Elisa S. Shernoff

Student Engagement in High School Classrooms from the Perspective of Flow Theory

We present a conceptualization of student engagement based on the culmination of concentration, interest, and enjoyment (i.e., flow). Using a longitudinal sample of 526 high school students across the U.S., we investigated how adolescents spent their time in high school and the conditions under which they reported being engaged. Participants experienced increased engagement when the perceived challenge of the task and their own skills were high and in balance, the instruction was relevant, and the learning environment was under their control. Participants were also more engaged in individual and group work versus listening to lectures, watching videos, or taking exams. Suggestions to increase engagement, such as focusing on learning activities that support students’ autonomy and provide an appropriate level of challenge for students’ skills, conclude the article.

Transporting an Evidence-Based Classroom Management Program for Preschoolers With Disruptive Behavior Problems to a School: An Analysis of Implementation, Outcomes, and Contextual Variables

The transportability of an evidence-based teacher professional development program, the Incredible Years Classroom Management Program, was evaluated. This study compared the impact of two training methods: self-administered videotape modeling (VM) and self-administered videotape modeling plus consultation (VMC) on teachers’ use of classroom management strategies, reductions in disruptive behaviors, acceptability, and contextual barriers of sustaining EBIs in practice settings. Four pairs of teachers (N 8) were randomly assigned to VM or VMC conditions in a multiple probe design. Students (1–2 per classroom; N 13) displaying high levels of externalizing problems also participated. Statistically significant between-groups differences in teacher confidence ratings, use of positive instructional practices, and acceptability favored the VMC condition. Positive trends favoring VMC students, including clinically significant increases in social competence, were also found. Although students in both groups exhibited reductions in disruptive behaviors, significant betweengroups differences related to disruptive behavior were not observed. Findings related to contextual variables (e.g., time, cost, institutional support, adaptability of the program) have implications for future adoption of this program.

Redesigning community mental health services for urban children: Supporting schooling to promote mental health

OBJECTIVE This study examined a school- and home-based mental health service model, Links to Learning, focused on empirical predictors of learning as primary goals for services in high-poverty urban communities. METHOD Teacher key opinion leaders were identified through sociometric surveys and trained, with mental health providers and parent advocates, on evidence-based practices to enhance childrens learning. Teacher key opinion leaders and mental health providers cofacilitated professional development sessions for classroom teachers to disseminate 2 universal (Good Behavior Game, peer-assisted learning) and 2 targeted (Good News Notes, Daily Report Card) interventions. Group-based and home-based family education and support were delivered by mental health providers and parent advocates for children in kindergarten through 4th grade diagnosed with 1 or more disruptive behavior disorders. Services were Medicaid-funded through 4 social service agencies (N = 17 providers) in 7 schools (N = 136 teachers, 171 children) in a 2 (Links to Learning vs. services as usual) × 6 (pre- and posttests for 3 years) longitudinal design with random assignment of schools to conditions. Services as usual consisted of supported referral to a nearby social service agency. RESULTS Mixed effects regression models indicated significant positive effects of Links to Learning on mental health service use, classroom observations of academic engagement, teacher report of academic competence and social skills, and parent report of social skills. Nonsignificant between-groups effects were found on teacher and parent report of problem behaviors, daily hassles, and curriculum-based measures. Effects were strongest for young children, girls, and children with fewer symptoms. CONCLUSION Community mental health services targeting empirical predictors of learning can improve school and home behavior for children living in high-poverty urban communities.

Integrative Consensus: A Systematic Approach to Integrating Comprehensive Assessment Data for Young Children with Behavior Problems.

Comprehensive assessments that include parents and teachers are essential when assessing young children vulnerable to emotional and behavioral problems given the multiple systems and contexts that influence and support optimal development (U. Bronfenbrenner & P. A. Morris, 2006; M. J. Guralnick, 2011). However, more data complicate clinical and educational decision making given the challenge of integrating comprehensive data. We report on initial efforts to develop and apply Integrative Consensus procedures designed to synthesize comprehensive assessment data using developmentally informed guidelines. Mother–teacher dyads (N = 295) reported on disruptive behavior in a sample of 295 low-income 3- to 5-year-olds; one-third referred for disruptive behaviors, one-third nonreferred with behavioral concerns, and one-third nonreferred. Two clinicians trained in Integrative Consensus procedures independently applied the framework, with findings highlighting that children identified as disruptive by Integrative Consensus ratings plus mother or teacher ratings significantly predicted behavior problems and impaired social skills. Children identified as disruptive via Integrative Consensus were 4 times more likely to be rated as impaired by their mother at follow-up than by mother or teacher report. Reliability estimates were high (&kgr; = 0.84), suggesting that the method has promise for identifying young children with behavior problems while systematically integrating comprehensive data.

Schooling and Children's Mental Health: Realigning Resources to Reduce Disparities and Advance Public Health

Schools have long been the primary setting for childrens mental health services but have neither the resources nor the expertise to manage these services independently. The critical importance of school success for childrens adjustment provides a strong rationale for schooling as an essential component of childrens mental health services. In this article, we review evidence for how schooling and mental health coalesce, suggesting an alignment of school and community mental health resources that prioritizes successful schooling as a key mental health outcome. We describe collaborative principles and ecological practices that advance a public health focus on childrens mental health while also reducing the burden on schools to maintain mental health services. We close with a model of mental health services illustrating these principles and practices in high-poverty urban schools and propose future directions for research and practice to promote positive mental health for all children and youth.

Training the Next Generation of School Psychologists to Deliver Evidence-Based Mental Health Practices: Current Challenges and Future Directions

School psychologists are uniquely positioned to support the delivery of evidence-based mental health practices (EBMHPs) to address the overwhelming mental health needs of children and youth. Gradua...

Teacher Formative Assessment: The Missing Link in Response to Intervention

Response to intervention (RTI) focuses on the assessment, intervention, and progress monitoring of student academic performance and social behavior. Despite requiring highly qualified personnel for successful implementation, the implementation of RTI has not focused on applying its foundational principles towards promoting teacher effectiveness through assessment, intervention, and progress monitoring of teacher classroom practice. Compounding this problem is the lack of availability of reliable and valid teacher assessments to apply in an RTI model for teacher professional development. This chapter provides a rationale for applying RTI principles to teacher professional development and how teacher formative assessment can improve educator effectiveness, student learning, and social behaviors. The Classroom Strategies Scale (CSS), a new multidimensional assessment of instructional and behavioral management practices, is discussed as an example of one promising tool for promoting teachers’ professional development within an RTI model. We offer a synthesis of the theory, research, and evidence of reliability and validity of the CSS. The application of teacher formative assessment in job-embedded professional development/coaching models for schools is discussed. Finally, implications for practice and research are outlined.

Examining Teachers' Attitudes and Experiences with Coaching to Inform Research-Based Practice: An Iterative Developmental Design Study.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine teachers’ attitudes and experiences with coaching. This study was conducted in advance of a planned randomized controlled trial of a coaching intervention to better align the model with teachers’ needs and goals. Thirty-four K–5 general (n = 26), special education (n = 6), and educational support staff (n = 2) working in two high-poverty schools participated in focus groups. Interrater reliability between independent coders was high (К = 0.92; range: 0.76–1.0). Thematic analyses identified facilitators and barriers to teacher participation in the planned intervention and were used to improve upon the existing coaching model. Themes focused on advantages and disadvantages to coaching and characteristics of effective coaches and coaching models. Implications of findings for research and practice are discussed.

Measuring teacher practices and student academic engagement: A convergent validity study.

We examined the convergent validity of observer ratings of teachers’ use of evidence-based instructional and behavior management practices using the Classroom Strategies Assessment System (CSAS; Reddy & Dudek, 2014) with student academic engagement as measured by the Cooperative Learning Observational Code for Kids (CLOCK; Volpe & DiPerna, 2010). This study was conducted with a sample of 107 teachers and 2,000 students in 11 urban elementary schools serving students in a community with high concentrations of poverty. Correlational and multiple linear regression analyses examined whether CSAS instructional and behavior management scores predicted classwide academic engagement. Results provide initial evidence of the relationship between observer ratings of teacher practices and student engagement. Specifically, CSAS scores indicating higher quality instruction and behavior management were associated with higher student engagement. Multiple linear regression revealed that instructional practice scores (as measured by the CSAS) uniquely predicted student academic engagement (i.e., attention and participation during instruction) while behavior management practice scores did not. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.