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The importance of improving teachers' use of culturally responsive practice (CRP) in the classroom setting has been widely recognized. Although quantitative data on teachers' use of CRP has potential to be a helpful decision-making tool in advancing that goal, little is known about the psychometrics of classroom-based CRP measures, their utility in evaluating the impact of interventions designed to improve teacher CRP, or their use to inform teacher professional development in CRP. The current study reports findings from a systematic review of the research on the quantitative measurement of CRP using the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses standards to document how CRP is operationalized and measured in prekindergarten-12th-grade classrooms in the United States (U.S.). Searching across six databases, 27 measures were identified for inclusion. The vast majority of measures were teacher self-report surveys, and relatively few were student-report or external observer assessments. We examined the availability of classroom-based observational and survey instruments and critically analyzed each measure through an argument-based approach to validation. We concluded that although some CRP measures hold promise, the validity of their interpretation and use is not adequately supported by evidence, with some exceptions. This lack of empirical evidence is exacerbated by the limitations of single-informant measurement of CRP. More multi-informant assessment approaches are needed.

Educators have embraced the promotion of social emotional development, student well-being, and mental health as essential educational objectives to promote academic readiness and growth. To address known research-to-practice gaps and limited availability of evidence-based, universal high school programs, we took a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to develop a contextually and developmentally appropriate program addressing social emotional learning, community, and student well-being. We employed the ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate) model of systematic instructional design for 2 school years. We collected quarterly anonymous open- and close-ended surveys from students and teachers and open-ended session-specific surveys from teachers; led student advisory and teacher focus groups; and documented coach feedback and observations. Researchers conducted qualitative descriptive and quantitative descriptive analyses. We summarize how CBPR and the ADDIE model of systematic instructional design was applied to ensure contextual fit and acceptability in high schools. We present how findings from the data sources were used to design and develop content and highlight results on comfort, content of interest, and optimal time dedicated to content. We describe how we developed the components of Well Connected©. We conclude with lessons learned for co-developing programs and engaging in participatory research.

There is growing interest in the integration of social--emotional learning (SEL) and equity approaches in schools, yet systematic research on how to blend these two frameworks is limited. In this article, we describe the process by which a research-practice partnership (RPP) collaborated to iteratively co-create a multi-component equity-focused SEL preventive intervention in the context of a politically charged landscape related to the 'dual pandemics' of racial injustice and COVID-19 in the early 2020s. We conducted a document review of informal data sources (e.g., meeting minutes, correspondence) and analyses of formal data sources (i.e., teacher interviews, student focus groups) to describe how we overcame challenges to form an RPP, to demonstrate our collaborative intervention development efforts, and to assess feedback on the contextual appropriateness of the intervention. We discuss lessons learned from our partnership efforts and reflect on future directions for RPP-driven work to advance equity-focused SEL in K-12 public schools.

Background: Educators in rural schools are uniquely situated to address youth mental health disparities, yet often face challenges in delivering mental health supports. This paper describes the process of adapting the evidence-based Coping Power program, a small group prevention program for youth with aggressive behavior problems, to be a two-tiered (Tier 1 and Tier 2), transdiagnostic intervention to improve fit and feasibility for rural upper elementary and middle schools. Method: Identified challenges with the Coping Power program for rural areas included program length, substantial staffing and resource requirements, lack of universal programming, low caregiver engagement, and co-occurring problems. Initial adaptations included a classroom and small group format implemented by school staff, teacher consultations integrated into coaching and co-facilitation, and a technology-supported caregiver component. Implementer feedback forms, coaching notes, and individual interviews informed the iterative development and feasibility testing process. Results: Between 2019 and 2023, thirteen schools across six rural districts implemented the program. Student curriculum revisions included order and relative emphasis of content, classroom and small group overlap, necessary simplification of concepts, improved contextualization to the rural setting, and the addition of student workbooks. Supports for implementers included fully developed lesson plans and slides, a comprehensive implementation manual, video lesson overviews, action-focused training, and a 3-session coaching model to support implementer preparation and sustain motivation. Teacher and caregiver infographic text "nudges" were improved to promote generalization of concepts across settings. Discussion: By partnering with school-based implementers, the adapted program holds promise to be more feasible and appealing for rural schools than the original model. This fully developed program is now ready for larger-scale testing in rural schools.

As the public health framework has been implemented in schools through multi-tiered systems of support, as in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a prominent interpretation has been that 80% of students will benefit from universal or Tier 1 schoolwide behavior support, around 15% will require added selective or Tier 2 targeted support, and 5% will require the more intensive selective or Tier 3 intervention. The PBIS framework also emphasizes the use of tiered logic, with strengthened efforts at the universal and selective levels when student behavioral or mental health needs exceed expected levels. The prediction that 5% of students will require indicated support was based mostly on students at risk for discipline encounters (i.e., office discipline referral data) and, more recently, systematic screening data, but this percentage remains an interpretation of the public health framework. Further, epidemiologic data over the past decade show that rates of childhood mental health disorders have risen and are even higher now as schools struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic - much higher than 15% and 5% for selective and indicated levels. Thus, we believe it is time to revisit projections of the number of students in need of Tier 2 and Tier 3 support. In this position paper, we review the evidence for escalating youth mental health needs and discuss the implications for the tiered prevention framework in schools. We describe strategies to expand the availability of preventive intervention supports beyond Tier 1 efforts and conclude with recommendations for practice, policy, and research in this peri-COVID recovery era.

This paper presents the findings from two school-level randomized controlled effectiveness trials of a multitiered systems of support for behavior (MTSS-B) framework on student and staff reported school climate outcomes in 98 secondary schools. Schools randomized to the intervention condition received training and coaching to support Tier 1 implementation and the use of data for selection and implementation of Tier 2 and 3 evidence-based programs. Multigroup, multilevel regression analyses were conducted in Mplus to assess intervention effects on change over time in student and school staff perceptions of engagement, environment, and safety. Main effects models indicated limited impacts on student perceptions of school climate and negative effects for middle school staff perceptions. Moderation models indicated greater negative impacts for school staff perceptions in middle schools that had higher preexisting MTSS-B fidelity. These results highlight the challenges of demonstrating change in school climate outcomes. Additional theoretical and measurement work is needed on the assessment of changes in perceptions of school climate, particularly for school staff.

The present study examined the association between students' perceptions of an equitable school climate and several psychosocial outcomes, and tested whether these associations were moderated by students' race and gender. Data from 57,027 6th-12th grade students were analyzed using three-level models. Students who perceived their school to have a more equitable climate experienced greater psychosocial outcomes: low endorsement of retaliatory aggressive beliefs, low stress, and high future aspirations. Moderation analyses consistently demonstrated that the effect of an equitable school climate on students' psychosocial outcomes was weaker for Black students than White, Latinx, and Asian students. Gender also served as a moderator for some outcomes, with the effect of equity on stress stronger for girls than boys, and the effect of equity on future aspirations stronger for boys than girls.

Classroom management practices are critical to the success of teachers and students, and a growing number of programs have been developed to improve these practices. However, there has been less investigation into observational tools to assess classroom management and exploration of whether it can be measured consistently by observers across elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Moreover, there is a need to determine how classroom management practices vary as a function of school settings and classroom contexts (e.g., class size and racial composition). The current study aimed to examine classroom management practices using the Assessing School Settings: Interactions of Students and Teachers (ASSIST), an observational measure administered by trained external observers across 3,263 classrooms. A series of analyses indicated that the ASSIST demonstrated partial MI across contexts, and was particularly robust across class size and racial composition, which enabled us to contrast latent mean differences across developmental levels. Latent means of classroom practices across elementary and middle school were similar, whereas elementary school and high school classrooms differed significantly. The findings provide evidence that the ASSIST is similarly measuring classroom management across classroom contexts but is sensitive to mean differences in classroom management across classroom contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an urgent pivot to remote learning, causing many challenges for teachers and school administrators. The current study sought to better understand the extent to which the perceived negative impacts of COVID-19 on U.S. educators and their students varied as a function of staff role (teacher vs. administrator), school level (elementary vs. secondary school), and type of school setting (public vs. private), as reported through a national survey of educators conducted in June through July of 2020. Using data from 608 educators (n = 481 teachers and n = 127 administrators; 48% elementary; 85% public school), we examined educators' perceptions of negative impacts on their personal lives, professional lives, and students' lives; major challenges; and stress in various domains. Findings suggested an overall high level of concern across domains. Investigation of educator subgroup effects suggested elementary educators and administrators were most concerned about the negative impacts on students.

As an example of how historical events may influence the findings and interpretations of a randomized trial, we use a school-based evaluation of a classroom management program that was conducted in a nearby district before and after the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri (N = 102 teachers and 1,450 students). The findings suggest that the event differentially affected teacher and student response within and across conditions. Black teachers benefited more from the intervention as evidenced by their independently observed classroom management skills and praise-to-reprimand ratios; however, these effects were minimized or disappeared after the event. Additionally, although the intervention equally benefited the academic achievement of Black and White students before the event, the opportunity gap widened after the event. Implications for the design, analysis, and reporting of findings from randomized controlled trials are discussed.

This article focuses on the psychometric properties and characteristics of the Assessing School Settings: Interactions of Students and Teachers (ASSIST), an observational assessment administered by trained external observers of teacher practices, classroom context, and student behaviors at the classroom level. Study 1 examines variability, reliability, and convergence between ASSIST scores with data from 3,298 classrooms nested within 185 elementary, middle, and high schools. We report school-level intraclass correlations (ICCs), standard deviations, means, and reliability estimates of ASSIST scales; investigate the correspondence among ASSIST-measured constructs with multilevel correlations; and explore school-level predictors of ASSIST global scale scores. Study 2 further examines reliability over time and convergent validity using repeated ASSIST and Classroom Assessment Scoring System--Secondary (CLASS-S) observations in classrooms of 335 teachers in 41 middle schools. The ASSIST global measures exhibited moderate to good reliability across three same-teacher observations (ICCs ranged from .69 to .82). Associations between all ASSIST and CLASS-S scales suggested close correspondence of the measures, especially at the teacher level and school level. Together, these findings highlight the utility of the ASSIST observational measure, both as a research and practice tool, across multiple school types and classroom contexts, and with potential to inform coaching to improve teachers' classroom management.

Abstract After the middle Miocene Climate transition, global cooling caused substantial hydrological changes in East Asia. Today, many lines of evidence indicate that inland East Asia experienced persistent aridification after the middle Miocene Climate transition. However, chemical weathering records from the South China Sea as well as late-Miocene paleolake expansions in northeastern Tibet contrast with the idea of long-term aridification after the middle Miocene Climate transition. Here, we present manganese-to-iron ratios and clay mineral contents of sediments formed approximately 14 to 10 million years ago from the Guide Basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, combined with previously published records (lithology, magnetic susceptibility, redness, and strontium content). Our results show that a paleolake in the Guide Basin expanded between approximately 11.4 and 10.5 million years ago, opposite to the long-term drying trend after the middle Miocene Climate transition. On the 100-kilo-year eccentricity scale, our results demonstrate alternating moisture source variability in northeast Tibet, with precipitation predominantly delivered via the westerlies and the East Asian summer monsoon. This variability could potentially be related to the movement of the westerly jet over the Tibetan Plateau. After comparison to climate model simulations, we attribute this movement to astronomical forcing and the waxing and waning of the Antarctic ice sheet.

After many decades of effective control of stem rust caused by the Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici, (hereafter Pgt) the reported emergence of race TTKSK/ Ug99 of Pgt in Uganda reignited concerns about epidemics worldwide because ∼90% of world wheat cultivars had no resistance to the new race. Since it was initially detected in Uganda in 1998, Ug99 variants have now been identified in thirteen countries in Africa and the Middle East. Stem rust has been a major problem in the past, and concern is increasing about the risk of return to Central and East Asia. Whilst control programs in North America and Europe relied on the use of resistant cultivars in combination with eradication of barberry ( Berberis spp .), the alternate host required for the stem rust pathogen to complete its full lifecycle, the focus in East Asia was principally on the use of resistant wheat cultivars. Here, we investigate potential airborne transmission pathways for stem rust outbreaks in the Middle East to reach East Asia using an integrated modelling framework combining estimates of fungal spore deposition from an atmospheric dispersion model, environmental suitability for spore germination, and crop calendar information. We consider the role of mountain ranges in restricting transmission pathways, and we incorporate a representation of a generic barberry species into the lifecycle. We find viable transmission pathways to East Asia from the Middle East to the north via Central Asia and to the south via South Asia and that an initial infection in the Middle East could persist in East Asia for up to three years due to the presence of the alternate host. Our results indicate the need for further assessment of barberry species distributions in East Asia and appropriate methods for targeted surveillance and mitigation strategies should stem rust incidence increase in the Middle East region.