This study assesses the utility of the U.S. version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) teacher form as a screener for mental health and behavior concerns. The SDQ was administered to a community sample of 391 culturally and linguistically diverse students in grades K-6. Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha.…

Researchers have demonstrated that students who had a strong sense of school belonging exhibited greater academic motivation and performance (E. Anderman, 2002; Faircloth & Hamm, 2005), had fewer emotional and behavioral difficulties (Furrer & Skinner, 2003; McMahon, Singh, Garner, & Benhorin; 2004), and were less likely to dropout of…