This is a dissertation focused on the presence of cultural competence themes in teacher education and special education practice, and how cultural competence potentially impacts students who have been referred for special education. The current study is important due to its consideration of over-identification of some populations in special…

In contemporary education, multifaceted interventions are needed to engage students in the academic setting and therapy dogs are an approach to reach students' mental, physical, social, or emotional health needs. Moreover, therapy dogs have a direct correlation to student success and motivation. The implementation of therapy dogs on students…

The present study aimed to explore clinical trends in the period 2000-2010, along with discriminating clinical factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in young children suspected of ASD. The following trends were observed: (1) a rise in referrals including an increase in referrals among language-abled children, (2) an increase in children…

Background: Nurses in an urban school district completed a brief survey about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Methods: Descriptive and bivariate analyses examined trends and differences. Results: Among 208 nurses, only 3% correctly answered all 5 knowledge questions. Nurses with greater…

Schools have the unique opportunity to identify and refer youth at risk for suicide. School-based gatekeeper training programs aim to improve staff's ability to talk to students about mental health concerns and refer them for an assessment. Unfortunately, progress in evaluating the available programs has been limited. In fact, the popular and…

Discipline referrals and suspensions are used as a last resort to address inappropriate student behavior in schools. The problem investigated in this study was the inconsistent trend in the number of discipline referrals and suspensions during implementation of three different discipline policies (zero tolerance, progressive discipline, and…

In this study, the relationships between child social functioning, parenting stress, and Part C Early Intervention (EI) enrollment were examined in 227 ethnically and racially diverse, low-income families of 15- to 27-month-old children. All toddlers in the sample were identified with or at high risk for developmental delay via universal screening…

Disproportionate office referrals through teachers in Grades 3-5 based on their students' race are documented. At a Title I elementary school in the northeastern part of Virginia, non-White students are referred to the office for behavior issues 5% more times than their White peers. Guided by Bell's critical race theory, the purpose of this study…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and investigate teachers' perceptions of giftedness in culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLD) as a factor that causes the lack of access for these students to gifted pedagogy. The theory guiding this study was Culturally Responsive Teaching. The central research question was…

Misrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in special education is a continuing issue that requires attention. This is likely occurring due to educators' lack of knowledge, awareness, and/or training to work with diverse populations. The educational needs of CLD students require that schools, teachers, and staff…

There is a growing understanding for the integration of art therapy into hospital settings. This viewpoint explores a newly introduced art therapy program at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. Launched with private funding, the success of the program has been predicated on communicating the importance of art materials and studio…

Objective: College campuses report alcohol and other drug policy violations as the most frequent reason students receive disciplinary referrals and, thus, are mandated to programming. This study sought to determine predictors of mandated students' alcohol use frequency, and the likelihood of early-onset alcohol using college students enrolled in…

Mental health and well-being significantly impact students' academic performance, social interactions, and school engagement. Partnering with communities can enhance the effectiveness and reach of mental health initiatives and supports within educational settings. By collaborating with community organizations and agencies, schools can augment…

This dissertation consists of three papers on education policy. In each paper, I use applied econometric methods and descriptive quantitative analysis to examine topics related to teacher labor markets and postsecondary attainment. The first paper leverages a rich student-teacher-day data set to study the relationship between daily teacher…

Research shows that youth in foster care experience poor academic performance and disciplinary actions in school more frequently than do non-foster care youth. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to further examine youth in foster care and the relationship between individual/intrapersonal factors (future orientation and school…