place to start.

Well...you are going to need an assessment to determine exactly how "bad" their form is. ML motion of the arms has been shown (but potentially an inverse relationship) to be related to lower sub-max oxygen consumption (better running economy). So why do you think their form is bad?

There are none. Form drills don't really improve your form at all; they just make you better at form drills. The notion of running form itself is mostly a myth; All that really matters is what happens during the brief moment when your foot is in contact with the ground, which you can't control consciously. How you move your limbs through space during swing is unimportant.

I would do DYNAMIC drills, such as high knees, butt kicks, A Walks, etc. These mimic desirable leg actions.

Discuss what good form is. How high the knee should come up. How far back the leg is to go. How the arms do not cross the center of the body. Leg turn-over should be 180 footfalls per minute.

Show them videos of good form. There are plenty on youtube or even Jay Johnson's website.

Then, you should think about videotaping your runners. There's an article in Running Times about this (written by Jay Johnson).

Hills are supposed to help with form too.

Specifically, to cure arms swinging across the body, I read somewhere about making a runner hold his/her arms in front of him/her like a basketball hoop. You're not able to have your arms cross the body. I would have them do some short runs (easy 200 or 400 meters) like that (just to get a feel for that sensation).

Hope this helps.

Core work is good for everything - a strong core allows the other parts to do their respective functions correctly.

Video feedback is good too. Practically everything that is electronic has photo/video capability - take some videos of runner and show them how they look while running.

Couple the video feedback with videos of people running with good form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLg4j4gMzqA

Midway in this video, there are some great clips of great form. Have your runner visualize running with good form, imagining that they are running like Bekele.

Also, I have found that "fly swatters" (kids who carry their arms like they are swatting flies) typically have very weak upper bodies. Pushups - starting with knees on the ground for those who have little upper body strength - can help and they don't cost anything.

Thats ridiculous. Thats the same as saying all that matters in shot and discus is the last little flick of the wrist or squeeze of the fingers, and it doesnt matter what else happens in the circle. Of course there are appropriate drills for form, and it's muscle memory and active familiarity that converts good form drills into good running form. As with any physical activity, and especially sports-related ones - including running, success is often a function of efficient movement. So Zatopek looked awful from the waist up... but he was solid from the waist down. Is there room for effective variation? Of course. But even the most unique hitters in baseball are principally the same, when they are effective.

So... Learn the aspects of running mechanics, find some form drills, and incorporate them into your training.

Since you're asking specifically about young runners...from my personal experience of starting running in 6th grade and now as an NCAA athlete, I would say that it's is not so much important to inculcate young (just starting) runners with lots of form drills, but rather they should simply run more over time. When I first started running I was a mess, slightly overweight, terrible form, etc...over the years as I got more mileage under my belt and began to run consistently, my body naturally developed to become more efficient and therefore my form improved. Just get your kids to run more and as they mature, it'll naturally happen.