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Students' relationships with their teachers are a form of social capital (i.e., relational social capital; RSC). Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to investigate longitudinal patterns of RSC in a sample of 786 grades 6 (35%), 7 (35%), and 8 (30%) students (48% female, 37% Hispanic, 22% white, 68% low income), and their links to academic motivation and GPA. Three classes of students were identified: Those with greater likelihood of reporting all RSC indicators (16%), those with greater likelihood only of being academically challenged (21%), and those with lower likelihood of reporting RSC (63%). Low-income students had lower odds of being in the high challenge class and greater odds of worsening relationships with teachers. Low RSC students had lower academic motivation and GPA. Results show the connections between RSC inequities and inequities in educational outcomes. To advance educational equity, intentional efforts are needed to build strong student-teacher relationships.

Objective: This study examined family routines in relation to the strength of parent–child developmental relationships and discordant perceptions among parents and their adolescent children. Background: Positive parent–child relationships and regular engagement in family routines are known to create a positive environment in which adolescents can thrive. Yet both parents and their children hold unique perspectives on family structure and functioning. Agreement between parent and child reports tend to be low and often become increasingly discrepant during adolescence. Engaging in consistent and predictable family routines may not only strengthen parent–child relationships but also result in more concordant perceptions of the quality of their shared relationship. Method: Using data from 633 matched parents and their children, we examined the association between engagement in family routines and the strength of parent–adolescent relationships including discrepant reports using a latent congruence model. Results: Family routines were positively associated with stronger parent–adolescent relationships and less discrepant reports of this critical relationship. Conclusion: Engagement in family routines plays an important role in parent–adolescent developmental relationships. Implications: Findings have important implications for practices and research focused on improving adolescent outcomes through family structures and parent–child relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Culturally responsive student–teacher relationships are critical to the academic success and social‐emotional learning (SEL) outcomes of students of color and/or students from low‐income backgrounds. Yet, little is known about how students’ perceptions of their schools’ culturally responsive environment are related to the quality of student–teacher relationships. To address this gap, the current study examined how students’ perceptions of their school's culturally responsive environment contributes to positive student–teacher developmental relationships, and in turn, their academic motivation and SEL. A total of 2,069 public middle and high school students of color from 46 schools across the country were surveyed (51.4% female; Mage = 13.4, SD = 1.86; 30.7% Hispanic or Latina/o/x, 30.4% Multiracial or Multiethnic, 17.5% Black or African American, 12.4% Asian or Pacific Islander, 8.7% American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.4% identified as another race or ethnicity). Students’ perceptions of their school as a culturally responsive environment were both directly and indirectly associated with greater academic motivation and SEL via stronger student–teacher developmental relationships. Findings have important implications for school administrators’ and school psychologists’ efforts to create more culturally responsive education environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the association between school-based discrimination and social-emotional learning (SEL) for Latinx students and the potential protective role of school commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We also examine whether these associations differ based on Latinx youth's gender and sexual orientation. The sample included 2,017 Latinx youth (ages 11–21; 49% girls) from middle schools and high schools across the United States based on path analyses, we found that school-based discrimination is negatively associated with SEL and that commitment to DEI buffers the negative impact of discrimination on SEL. Multigroup analyses revealed some differences in the path analyses among girls compared to boys and sexual minority youth compared to heterosexual youth. Our findings suggest that school commitment to DEI can be protective against the negative effects of school-based discrimination on SEL for Latinx students and highlight the importance of considering within-group differences among Latinx youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romantic relationships can positively affect adolescent development. However, adolescents may not always have a clear understanding of what healthy dating looks like, which may place some adolescents at risk for dating violence. The present study examined the following research questions: (1) What are adolescents' perceptions of healthy and unhealthy attributes of romantic relationships? (2) How do adolescents perceive jealousy and potentially controlling behaviors? (3) What is the relationship between adolescents' attitudes toward jealousy and controlling behaviors and their willingness to intervene in a peer's unhealthy romantic relationship? The study included a predominantly female, ethnically diverse sample of 72 adolescents (M = 17.5 years) who participated in an internet-based health promotion intervention that allowed peers and health educators to interact. Adolescents commented on message boards and completed a survey. Findings showed that adolescents can articulate both healthy and unhealthy romantic relationship attributes. Some adolescents struggled to understand relationship attributes including jealousy and possessiveness, as these behaviors can be perceived as expressions of strong romantic interest. Adolescents may benefit from programs that strengthen healthy dating behaviors, teach youth to distinguish healthy from unhealthy behaviors, address conflict in respectful ways, and tactfully intervene when they witness abusive behaviors in the relationships of others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]