My Teaching Partner-Secondary: A video-based coaching model.

In the My Teaching Partner (MTP) program, coaches engage teachers in six to nine coaching cycles across a school year. Guided by the program's theory, coaches help teachers reflect on the emotional, organizational, and instructional features of classrooms. MTP was originally developed for Pre-K and early elementary classrooms (MTP Pre-K), but the current paper focuses on the secondary school version of this program, MTP-Secondary (MTP-S), given the need for coaching models with middle and high school teachers. The paper presents the guiding theory of MTP-S and how it relates to key components of the coaching cycle. We then offer a brief synthesis of research demonstrating its effectiveness in raising achievement, promoting positive peer interactions, and reducing racial disparities in teachers' discipline practices. We provide ideas for future research that would help advance theory on the essential components of effective coaching programs in secondary schools.

Mothers' representations of relationships with their children: relations with mother characteristics and feeding sensitivity.

OBJECTIVE: To examine parenting representations and feeding interactions of mothers and their children with cerebral palsy (CP) and the extent to which mothers' representations predict their feeding behavior beyond other mother and child characteristics. METHODS: Fifty-eight mothers of children with mild to severe CP ages 16 to 52 months were interviewed with an adapted form of the Parent Development Interview (PDI). Correlation and regression analyses examined relations between representations (compliance with parental requests, achievement, secure base, enmeshment, worry about the child's future, and emotional pain), demographic characteristics, diagnostic severity, and developmental status. RESULTS: Mothers with more compliance-related concerns showed less sensitivity, acceptance, and delight during feeding. Mothers experiencing more emotional pain displayed more hostility. Mothers reporting worries about the child displayed sensitivity and delight. Representations of compliance-related experiences and worry about the child's future accounted for significant increments in explained variance in mothers' feeding behavior, after we controlled for children's skills and abilities. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest maternal representations of relationships are associated with caregiving behavior for mothers of children with CP apart from other child and maternal characteristics and may be a useful focus for research and practice related to parenting children with special needs.

Early teacher-child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade.

This study followed a sample of 179 children from kindergarten through eighth grade to examine the extent to which kindergarten teachers' perceptions of their relationships with students predict a range of school outcomes. Kindergarten teachers rated children's behavior and the quality of the teacher-child relationship. Follow-up data from first through eighth grade were organized by epoch and included academic grades, standardized test scores, work-habit ratings, and discipline records. Relational Negativity in kindergarten, marked by conflict and dependency, was related to academic and behavioral outcomes through eighth grade, particularly for children with high levels of behavior problems in kindergarten and for boys generally. These associations remained significant after controlling for gender, ethnicity, cognitive ability, and behavior ratings. The results have implications for theories of the determinants of school success, the role of adult-child relationships in development, and a range of early intervention and prevention efforts.

Feeding interactions for children with cerebral palsy: contributions of mothers' psychological state and children's skills and abilities.

This study examined the relative importance of children's feeding skills and abilities and mothers' psychological state regarding their child's diagnostic status in predicting the observed quality of mother-child interaction during a naturalistic feeding situation. The study subjects were 69 children with cerebral palsy (CP), aged 14 to 53 months, and their mothers. Functional impairments of the children ranged from mild to severe. Mother-child interaction was observed during 20 minutes of feeding and was scored using global ratings of mothers' and children's socioemotional behavior. In addition, mothers' feeding interactions were dichotomously coded for sensitive and responsive behaviors. Children's feeding skills and abilities were assessed by maternal report and by observation. Mothers' resolution of grief associated with the child's diagnosis was assessed using standardized interview procedures. The findings strongly indicate that, contrary to expectations, the mothers' resolution status was not related to qualities of the feeding interactions (either dyadic or mothers' behavior) and that feeding interactions are best predicted for children with CP by their skills and abilities. The results are discussed in relation to the nature, determinants, and consequences of feeding in children with and without disabilities.

Attachment-based classifications of children's family drawings: psychometric properties and relations with children's adjustment in kindergarten.

Investigated an attachment-based theoretical framework and classification system, introduced by Kaplan and Main (1986), for interpreting children's family drawings. This study concentrated on the psychometric properties of the system and the relation between drawings classified using this system and teacher ratings of classroom social-emotional and behavioral functioning, controlling for child age, ethnic status, intelligence, and fine motor skills. This nonclinical sample consisted of 200 kindergarten children of diverse racial and socioeconomic status (SES). Limited support for reliability of this classification system was obtained. Kappas for overall classifications of drawings (e.g., secure) exceeded .80 and mean kappa for discrete drawing features (e.g., figures with smiles) was .82. Coders' endorsement of the presence of certain discrete drawing features predicted their overall classification at 82.5% accuracy. Drawing classification was related to teacher ratings of classroom functioning independent of child age, sex, race, SES, intelligence, and fine motor skills (with p values for the multivariate effects ranging from .043-.001). Results are discussed in terms of the psychometric properties of this system for classifying children's representations of family and the limitations of family drawing techniques for young children.

Mothers' resolution of their child's diagnosis and self-reported measures of parenting stress, marital relations, and social support.

Investigated the relation between maternal resolution/nonresolution of a child's diagnosis of chronic medical condition to self-reported measures of parenting stress, marital quality, and social support. Mothers were administered the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview, and classified as Resolved/Unresolved with respect to the child's diagnosis. Mothers also completed the Parenting Stress Index, Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), Support Functions Scale, and Family Support Scale. Fathers completed the DAS. Maternal resolution vs. nonresolution of diagnosis was related to parenting stress, husband marital satisfaction, and level and helpfulness of social support. Resolution of diagnosis was not related to need for support. Specific subclassifications of Resolved and Unresolved also were differentially related to level and helpfulness of social support. Findings suggest that resolution/nonresolution of diagnosis has implications not only for individual functioning and child-parent interactions, as found in previous research, but also for other intimate familial relationships and social ecology.

Ethnographic detection and description of family strategies for child care: applications to the study of cerebral palsy.

Presented a framework for describing and classifying patterns, or strategies, used by families who have children with moderate to severe cerebral palsy, in caring for their child. Forty families were administered a structured interview regarding details of their day-to-day experience in caring for their child. Four reliably distinct patterns were identified. The patterns were compared with respect to other characteristics of the family. Results suggest at least three patterns that appear to be relatively adaptive, and one that appears relatively less so. Results are discussed in terms of the definition of successful family adaptation, the heterogeneity of adaptive family patterns in this population, and some clinical implications.

Adult attachment classification and self-reported psychiatric symptomatology as assessed by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2.

This study examined differences in self-reported psychiatric symptomatology on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 according to adult attachment status on the Adult Attachment Interview in first-time mothers from a high-risk poverty sample. Participants reported fairly high levels of symptomatology regardless of attachment status. The dismissing adult attachment group reported comparatively little psychiatric distress, emphasized independence, and scored the lowest on self-reported anxiety. The preoccupied group was highest on a range of indices of psychiatric symptoms indicative of self-perceived distress and relationship problems. The autonomous group's scores ranged between the scores of the other 2 groups on most scales. These different symptom patterns are consistent with adult attachment status as an index of self-representation and as a set of strategies for processing emotions and thoughts related to distress and to attachment relationships.

Relation between depressive symptoms and stressful life events in a sample of disadvantaged mothers.

The bidirectional relation between life events and self-reported depression was examined across a 1-year period. With Time 1 depression controlled, Time 2 stress accounted for an additional 10% of Time 2 depressive symptoms. Health-related stress, family violence, and financial stress at Time 2 predicted Time 2 depression after control for Time 1 depression. With Time 1 stress controlled, Time 2 depression accounted for 8% of the variance in Time 2 stress. Time 2 depression predicted Time 2 health-related stress, financial stress, household changes, spouse-partner stress, family violence stress, and substance abuse stress, controlling for each of these stressors at Time 1. The results describe a complex relation between stress and depression and suggest that the relation between stress and depression is moderated by the type of stress.

Predicting behavior problems in children with epilepsy: child factors, disease factors, family stress, and child-mother interaction.

This study examines the relative role of parent-child relationships, family stress, and disease factors in predicting behavior problems in children with epilepsy. It extends existing literature on parent-child relationships and behavior problems by examining children with biological risk. Child-mother interaction was observed for 51 children with epilepsy ages 7-13 years and related to teacher- and parent-reported behavior problems. Child's self-reliance correlated with parent-reported problems; expression of affect related to teacher-reported externalizing problems. A child self-reliance factor accounted for behavior problems after partialing age, gender, IQ, epilepsy variables, and family stress. The term child gender x quality of mother-child interaction predicted teacher-reported externalizing problems, with mother-child interaction correlated with behavior problems for boys. Child-parent relationships predict the development of behavior problems over and above the influence of disease-related factors, even for children at considerable biological risk.

Role of child-mother interaction in predicting competence of children with epilepsy.

Child-mother interaction in two problem-solving situations was observed in 59 children with epilepsy aged 7-13 years and was related to their psychosocial adjustment in school and in an independent problem-solving activity. Mothers' support for their child's task completion, the availability of affective expressions in the interaction, and the child's self-reliance in interacting with the mother were significantly correlated with the adjustment measures. Factor scores based on the ratings of child-mother interaction accounted for significant increments in the adjustment measures after child age, gender, IQ, epilepsy variables, and family life stress were partialled out. The results support the view that child-parent relationships are important predictors of adjustment for children with epilepsy.

Widening the debate on educational reform: prevention as a viable alternative.

Current debate on educational reform and on delivery of special education services has neglected the area of prevention. In a highly stressed service delivery system, preventive services demand consideration as a viable alternative to current service delivery models. While not replacing remedial programs, prevention would greatly expand the scope of services offered and lower stress on remedial programs. In turn, remedial programs could address children with more extreme needs instead of being the only alternative available to regular classroom placement.

Continuity and discontinuity in maternal sensitivity at 6, 24, and 42 months in a high-risk sample.

Continuity and discontinuity in maternal sensitivity from 6 and 24 months to 42 months were examined in a sample of 135 disadvantaged mothers and their firstborn children. Sensitivity at 6 and 24 months accounted for 18% of the variance in 42-month maternal sensitivity for boys, 14% for girls. Discontinuity was examined using residual scores. Less maternal sensitivity than predicted was related to stressful environmental and child characteristics for both boys and girls, while greater sensitivity than predicted was related to mothers' experiences of emotional support, girls' positive individual characteristics, and boys who were seen as unengaged.