This study investigated whether a restorative practice initiative improved school climate. The study presents findings from a cluster randomized, controlled trial conducted with 2,248 students from grades 5 to 12 (38% Black, 32% Hispanic) attending 18 schools in the U.S. Northeast. After 1 year of implementation, the experimental analyses of the…

Some students with disabilities, particularly those with emotional and behavioral disorders, may struggle with transitions, demonstrating inappropriate behaviors during them. Visual supports, previously determined to be an evidence-based practice for students with autism, is a proactive classroom management strategy addressing transitioning. In…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between schools' multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) implementation, students' perceptions of their social-emotional learning (SEL), educators' perception of students' SEL, and academic achievement for Hispanic/Latino, African American, and Asian elementary school students as measured by…

Autistic youth frequently experience interfering anxiety, and schools may be an ideal setting to deliver mental health care. A type 1 hybrid-effectiveness, cluster randomized trial was used to examine the effectiveness of school-based Facing Your Fears compared to usual care. Change in provider cognitive behavior therapy knowledge and treatment…

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based framework for promoting positive school climates and improving student social and behavioral outcomes. Yet secondary schools have lagged behind elementary schools in their adoption and implementation of PBIS. The transition from elementary to middle school is marked by a…

Undermatching, or students attending less selective colleges than they are academically qualified to attend, is seen as a contributing factor to the lagging college completion rate of low-income and first-generation college students. Addressing the mismatch has been mainly limited to the individual level. Through analysis of interview and…

E-cigarettes are a popular type of nicotine product among youth in the United States. Hispanic youth, one of the fastest growing populations in the United States, are second only to white youth for e-cigarette use. Analysis of the Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education data was conducted to determine past 30-day e-cigarette use among…

This brief shares learnings from Building Equitable Learning Environments (BELE) district partnerships around the sixth Essential Action: Measure What Matters. This Essential Action focuses on achieving equitable learning environments through the routine collection and review of relevant student feedback data to co-design new practices and…

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of professional development (PD) and implementation fidelity on the performance of middle school students in mathematics within an online learning environment. Using a quasi-experimental design, the research compares educational outcomes between control and experimental groups…

Check-in/check-out (CICO) is an evidence-based multicomponent intervention widely implemented in elementary and middle schools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an adapted CICO intervention, with CICO components designed to be more developmentally appropriate for adolescents and contextually relevant for high schools, could be…

The success of all students in schools, including students with learning differences, is contingent on how schools operationalize universally designed instruction, positive behavior support, and data-based decision-making for individualized and group-level interventions. When schools have fully functional multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)…

This study investigated the impact of implementing School responder model (SRM) programs on addressing mental and behavioral health needs to reduce problem behavior and prevent the school-to-prison pipeline. While successful school-based mental health interventions exist, the effectiveness of SRM programs in countering the school-to-prison…

It should be noted that about a year after this researcher began work on this dissertation, he became seriously ill, greatly interfering with his ability to function. In 2019 he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a terminal lung disease. As his physical condition continued to worsen, work on the dissertation came to practically a…

A history of trauma can have a significant negative impact on the functioning of a student in the school environment. Check & Connect, a school engagement and dropout intervention program, has been found to have positive effects on student school engagement and decrease the likelihood of dropping out of school. However, a review of the Check…

Household Food Insecurity (HFI) is a frequent challenge for children living in poverty that impacts social, emotional, and behavioral development. Federally assisted meal programs, such as the National School Breakfast Program, address HFI for students living in poverty through free or reduced-price breakfast. However, there are challenges for…