Oliver W. Edwards

A Positive Youth Development Model for Students Considered At-Risk

Children considered ‘at-risk’ for school failure and other adverse life outcomes have received increasing attention in multiple countries across the world. The research literature is replete with studies that emphasize specific detrimental factors that may make a child’s life more difficult upon entering adulthood. The traditional, negative perspective of first identifying deficits and pathology before offering aid contrasts sharply with resiliency research and the emerging positive youth development (PYD) model. The developmental assets framework is under the rubric of PYD and offers a strength-based approach to child development, prevention and intervention. This article reviews and integrates data which demonstrate how asset-building is beneficial to students considered at-risk. School psychologists are well-positioned to collaborate with teachers and other educators to play vital roles in implementing this proactive PYD model to help all students.

Helping Grandkin--Grandchildren Raised by Grandparents: Expanding Psychology in the Schools.

Recently, large numbers of grandparents have become full-time surrogate parents to their grandchildren. The term “grandfamily” was coined to easily identify families in which children are raised by grandparents. Grandchildren in these families are called “grandkin.” Grandparents who raise their grandkin tend to have elevated levels of stress that negatively impact their well-being. Grandkin tend to develop problems with attachment and establishing social networks, which can lead to poor psychological adjustment and development. Grandparents who raise their grandchildren significantly influence the development of their grandkin in the school environment. Often the children experience severe academic and behavioral problems in school. This article provides a review of the literature about grandkin and grandparents in grandfamilies, particularly as the relationship influences the childrens school functioning. In addition, the Grandfamily School Support Network is discussed as a means of ameliorating the difficulties experienced by grandkin and grandparents.

Empirical Investigation of the Psychosocial Functioning of Children Raised by Grandparents

Empirical studies describing the functioning of children raised by their grandparents are noticeably limited, yet custodial grandparenting has become a prominent alternate family structure. Grandparents may function better as surrogate parents than abusive parents, nonrelatives, or foster caregivers. Although many children raised by their grandparents enjoy favorable functioning, others experience significant school-adjustment difficulties. In this study, a psychometrically sound behavior rating scale is used to examine teachers’ perspectives regarding specific social-emotional behaviors of children raised by grandparents compared to a matched group. Teachers rated children raised by grandparents as exhibiting significantly higher levels of a specific pattern of behavioral problems than a comparison group. School professionals can help the children by identifying the strengths and needs of these families and by providing effective prevention services to advance positive school and life outcomes.

Factorial Invariance of Woodcock-Johnson III Scores for African Americans and Caucasian Americans

Bias in testing has been of interest to psychologists and other test users since the origin of testing. New or revised tests often are subject to analyses that help examine the degree of bias in reference to group membership based on gender, language use, and race/ethnicity. The pervasive use of intelligence test data when making critical and, at times, life-changing decisions warrants the need by test developers and test users to examine possible test bias on new and recently revised intelligence tests. This study investigates factorial invariance and criterion-related validity of the Woodcock-Johnson III for African American and Caucasian American students. Data from this study suggest that although their mean scores differ, Woodcock-Johnson III scores have comparable meaning for both groups.

Theory-Based Interventions for School Children Cared for by Their Grandparents.

The growing social phenomenon of grandparents caring for their grandchildren has implications for educational psychology practice, since children who are wards of their grandparents frequently experience problematic school functioning. In this paper, the literature regarding children cared for by grandparents is reviewed. Issues concerning attachment, social support, and the children’s school‐related functioning are emphasised. In addition, theoretical and practical school‐based interventions to help these grandchildren are described.

Children Raised by Grandparents: Implications for Social Policy

Purpose. This work provides information about households where grandparents assume roles as full‐time surrogate parents to their grandchildren. Social policy implications of these relationships and potential social policy changes to help these families are presented. Methodology. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to appropriately represent the phenomenon of grandparents raising grandchildren. Information regarding the functioning of both grandparents and grandchildren are addressed. Findings. Grandparents who raise their grandchildren tend to experience elevated levels of stress that negatively impact their social, emotion, and physical well‐being. Children in these families may encounter problems with psychological development, adjustment, and educational functioning. Grandparents who raise their grandchildren significantly influence the development of these children in the social and educational environments. The children also impact their grandparents’ well‐being. The findings underscore the need to consider social policy implications for these families. Originality/Value. This work emphasises the functioning of not only grandparents in these families, but grandchildren as well. Additionally, information is provided regarding the pejorative impact of certain social policies on grandparents’ social‐emotional well‐being and the grandchildren’s behavioural and educational functioning. Social policy propositions are offered to help these families. The information in this article will likely help professionals in governmental, social service, and educational agencies work better with these families.

Referred Students' Performance on the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children−Fourth Edition:

This study investigates the convergent relations of the Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales (RIAS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children−Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). Data from counterbalanced administrations of each instrument to 48 elementary school students referred for psychoeducational testing were examined. Analysis of the 96 protocols reveals significant positive correlations between conceptually similar RIAS and WISC-IV sub-tests. However, overall mean scores were significantly higher for the RIAS.

A Four-Factor Social Support Model to Mediate Stressors Experienced by Children Raised by Grandparents

Increasing numbers of children are being raised by grandparents (CRBG). Grandparents provide a familial connection to these children, yet they tend to experience stressors that limit their effective functioning as surrogate parents. The children also experience stress that attenuates psychosocial well-being. In this article, the phenomenon of CRBG is described and social support is advanced as a theoretical framework to guide the development of prevention and intervention services. The article contributes to the theoretical and applied knowledge base as perhaps the first scholarly work that conceptualizes a specific four-factor social support model to mediate the school-related risk of CRBG and to promote their psychosocial well-being.

A choice theory teaching and learning model for working with children of prisoners

The prison population has increased substantially in countries around the world and significant numbers of these prisoners are parents. Children of prisoners experience separation from the imprisoned parent. The separation and precursors to the separation often diminish these childrens social‐emotional and educational well‐being. In this paper, the social‐emotional and educational functioning of children of prisoners is examined. Additionally, choice theory is described as a relevant theoretical teaching and learning model to facilitate the childrens school‐related functioning.

Special education disproportionality and the influence of intelligence test selection

Examiners responsible for the assessment of children of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds are frequently uncertain which intelligence tests provide the most reliable, valid, and equitable results (Valencia & Suzuki, 2001). In the past, some intelligence test developers (e.g., Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition: Thorndike, Hagen, & Sattler, 1986) provided test users with information about mean standard score differences between subgroups by parental educational level, examinee gender, and examinee ethnicity. Differences in mean scores for ethnic groups were considered important, in part because norm-referenced tests are statistically structured to produce score variability between individuals, as well as groups, because groups are aggregates of individuals (Valencia & Suzuki). The purpose of this paper is to sensitise examiners to the importance of considering these mean score differences among ethnic groups when selecting an intelligence test to administer.