Centering students' voices in the exploration of in-classroom culturally responsive practices.

Scholars have developed culturally responsive frameworks and interventions to support educators as they aim to create inclusive and equitable classroom environments. Despite the number of frameworks on the topic, research on culturally responsive practices (CRPs) is limited by the lack of clear definitions or evidence on the effectiveness of in-classroom culturally responsive interventions. With the aim to understand which characteristics are important for in-classroom CRPs, this qualitative study explored students' perceptions of practices teachers use to respond to students' learning and cultural identities. We conducted 23 focus groups with 103 Black, Latine, and White students in middle and high school from two midwestern schools. After analyzing the data, we identified four overarching themes: (a) inclusive classroom instruction, (b) emotional safety in the classroom, (c) relational quality with the teachers, and (d) racism and other "isms" in the classroom. Students consistently commented on the importance of teacher support for students' emotional and academic well-being while also describing teachers that demeaned them or their peers, in turn, obstructing their learning. The findings hold promise to clarify and strengthen professional development CRP interventions as students offer insight about teacher cultural responsiveness and non-responsiveness.

Positive student-teacher relationships and exclusionary discipline practices.

Teacher-student relationships are beneficial for students and especially important in the middle school context. Suspensions are critical to reduce as it can be detrimental to the educational trajectory of students, particularly for marginalized students in underfunded schools. This study looked at the relations between teacher-student relationships and suspensions across the academic year in a sample of students (N = 541) and teachers (N = 51) in two urban school districts in the Midwest. A brief measure of teachers' perceptions of relationships with students completed in the fall of the academic year predicted the odds of receiving in-school suspension (ISS; odds ratio [OR] = 0.65) and out-of-school suspension (OSS; OR = 0.72) by the end of the school year. Student reports of the relationships were also associated with ISS (OR = 0.94), but not OSS. On average, teachers' report on the scale improved over the course of the school year (d = 0.11); however, student report of the relationships worsened (d = 0.30). The difference in the student report of the relationships from fall to spring was also associated with the odds of receiving ISS and OSS (ORs = 0.94). These findings suggest that student and teacher perceptions together are associated with harsh discipline practices that can negatively impact students' developmental trajectories. Relationships can change but direct action is necessary to develop, maintain, and repair relationships during the academic year.

"Let's talk about it": Black youths' perceptions on the development of a school-based social media campaign.

The increase in social media mental health (MH) campaigns provides an opportunity to improve awareness and attitudes toward MH. However, racial disparities remain in these social media campaigns. Black youth who participated in MH social media campaigns reported lower levels of improvement in stigma and help-seeking than their White peers. We employed a youth participatory action research (YPAR) process to expand on a previous community-wide MH social media campaign (A. Thompson et al., 2021), focusing on a Central Midwest community. We studied Black adolescents' perceptions of MH stigma and help-seeking to determine essential features of a culturally responsive MH social media campaign for Black youth. With a lead youth-research collaborator, the research team designed the following two-staged study. The first stage consisted of four semistructured focus group interviews (FGIs) (N = 20), analyzed by using a rapid analysis strategy to obtain results for the development of the campaign. In the second stage, using YPAR's iterative and action-based process, five youth researchers collaborated with the research team on the campaign's design. Following the two stages, the researcher's thematic analysis resulted in three themes: (a) broadening horizons for campaign designers and MH professionals; (b) considering mistrust of schools and school personnel; and (c) diverse experiences, sustainability, and accessibility in a campaign. Findings indicated that while culturally responsive social media campaigns to promote MH can be designed, mistrust of adults in schools is likely to hinder the impact of such campaigns. Implications for school psychology practice and research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Training and coaching early childhood teachers to foster social, emotional, and behavioral competence of children in Turkey.

A growing evidence base demonstrates the effectiveness of teacher training and coaching interventions to improve teacher- and child-level outcomes in high-income countries. However, more information is needed to show the benefits of these interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To provide an evidence base for LMICs, we conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of a teacher training and coaching intervention for promoting children's social, emotional, and behavioral competence, Reaching Educators and Children (REACH) Classroom Check-Up (CCU), on teachers' behaviors, teacher-child relationship quality, and children's social competence and problem behaviors. Participants included 20 early childhood teachers and 175 children (4-6 year olds) in Turkey. Findings indicate that REACH CCU increased teachers' positive behaviors and teacher behaviors that support social, emotional, and behavioral competence of children, while reducing teachers' negative behaviors. Teachers in REACH CCU demonstrated an increased level of closeness and reduced levels of conflict with children in their classrooms. Furthermore, REACH CCU improved teacher-reported social competence and reduced problem behaviors of children. Results provide evidence that REACH CCU is a promising approach for improving teachers' behaviors, teacher-child relationship quality, and children's social, emotional, and behavioral competence, especially in LMICs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Single-item principal stress and coping measures: Concurrent and predictive validity and comparisons to teacher measures.

The present study analyzed concurrent and predictive validity of single-item scales for assessing principal stress and coping. We examined concurrent and prospective relations among stress and coping single-items with principal job satisfaction, overall health, perceptions of school safety, and principal leadership self-efficacy. We also compared principals and teachers on their stress and coping levels using the same single-item scales. Consistent with the literature on teacher stress and coping, the correlations of principal coping with different outcomes-job satisfaction, overall health, leadership efficacy, and safety perceptions-were stronger in comparison to the correlations between principal stress and those same outcomes. In regression models with both stress and coping, only principal coping predicted concurrent and future principal job satisfaction and overall health, as well as change in those outcomes. Coping also predicted concurrent but not future perceptions of school safety. Stress and coping did not consistently predict concurrent or future measures of leadership self-efficacy. Last, we found that principals reported even higher levels of stress than the well-documented high levels reported by teachers. We discuss areas for further research and potential use of these measures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Usability and social consequences of the early identification system as a universal screener for social, emotional, and behavioral risks.

The Early Identification System (EIS) was developed to overcome many of the usability challenges of school-based behavior screeners. Several prior studies have documented the technical adequacy of the EIS. The present study expanded this work by examining the use, relevance, values implications, and social consequence of EIS implementation in a sample of 54 K-12 schools and 23,104 students in the Midwestern United States. We found that nearly all schools, teachers, and students completed the EIS as planned. Schools used the data to provide universal, selective, and indicated services to a high percentage of students identified with risks as well as to plan professional development for educators based on the screening data. Seventy-nine percent of schools implemented the EIS system with high fidelity, and fidelity was unrelated to student demographic composition within schools. These findings suggest that the EIS may overcome many of the usability barriers that plague common behavior screeners. Limitations and implications for advancing the science of social consequence evaluation are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Local Effects of Intervention: a Configural Analysis.

In standard statistical data analysis, the effects of intervention or prevention efforts are evaluated in terms of variable relations. Results from application of regression-type methods suggest whether, overall, intervention is successful. In this article, we propose using configural frequency analysis (CFA) either in tandem with regression-type methods or by itself. CFA allows one to adopt a person-oriented perspective in which individuals are targeted that can be characterized by particular profiles. The questions asked in CFA concern these individuals instead of variables. In prevention research, one can ask whether, for particular profiles, the preventive measures are successful. In three real-world data examples, CFA is applied and compared to standard log-linear modeling. Examples consider non-randomized (observational) and randomized intervention settings. The results of these analyses suggest that person-oriented CFA and standard variable-oriented methods of analysis respond to different questions. We show that integrating person- and variable-oriented perspectives can help researchers obtain a fuller picture of intervention effectiveness. Extensions of the CFA approach are discussed.

Prevalence of Poor Mental Health Days and Adverse Childhood Experience Reporting in U.S. Adults Before and After COVID-19.

This is the first study of US adults to examine change in the prevalence of psychological burden (i.e., self-reported poor mental health days in the past 30 days, and ACEs recollections) before compared to after COVID-19 started. We analyzed the prevalence of self-reported poor mental health days, and ACEs recollections from 17 states using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Adjusted models identified an increase in prevalence from before compared to after COVID-19 onset in those married or partnered reporting 48% more poor mental health days in the past 30 days; persons of color reporting living with anyone with mental illness during childhood by 73% and reporting more ACEs by 35%; those employed or self-employed reporting childhood sexual abuse by 45%. This ecological-level analysis revealed population-level changes in psychological well-being reporting of U.S. adults from before compared to after the pandemic onset.

Shifts in Stressors, Internalizing Symptoms, and Coping Mechanisms of Teachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As the frontline of our education system, teachers endure greater job-related stress than other professionals, even under the best of circumstances. While they were already exposed to certain stressors affecting their emotional health, the pandemic outbreak introduced new challenges putting teachers at risk of experiencing higher rates of emotional distress. This longitudinal study aimed to identify changes in teaching stressors and teachers' coping strategies in the period before the pandemic to the immediate outbreaks of COVID-19 in Fall 2020. In addition, we examined the correlation of teachers' coping approaches with stress, anxiety, and depression to understand if coping strategies correlate and predict such emotional distress. To this end, 376 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Iran in the first wave and 351 in the second wave completed a battery of validated inventories capturing their emotional distress, teaching stressors, and coping approaches. The mean scores of the stressors and coping strategies across two waves indicated significant shifts toward using functional coping strategies upon experiencing new demands. Furthermore, we found that novice teachers experienced higher rates of stress and anxiety, which were positively associated with dysfunctional coping strategies. The results of the stepwise regression analysis with (dys)functional coping strategies indicated that coping mechanisms significantly account for 25% of variances in stress, anxiety, and depression. The implications of the study regarding promoting teacher mental health through identifying the risk factors associated with dysfunctional coping strategies have been discussed.

A cognitive-behavioral approach to teacher burnout: A randomized controlled trial of a group therapy program.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As a well-known phenomenon with significant social, biological, and psychological impacts, burnout syndrome has been viewed and treated from different therapeutic perspectives. However, few studies have evaluated interventions to prevent and alleviate teacher burnout. DESIGN: This study comprised a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a group-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program for teacher burnout, with assessments at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up. METHODS: The Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES) was administered to 242 English language teachers with diverse professional profiles in Iran. Of these, 62 teachers with burnout symptoms were randomly assigned to either a group-based eight-week CBT treatment program or a waiting list control condition. RESULTS: The results of a series of mixed factorial ANOVAs demonstrated significantly greater improvements for the treatment compared to the control condition on the total score and three subscales of the MBI-ES (teachers' emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment) at post-treatment, with treatment effects maintained at 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This CBT intervention has promise for supporting teachers in stressful occupational conditions and reducing their burnout.

Gender, Racial, and Socioeconomic Disparities on Social and Behavioral Skills for K-8 Students With and Without Interventions: An Integrative Data Analysis of Eight Cluster Randomized Trials.

Despite decades of concern about disparities in educational outcomes for low SES students and students of color, there has been limited rigorous study of programmatic approaches for reducing these disparities in elementary or middle schools. We conducted integrative data analysis (IDA) of the combined data from eight Institute of Education Sciences funded cluster randomized trials to address the research gaps on social and behavioral outcome disparities. The final analytic sample includes 90,880 students in varying grade levels from kindergarten to grade 8 in 387 schools in 4 states (Maryland, Missouri, Virginia, and Texas). Two-level hierarchical linear modeling was used for multilevel moderation analysis. This study provided empirical evidence that there were significant gender, racial, and socioeconomic disparities on social and behavioral outcome measures for elementary and middle school students, the disparities significantly varied across schools, and the disparities could be reduced by interventions. We discussed our findings, implications for interpreting effect sizes of interventions using disparities as empirical benchmarks, and study limitations. We concluded with suggestions for future research.

Distributional causal effects: Beyond an "averagarian" view of intervention effects.

The usefulness of mean aggregates in the analysis of intervention effectiveness is a matter of considerable debate in the psychological, educational, and social sciences. In addition to studying "average treatment effects," the evaluation of "distributional treatment effects," (i.e., effects that go beyond means), has been suggested to obtain a broader picture of how an intervention affects the study outcome. We continue this discussion by considering distributional causal effects. We present formal definitions of causal effects that go beyond means and utilize a distributional regression framework known as generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS). GAMLSS allows one to characterize an intervention effect in its totality through simultaneously modeling means, variances, skewnesses, kurtoses, as well as ceiling and floor effects of outcome distributions. Based on data from a large-scale randomized controlled trial, we use GAMLSS to evaluate the impact of a teacher classroom management program on student academic performance. Results suggest the teacher classroom management training increased mean academic competence as well as the chance to obtain the maximum score on the academic competence scale. These effects would have been completely overlooked in a traditional evaluation of mean aggregates. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining the validity of the Early Identification System - Student Version for screening in an elementary school sample.

As many as 1 in 5 youth in the United States experience social, emotional, and behavioral problems. However, many students with mental health concerns are unidentified and do not receive adequate care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factor structure, measurement invariance, and the concurrent and predictive validity of the Early Identification System-Student Report (EIS-SR), a screener for social, emotional, and behavioral problems, using a sample of over 5000 students from Grades 3 to 5. The EIS-SR was developed by using extant literature on the risk indicators that lead to social, emotional, and behavioral challenges among children and youth. As expected, seven subscales were identified as having adequate factor loadings. Furthermore, the measure was determined to be invariant across grade level (n = 5005), gender (n = 5005), and between Black and White students (n = 1582). The concurrent validity of the Internalizing Behavior, Attention and Academic Issues, Emotion Dysregulation, and School Disengagement subscales was supported by correlations with comparable subscales of the Behavior Assessment System for Children-3rd Edition (BASC-3; n = 382). Additionally, the EIS-SR subscales administered in the fall of the school year were predictive of important outcomes in spring, including attendance (n = 4780), disciplinary referrals (n = 4938), bully victimization (n = 4670), math academic achievement scores (n = 4736), and reading (n = 4772) academic achievement scores. The EIS-SR holds promise as a feasible and technically adequate screening tool for use in elementary schools.

Configural frequency trees.

Although variable-oriented analyses are dominant in developmental psychopathology, researchers have championed a person-oriented approach that focuses on the individual as a totality. This view has methodological implications and various person-oriented methods have been developed to test person-oriented hypotheses. Configural frequency analysis (CFA) has been identified as a prime method for a person-oriented analysis of categorical data. CFA searches for configurations in cross-classifications and asks whether the number of observed cases is larger (CFA type) or smaller (CFA antitype) than expected under a probability model. The present study introduces a combination of CFA and model-based recursive partitioning (MOB) to test for type/antitype heterogeneity in the population. MOB CFA is well suited to detect complex moderation processes and can distinguish between subpopulation and population types/antitypes. Model specifications are discussed for first-order CFA and prediction CFA. Results from two simulation studies suggest that MOB CFA is able to detect moderation processes with high accuracy. Two empirical examples are given from school mental health research for illustrative purposes. The first example evaluates heterogeneity in student behavior types/antitypes, the second example focuses on the effect of a teacher classroom management intervention on student behavior. An implementation of the approach is provided in R.

Individual and school predictors of teacher stress, coping, and wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created unprecedented challenges for the U.S. education system and for teachers. The present study examined correlates and predictors of teacher well-being in the immediate aftermath of school closures related to the pandemic. Data were collected as part of a larger group randomized trial. Six hundred and thirty-nine teachers completed surveys about their stress, coping, health, job satisfaction, and internalizing symptoms in Fall 2019, before the pandemic, and May 2020, during the pandemic. Teachers also provided ratings during COVID-19 of their teaching, student attendance and engagement, and concern about students and families. Teachers reported lower levels of work-related stress after the pandemic's onset compared to their prepandemic levels. Multilevel regression analyses revealed teacher confidence in their ability to manage student behaviors as a consistent and robust predictor of teacher well-being outcomes. Additionally, pre-COVID-19 school-level factors measured in Fall 2019, including collegial school leadership and fair and equitable school discipline structures, also predicted aspects of teacher well-being at the onset of COVID-19. Findings suggest the importance of teacher competence and perceived efficacy in managing student behavior and engaging them in learning to help them adapt to the stressors of a pandemic. Additionally, aspects of organizational health and climate may also help facilitate or hinder teacher adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring the link between principal leadership and family engagement across elementary and middle school.

As leaders in the school, principals play an important role in fostering family engagement. Unfortunately, little is known about specific aspects of leadership that promote family engagement. Collegial leadership, an aspect of principal leadership that promotes organizational health via trusting relationships and a sense of community, may be particularly useful to understanding how principals influence family engagement. Drawing on data from two randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of teacher training in universal classroom management practices, the current study explores the relationship between teacher reports of family engagement and principal collegial leadership. Participants included 3208 students and 207 teachers across 18 elementary and middle schools in the Midwest United States. Utilizing hierarchical linear modeling, results revealed a significant positive relationship between family engagement and overall collegial leadership in addition to specific collegial leadership practices/characteristics. Further, baseline collegial leadership predicted increased end-of-year family engagement when controlling for baseline family engagement, developmental context, intervention status, and student-level characteristics. Overall, results provide empirical evidence for an important link between principal leadership practices and family engagement. Albeit promising, more research is needed to identify and explain the particular mechanisms by which principal collegial leadership may promote family engagement.

Effect of Daily Teacher Feedback on Subsequent Motivation and Mental Health Outcomes in Fifth Grade Students: a Person-Centered Analysis.

Prevention scientists recognize that implementing effective prevention practices and programs responsive to the needs of individuals but based solely upon the findings from variable-centered methods presents several limitations due to numerous risk factors, pathways, and unobserved influences. One such understudied influence that is masked by variable-centered methods, motivation, is a person-level characteristic that influences treatment outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the use of an alternative person-centered approach, group iterative multiple model estimation (GIMME), to model change over time that focuses on the interdependence of daily student motivation levels and teacher feedback and their relations to student outcomes over time. Specifically, we used GIMME to model person level responses to negative teacher feedback regarding students' next day motivational ratings using data from 58 5th grade students participating in a study of the impact of the self-monitoring and regulation training strategy (SMARTS). Results identified a set of SMARTS students whose daily readiness aligned with high rates of self and teacher agreement regarding ongoing performance ratings. However, results identified a group of students whose daily motivation and readiness for change was adversely impacted by negative teacher feedback the day before. For these students, they were more likely than their peers to experience high levels of depression and internalization scores. Motivationally oriented practice suggestions for providing feedback to students who may be sensitive to this type of feedback and research implications of these findings are discussed.

Confirmatory Factor Structure and Predictive Validity of the Early Identification System-Student Report in a Community Sample of High School Students.

The purpose of this paper is to confirm the factor structure, examine the invariance, and investigate the predictive validity using disciplinary data for 5262 high school students who completed the Early Identification System-Student Response (EIS-SR). The development and theory of the EIS-SR is discussed along with prior work. Building off of prior factor analytic work with a separate sample, it was hypothesized the items of the EIS-SR would coalesce into seven factors representing Externalizing Behavior, Internalizing Behavior, Peer Relationship Problems, School Disengagement, Emotional Dysregulation, Attention and Academic Issues, and Relational Aggression. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that EIS-SR scores would be invariant with regard to gender and grade level. Lastly, it was hypothesized that students with high EIS-SR subscale scores would be predictive of school discipline events. Our analyses indicated the EIS-SR did fit the previously observed factor structure with the items loading on seven distinct scales. Tests for measurement invariance indicated support that the EIS-SR measured the seven factors equally well regardless of both gender and grade level. Lastly, EIS-SR subscale scores predicted spring office disciplinary referrals, both in and out of school suspensions, and attendance.

An investigation of the psychometric properties of the early identification system-student report in a middle school sample.

Early adolescence represents a critical developmental period for the identification, prevention, and early intervention of mental health concerns. The Early Identification System-Student Report (EIS-SR) was developed as a user-friendly, accessible, and cost-efficient method for identifying youth at risk for mental health concerns. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the EIS-SR in a sample of middle school students in the Midwest. Two confirmatory factor analyses (N1 = 2,404, N2 = 2,404) supported the hypothesized seven correlated factor model showing adequate model fit and subscale reliability (range = .68-.90). Subsequent analyses found that many of the EIS-SR subscales predicted office discipline referrals, suspensions, and standardized academic achievement performance. Additionally, the subscales correlated in expected ways with subscales of the Behavior Assessment Scales for Children (3rd edition). These findings suggest that the EIS-SR is promising for identifying youth in early adolescence who are at risk for mental health concerns in addition to being a free and efficient universal screening tool. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Prosocial skills causally mediate the relation between effective classroom management and academic competence: An application of direction dependence analysis.

Direction dependence analysis (DDA) is a recently developed method that addresses the need for more sophisticated tools to evaluate causal mechanisms of developmental processes and interventions. The present study applied DDA to evaluate the hypothesized mediators of a classroom behavior management training program on student academic competence. The study involved a group randomized controlled trial with 105 teachers and 1,818 students (K-3rd grade) in a large urban school district in the United States. Analyses revealed only student prosocial skill development causally mediated the intervention's effects on student academic competence. The findings support the importance of explicit instruction and coaching of student social skills as part of classroom behavior management programs and confirm the causal link between prosocial skills and academic success. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for future applications of DDA in developmental research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).