The School Refusal Assessment Scale--Revised (SRAS-R) is a self-report measure designed to assess four functional factors of school refusal behavior: avoidance of stimuli that provoke negative affectivity (Factor I), escape from aversive social and/or evaluative situations (Factor II), pursuit of attention from significant others (Factor III), and…

The objectives of this study were twofold. Firstly, it attempted to validate the scores of the Youth Life Orientation Test in Spanish children. Secondly, it had the objective of estimating the mean differences in scores and predictive capability of optimism and pessimism for school refusal. The sample consisted of Spanish students between the ages…

This study investigated Principals' Perception of misconduct among Secondary School teachers in Delta State. Four research questions and four hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The instrument used for collection of data was tagged "Principals' Perception of Teachers Misconduct Questionnaire" (PPOTMQ). For content validity,…

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) has been shown to be a promising approach for improving a range of behavioral health and academic outcomes for youth. This study leveraged data from the scale-up of PBIS and a randomized controlled trial, both conducted in Maryland, to estimate the dollars saved per 100 students as a result of…

Beginning in the early 1990s, states and districts enacted zero-tolerance discipline policies that relied heavily on out-of-school suspensions. Recently, districts nationwide have revised these policies in favor of more tempered disciplinary responses. In 2012-2013, Philadelphia reformed its discipline policy to limit suspensions for nonviolent…

This study reports the effects of an interactive multimedia computer program for teaching social skills to youths with social-adjustment problems. Twelve youths (aged 11-17) were referred by the county diversion program or school guidance counselors. Seven were formally classified as having disabilities and had active Individualized Education…

Youth who receive services from public mental health, child welfare and delinquency, and homeless systems are often exposed to a number of overlapping child, family, school, and community risk factors. Minimal research, however, has focused on the extent to which single- or multiple-system involvement influences school dropout. Relying on an…

The usual view is that truants are lost and troubled juveniles with psychological problems. While the authors agree that many well-known sociological and environmental factors promote truancy, they also confront more disconcerting causes: curriculum and pedagogy. Truancy is much too widespread to continue classifying it as the behavior of social…

Living doubled-up is a form of homelessness that can go undetected by schools, yet the toll it takes on the lives of students is significant. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to determine how students who live in doubled-up homeless families differ from low-income students who live in permanent housing with regard to demographics,…

A promising development in school-based prevention and intervention science is the use of applied social-psychological concepts to improve students' experiences and outcomes in school. Mounting evidence from rigorous studies supports the efficacy of theoretically informed interventions grounded in social psychology, including growth mindset and…

The BRIDGE Alternative Middle School in Lowell, Massachusetts, serves students ages 12-16 who have exhibited behavioral problems in traditional school settings, including problems such as truancy, multiple suspensions, mental health issues, peer conflicts, family dysfunction, academic problems, and gang involvement. Students referred to BRIDGE are…

Mounting evidence indicates that students of color are more likely than their white peers to receive exclusionary discipline (out-of-school suspensions and expulsions), but alleviating these disparities requires an understanding of what drives them. In this study, we use seven years of student- and infraction-level data from every public school in…

School refusal and truancy is a community problem that affects individuals, families, and organizations while lacking a universally accepted definition. At-risk youth often exhibit academic failure, and externalized and or internalized problematic behaviors while schools lose funding and families become disconnected. The school setting allows…

Truant youths are likely to engage in a number of problem behaviors, including sexual risky behaviors. Previous research involving non-truant youths has found sexual risk behaviors to be related to marijuana use and depression, with differential effects for male and female youths. Using data collected in a National Institute on Drug Abuse…

Decades of federal economic policies that have concentrated poverty into isolated communities have devastated urban education, and expose youth and families to high stress and trauma. Disproportionately negative outcomes for students of color and those who are economically disadvantaged can be understood as manifestations of negative racial school…