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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. [This paper will be published in "School Psychology Review."]

Early career teachers experience exceptionally high rates of attrition from the profession, often due in part to elevated concerns about student behavior and poor occupational health. This study reports findings from a randomized controlled trial testing the combined effect of the PAX Good Behavior Game and MyTeachingPartner™ for 188 early career, early elementary teachers (Grades K-3). Of primary focus were observations of the quality of teachers' interactions with students and their self-reported occupational health over 2 consecutive school years. Results indicated that relative to comparison teachers, those in the intervention condition reported lower distress at follow-up (d = -0.23) and less decline in teacher affiliation across the 2-year period (d = 0.50). In addition, the intervention teachers who were highly distressed at baseline and who experienced high levels of disruptive behavior had higher quality interactions with students around emotional support (d = 0.27), classroom organization (d = 0.32) and instructional support (d = 0.69) at the end of 2 years than comparison teachers. This subgroup of intervention teachers also experienced more favorable changes over time in distress (d = -2.47) and teacher affiliation (d = 3.00) over the course of the study. Professional development focused on classroom management with coaching support may be particularly impactful for early career teachers experiencing higher levels of distress and in classrooms with higher rates of behavior problems. [This paper was published in "Journal of School Psychology" v106 Article 101359 2024.]

Given the increased focus of educational research on what works for whom and under what circumstances over the last decade, educational researchers are increasingly turning toward mixture models to identify heterogeneous subgroups among students. Such data are inherently nested, as students are nested within classrooms and schools. Yet there has been limited guidance on which specifications are most appropriate for enumerating latent classes when data are nested. This study utilized longitudinal, state-collected student data to demonstrate the impact of different specifications (i.e., ignoring nested data, using a post-hoc adjustment, and a parametric and non-parametric approach) of a latent class model when analyzing nested data. The overarching goal of this study was to provide the implications of four different model specifications commonly used to adjust for clustering in the context of mixture modeling. We highlight factors that may influence researchers' decisions to employ one approach over another when conducting multilevel mixture modeling. We conclude with a set of recommendations that may be particularly helpful for the use of these methods in educational settings, where nested data is common. [This paper will be published in "The Journal of Experimental Education."]

This paper presents social validity findings from a mixed-methods study of educators who used a recently adapted online version of the research-based Double Check culturally-response practices and student engagement program. Results from 41 participants indicated that the program was easy to use, prompted them to reflect on their own culture, and that they would continue using the website. Although most users reported they would recommend the program, participants indicated they would like a wider variety of examples and more guidance for novice teachers. Additional conclusions and recommendations for improving Double Check and other online teacher professional development programs are discussed. [This paper was published in "Teaching and Teacher Education" v142 Article 104522 2024.]

Students who experience teacher caring and high expectations (i.e., warm demand) are typically more engaged and successful at school. Yet, relative to White students, students of color tend to report lower levels of school social belonging and more distant relationships with their White teachers. Leveraging data from 179 6th-9th grade Measures of Effective Teaching project classroom videos, we tested whether teachers' facilitation of culturally responsive social relations was associated with higher warm demand, and whether these social relations moderated associations between race and warm demand. Results showed that teachers' promotion of culturally responsive social relations was associated with warm demand, and that this was magnified for White teachers in relation to their discipline practices. Findings suggest that taking a culturally responsive approach to facilitating classroom social relations is critical for teachers seeking to improve students' experiences of warm demand. [This paper was published in "Contemporary Educational Psychology" v76 Article 102241 2024.]

Despite research linking teachers' occupational health to student outcomes, the processes through which these associations exist are unknown. In a sample of 516 teachers, four latent profiles of occupational health were identified, indicated by job stress, occupational burnout, and teaching self-efficacy: lowest occupational health (17%), low-to-mid occupational health/mid self-efficacy (38%), mid-to-high occupational health/mid-self-efficacy (30%), and highest (15%) occupational health. Proactive behavior management practices were observed less frequently for teachers in the lowest (vs. highest) occupational health profile. White female teachers were associated with profiles of low occupational health more than White male teachers, and male and female teachers of color. [This paper was published in "Teaching and Teacher Education" v118 Article 10381 2022.]

School climate has received considerable attention in the literature and educational policy as a potential target for school improvement and school safety efforts. This paper provides a critical review and synthesis of the literature on school climate, with a particular focus on topics related to measurement, data collection, analysis, as well as prevention and promotion planning.?In drawing upon the extant literature, including meta-analyses and systematic reviews, along with our own research, policy, and practice work in school climate and school safety, we consider transactional processes, by which experiences, and contextual factors influence perceptions of school climate and translate into safety related outcomes for students. We also attend to potential mechanisms of changing school and community culture and behavioral norms in relation to school climate promotion and implementation efforts.?We conclude by identifying future directions for research related to school climate and highlight the role school psychologists can play in improving measurement, promoting the use of data-based decision making which leverages various sources of information on school climate, implementing school-wide programming, and considering the influence of school climate more broadly on implementation science. [This paper was published in "School Psychology Review" v50 n2-3 p221-236 2021.]

This study examined school staff reported behavioral responses to bullying, general likelihood of intervening and perceived self-efficacy for intervening with student bullying. We explored if the existence of school bullying-related policies and/or policy trainings was associated with the ways in which school staff responded to bullying. Data came from 8,668 school staff from 156 elementary, middle and high schools in the U.S. Results suggested that while the existence of anti-bullying policies was an important contributor to increased staff self-efficacy for intervening with bullying, it was not associated with self-reports of increased responses to bullying. However, being trained on their schools' anti-bullying policy was associated with higher odds of intervening with the involved students, discussing the incident with other school staff (e.g., administrators, counselors), and referring the students involved to the school counselor/psychologist. Moreover, there were clear role and grade level differences in staff responses, such as being less likely to respond to bullying in high school, as compared to middle and elementary school. The results suggested that the existence of a school policy is not likely sufficient to shift behavior. Additional training and professional development are necessary across all school staff, especially in upper grades. [This paper was published in "European Journal of Developmental Psychology" v18 n6 p880-895 2021.]

Background: In rural communities, understanding and improving school climate may benefit youth facing unique contextual challenges to well-being. As education research rarely focuses on rural schools, we aimed to examine school climate and student well-being with a particular focus on rural schools, compared to suburban schools. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 62,265 students in 22 rural and 78 suburban Maryland middle and high schools. Student self-report data were collected on school climate (safety, engagement, and environment) as well as internalizing problems, behavior problems, stress, substance abuse, and future orientation. Multiple-group, multi-level models were fit to compare between rural and suburban schools. Results: On average, rural students reported significantly lower perceptions of safety and engagement than suburban students. Safety and engagement were generally associated with higher youth well-being. A number of moderated effects were observed, which generally suggested stronger associations between school-level climate -- particularly engagement -- and more positive outcomes for rural compared to suburban students. Conclusions: Students' perceptions of safety and engagement were associated with student well-being, in some cases with stronger associations for rural students. [This paper was published in "Journal of School Health," v91 n6 p463-472 2021.]

Despite research highlighting the importance of academic performance in reducing youth's bullying involvement, little attention has focused on its role in moderating the association between peer victimization and youth maladjustment, further there have been even fewer studies examining potential racial-ethnic differences in these associations. This cross-sectional study examined the function of academic performance, as a moderator, in the associations between peer victimization and youth mental health problems (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and substance use problems) and whether and how this function varied by the youth's racial-ethnic background. Self-report data were collected from 69,244 middle and high school youth (45.96% were middle schoolers; 49.7% were females; 25.72% were Black youth, 9.64% Latinx American youth, 5.95% Asian American youth, and 10.47% Bi- and Multi-racial youth, and 48.22% White American youth). Multi-level models indicated that academic performance was negatively related to internalizing problems and substance use more strongly in victimized youth than in non-victimized youth, suggesting itself as a buffering factor. Moreover, this buffering function of academic performance in victimized youth was more pronounced in some ethnic groups (i.e., Asian American) than in others (i.e., Black and Latinx), yet, notably, it was a buffer across all ethnic groups. These findings underscore the importance of academic strength in protecting victimized youth of all ethnicities against mental health difficulties, while recognizing that additional foci on improving academic performance and addressing academic-related norms are needed for racial-ethnic minority subgroups. [This paper was published in "Journal of Youth and Adolescence" v50 n9 p1839-1855 2021.]

Social-emotional factors associated with youth aggression have largely been studied in the context of social information-processing models. The ability to accurately encode and appropriately interpret others' emotions has yet to be fully examined in the context of aggressive behavior, particularly during adolescence. Using cross-sectional data from a sample of 282 at-risk early adolescents, the present study examined associations between teacher-reported aggression and youth performance on a task assessing two components of affective theory of mind: emotion recognition and situational attribution. Results indicated that emotion recognition, but not situational attribution accuracy, was significantly associated with teacher-reported aggressive behavior. Over-recognizing anger and under-recognizing sadness were unique error patterns associated with aggression, and these associations remained significant after controlling for demographics and other key social information-processing variables. Findings suggest that difficulties with emotion processing play an important role in the social information-processing patterns observed in the context of youth aggression. Implications for preventive interventions for youth at risk of engaging in aggressive behavior are discussed. [This paper was was published in "Aggressive Behavior" v47 n2 p173-182 2021.]

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. 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. [This paper will be published in "Review of Educational Research."]

This cluster randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of the CHAMPS classroom management program on the social behavioral and academic outcomes of a large diverse sample of middle school students within an urban context. Participants included 102 teachers and 1,450 students in sixth to eighth grade. Two-level hierarchical linear models (HLM) were conducted to examine the overall treatment effects on student behavior and academic outcomes. In addition, mediation analyses examined a hypothesized putative mechanism for observed academic outcomes. Findings indicated that CHAMPS improved teacher ratings of student concentration problems (d = -0.18) and classwork completion (d = 0.18), observed student time-on-task (d = 0.16), and student scores on broad English (d = 0.14), and math problem solving (d = 0.17) academic achievement tests. Null effects were observed for student prosocial and disruptive behaviors and self-regulation skills as well as reading comprehension and broad math achievement performance. Main effects on the English achievement test scores were partially mediated by student improvements in observed time-on-task. Practical significance of the findings and implications for schools and policymakers are discussed. [This is the online first version of an article published in "Journal of Educational Psychology" (ISSN 0022-0663).]

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a widely-used multi-tiered prevention framework that embeds a systems approach for establishing behavioral supports for all students, across all levels of need, to achieve social, behavioral, and academic success. A growing body of research has documented the effectiveness of PBIS in schools with regard to a range of student outcomes; however, few studies have rigorously examined the costs to implement PBIS. Further, as many states have scaled-up PBIS, consideration of the costs borne by different organizational structures are critical for understanding PBIS implementation fidelity and sustainability. This study utilized an ingredients-based costing approach capitalizing on both qualitative and quantitative data from multiple stakeholders to examine the total societal costs to implement multiple tiers of PBIS. Also examined were the distribution of costs across the school, district, and state levels using the same ingredients-based costing approach. Findings suggest an annual cost of $48.16 per student, the bulk of which occurs at the school level (average cost $27,363 per year). [This paper was published in "School Psychology Review" v49 n4 p399-414 2020.]

Positive school climate has been consistently associated with many desirable student outcomes in both middle and high schools. However, there has been little work comparing the perceptions across these two school settings. The U.S. Department of Education conceptualized a three-factor model for school climate consisting of safety, engagement, and environment. Drawing on data from 29,720 middle and 34,950 high school students, the fit of the three-factor model was examined for measurement invariance, in order to explore if the measure functioned similarly across both middle and high schools. The results indicated measurement invariance, which suggests that practitioners and researchers can confidently compare findings across middle and high schools to inform local decision-making related to school-based programming. A series of multi-level analyses also explored the extent to which perceptions of school climate differed for middle and high school students; these results generally indicated that middle schoolers perceived the school more favorably than high schoolers. Implications of these findings for social workers are considered. [This paper was published in "Children & Schools" v42 n1 p53-62 2020.]

A growing body of research documents the effectiveness of classroom management programs on a range of student outcomes, yet few early-career teachers receive training on these practices prior to entering the classroom. Moreover, few studies have attended to how variations in teacher distress or level of classroom misbehavior affects training benefits. This study reports findings from a randomized trial of a teacher training program that combined two evidence-based programs (Good Behavior Game [GBG] and MyTeachingPartnerTM [MTP]) to determine their impact on novice teachers and their students. In addition, the current study reports findings on moderated impacts by initial teacher distress as well as the overall classroom level of misbehavior. The sample included 188 early-career teachers (grades K-3) in their first three years of teaching from three large, urban school districts. Analyses indicated that intervention had no main effects, but yielded moderated impact depending on the combination of the baseline levels of classroom disruptive behavior and teacher distress; it appears that the program impacts were greatest in the highest risk circumstance (i.e., high teacher stress and elevated challenging student behaviors). For those classrooms, those assigned to intervention evidence improved behavior and student achievement compared to control counterparts by the spring of the training year, relative to the fall baseline (d = 0.18-0.70 depending on outcome). This study is significant in that it highlights effects during a critical window of training and coaching for early career teachers and the need to consider teacher and classroom contextual factors that may moderate professional development efforts. [This paper was published in "Journal of School Psychology" v78 p75-95 2020.]

A growing body of research has documented a link between variation in implementation dosage and outcomes associated with preventive interventions. Complier Average Causal Effect (CACE; Jo, 2002) analysis allows for estimating program impacts in light of variation in implementation. This study reports intent-to-treat (ITT) and CACE findings from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the impacts of the universal PAX Good Behavior Game integrated with Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (i.e., PATHS to PAX) and PAX GBG only compared to a control, using ratings by 318 K-5 teachers of 1,526 at-risk children who, at baseline, were rated as displaying the top 33rd percentile of aggressive-disruptive behavior. Leveraging a prior study on these data (Berg et al., 2017), CACE was defined as the effect of intervention assignment for compliers, using two compliance cut points (50th and 75th percentile), on posttest ratings of student academic engagement, social competence, peer relations, emotion regulation, hyperactivity, aggressive-disruptive behavior. The ITT analyses indicated improvements for students in the integrated condition on ratings of social compared to the control condition. The CACE analyses also indicated significant effects of the integrated intervention on social competence, as well as academic engagement and emotion regulation for students in high compliance classrooms. These findings illustrate the importance of considering variation in implementation within the context of RCTs. [This paper was published in "Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research" v47 n6 p975-986 2020.]

Building on prior work regarding the potential for peer contagion or deviance training in group delivered interventions (Dishion & Dodge, 2005, 2006; Dodge, Dishion, & Lansford, 2006), we leveraged data from a randomized trial, testing the integration of two preventive interventions (PATHS and PAX Good Behavior Game; GBG), to explore the extent to which classroom contextual factors served as either a barrier to or a motivator for teachers to implement the evidence-based PAX GBG with high frequency or dosage. We included students' baseline levels of behavior, measured both with regards to positive (i.e., engagement, social emotional skills) and negative (i.e., hyperactive and aggressive-disruptive) behaviors. Data were collected from 204 teachers in 18 urban elementary schools. A series of multilevel structural equation models (ML-SEM) were fit to the data. The analyses indicated that classrooms with higher classroom levels of aggressive behavior, on average, at baseline had teachers with lower implementation dosage (i.e., played fewer games) across the school year. In addition, teachers who reported higher baseline levels of emotional exhaustion, regardless of student behavior, also reported lower implementation dosage. Taken together, the results indicated that negative, but not positive, contextual factors at baseline were related to lower implementation dosage; this, in turn, suggests that negative contextual factors may serve as a barrier, rather than a motivator, of teachers' implementation dosage of classroom-based preventive interventions. [This paper was published in "Development and Psychopathology" v31 n5 p1827-1835 2019.]

This paper presents findings from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing the impact of a novel coaching approach utilized as one element of the Double Check cultural responsivity and student engagement model. The RCT included 158 elementary and middle school teachers randomized to receive coaching or serve as comparisons; all participating teachers were exposed to school-wide professional development activities. Pre-post non-experimental comparisons indicated improvements in self-reported culturally responsive behavior management and self-efficacy for teachers in both conditions following professional development exposure. With regard to the experimental findings, trained observers recorded significantly more teacher proactive behavior management and anticipation of student problems, higher student cooperation, less student non-cooperation, and less disruptive behaviors in classrooms led by coached teachers relative to comparison teachers. Taken together, the findings suggest the potential promise of coaching combined with school-wide professional development for improving classroom management practices and possibly reducing office discipline referrals among Black students. [This paper was published in "School Psychology Review" v47 n2 p118-134 2018.]

Many states have scaled up School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS) with the goal of improving student behavior and academic outcomes. Although the effects of SW-PBIS on behavioral and discipline outcomes have been promising, the findings for academic achievement have been inconclusive and are often limited to cross-sectional data. This paper examined the longitudinal effect of SW-PBIS on student behavioral problems and academic achievement growth in elementary and middle schools using propensity score matching. We found no statistically significant longitudinal effects of SW-PBIS on either student behavior problems or academic achievement among elementary and middle schools in this quasi-experimental design, even though the positive direction of longitudinal changes would identified. The result raised questions about the efficacy of SW-PBIS utilizing a statewide achievement test when scaled-up to a state-level. Additional research is needed to better understand the impact of SW-PBIS using rigorous scale-up designs. [This paper was published in "Psychology in the Schools" v55 n6 p629-643 2018.]

The discipline gap between White students and students of color has increased demand for teacher training in culturally responsive and behavior management practices. Extant research, however, is inconclusive about how culturally responsive teaching practices relate to student behavior or how to assess using such practices in the classroom. Identifying proactive behavior management and culturally responsive teaching practices that are associated with positive student behavior may inform teacher training and bolster efforts to reduce disparities in behavioral and academic performance. The current study examined the association between student behaviors and the observed use of and teacher self-reported efficacy in using culturally responsive teaching and proactive behavior management practices. Data were collected from 274 teachers in 18 schools. Structural equation modeling indicated a statistically significant association between observations of culturally responsive teaching and proactive behavior management practices, with observed positive student behaviors in classrooms. Implications for measurement and practice are discussed. [This paper was published in "School Psychology Review" v47 n2 p153-166 2018.]

There is growing awareness of the importance of implementation fidelity and the supports, such as coaching, to optimize it. This study examined how coaching activities (i.e., check-ins, needs assessment, modeling, and technical assistance) related directly and indirectly to implementation dosage and quality of the PAX Good Behavior Game, via a mediating pathway through working relationship. Mediation analyses of 138 teachers revealed direct effects of modeling and working relationship on implementation dosage, whereas needs assessment was associated with greater dosage indirectly, by higher ratings of the working relationship. Understanding how coaching activities promote implementation fidelity elements has implications for improving program effectiveness. [This paper was published in "Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research" v45 n3 p404-416 2018.]

This special issue of "School Psychology Review," entitled "Closing in on Discipline Disproportionality" examined promising approaches and critical issues related to the challenge of closing racial and ethnic gaps in schools' use of exclusionary and punitive discipline practices. In this introductory paper, we briefly reviewed the rationale for and urgency for a focus on disproportionality in discipline and highlighted some of the most salient findings from the five empirical studies in this special issue. We identified some challenges for the field going forward, with particular attention to issues of measurement and structural factors that shape differential disciplinary outcomes. Consistent with the National Association of School Psychologists' (2013) position statement, we emphasized the need to build the science of discipline disparities intervention through more systematic empirical research. Taken together, these new directions are intended to catalyze scientific rigor in the next generation of evidence-based interventions to close the discipline gap. [This paper was published in "School Psychology Review" v47 n2 p109-117 2018.]

Given the rise in dual career and single-parent families, and the need for monitoring and supervision during out-of-school time, afterschool settings are becoming important contexts for the prevention of problem behaviors and the promotion of the positive development of youth. Research indicates that high-quality afterschool programs can have positive effects on children's academic, socio-emotional, and behavioral outcomes. But less is known about how these influences occur and potential mechanisms involved in this nurturing and promotion process. This paper draws upon the current theoretical and empirical literature in school settings and beyond to examine ways in which afterschool settings can be leveraged as a potential nurturing environment. We apply the conceptualization of nurturing environments put forth by Biglan et al. (Am Psychol 67(4):257-271, 2012. doi:10. 1037/a0026796), which attends to the minimization of toxic social and biological conditions, reinforcement of diverse prosocial behaviors, limiting opportunities and influences for problem behavior, and promoting psychological flexibility in the pursuit of one's values and goals. This paper concludes by identifying potential future research directions and practice implications regarding afterschool settings as nurturing environments for all youth. [This paper was published in "Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review" v20 n2 p117-126 2017.]

National data have shown for decades that Black students experience more frequent and severe disciplinary actions that remove them from school (e.g., suspension), compared to their White peers. Despite extensive research documenting the sequelae associated with suspension (e.g., school drop-out and delinquency), there has been relatively scant research addressing the discipline gap as it relates to students' sense of belonging and equitable treatment at school, or to potential adjustment problems it make evoke. The present observational study examined the Black-White discipline gap in 58 high schools with a sample of 19,726 adolescents (Black n = 7,064, White n = 12,622) in Maryland. Employing a multilevel framework and leveraging data from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights and the student-report Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools (MDS3) School Climate Survey, we characterized 58 high schools by their excess in Black relative to White student risk of out-of-school suspension. We then assessed whether Black students' excess risk of out-of-school suspension was negatively associated with perceived school equity and school belonging, and positively associated with adjustment problems (i.e., externalizing symptoms) in a stratified analysis of White and Black students. We found that school-level discipline gaps were associated with Black students' perceptions of less school equity ([gamma] = -0.54, p < 0.001), less school belonging ([gamma] = -0.50, p < 0.001), and increased adjustment problems ([gamma] = 0.77, p < 0.001), even when accounting for student demographics (i.e., gender, grade level, socioeconomic status) and school-level contextual factors (i.e., socioeconomic status, student diversity, overall suspension rates), whereas these associations were not significant for White students. Study findings have implications for educational reform in high schools in which out-of-school suspension practices differ by race. [This paper was published in "Journal of Educational Psychology" v109 n4 p532-545 2017.]

Complier Average Causal Effect (CACE) analysis, a causal inference approach that accounts for levels of teacher implementation compliance, was used to examine one-year impacts of PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG) and Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) on teacher efficacy and burnout. Teachers in 27 elementary schools were randomized to PAX GBG, an integration of PAX GBG and PATHS, or a control condition. There were positive overall effects on teachers' efficacy beliefs, but high implementing teachers also reported increases in burnout across the school year. This approach may offer new information not captured using the traditional intent-to-treat approach. [This paper was published in "Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research" v44 n4 p558-571 2017.]

Schools have a considerable influence on children's development, both through proximal factors such as teachers and curriculum, but also through indirect effects of school policies. While some policies and programs have the potential to increase stress and burden on students, educators, as well as the broader educational context, several programs have demonstrated a positive impact on the school environment. This article considers the role of educational policies, programs, and activities related to discipline and teacher behavior which together influence the school environment. Programs which set high expectations for student performance, healthy social-emotional learning, and positive behavior support are highlighted, due in part to rigorous research demonstrating both their broad reach and their impact on a range of learning and positive behavioral outcomes. Despite the potential significance of policies on the learning environment, there has been limited systematic research documenting the impact of policies on the school environment more broadly. This paper concludes by identifying some areas for future study and a greater need for implementation research. [This paper was published in "Theory Into Practice" v55 n2 p129-135 2016.]

Literature suggests that improving teacher use of culturally responsive classroom management strategies may reduce the disproportionate number of racial and ethnic minority students who receive exclusionary discipline actions and are identified as needing special education, particularly for emotional and behavioral disorders. Coaching teachers is one way to support teachers' development of such culturally responsive classroom management strategies, however there is limited research on the implementation and teacher-perceived acceptability of coaching, both broadly and for this specific skill set. In this article, we focus on the adaptation of the Classroom Check-Up (CCU) coaching model for addressing culturally responsive classroom management strategies; we also discuss issues related to the implementation dosage, fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability of the CCU model. Specifically, data from 146 coached teachers are included which summarize how coaches spent their time, the fidelity to the coaching model, and acceptability and feasibility of the CCU model. Findings indicated that the CCU required about 3 hours of active teacher participation. Coaches spent a substantial amount of time collecting data in the classroom as well as building relationships and trust within the schools to facilitate uptake. The results suggested that coaches implemented the model as intended and that the time required of teachers is relatively modest. Teachers provided positive feedback about four domains of the coaching, indicating the acceptability and feasibility of this adapted version of the CCU. [This paper was published in "Education and Treatment of Children" v39 n4 p467-491 2016.]

A number of classroom-based interventions have been developed to improve social and behavioral outcomes, yet few studies have examined how these programs impact the teachers who are implementing them. Impacts on teachers may affect students, and therefore also serve as an important proximal outcome to examine. The current study draws upon data from a school-based randomized controlled trial testing the impact of two prevention programs. In one intervention condition, teachers were trained in the classroom behavior management program, PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG). In a second intervention condition, teachers were trained to use an integrated program, referred to as PATHS to PAX, of the PAX GBG and a social and emotional learning curriculum called Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS). This study aimed to determine whether both interventions positively impacted teachers, with a particular interest in the teachers' own beliefs and perceptions regarding self-efficacy, burnout, and social-emotional competence. The sample included 350 K-5 teachers across 27 schools (18 schools randomized to intervention, 9 to control). Multilevel latent growth curve analyses indicated that the PATHS to PAX condition generally demonstrated the most benefits to teachers, relative to both the control and PAX GBG conditions. These findings suggest that school-based preventive interventions can have a positive impact on teachers' beliefs and perceptions, particularly when the program includes a social-emotional component. Several possible mechanisms might account for the added benefit to teachers. Additional research is needed to better understand the mechanism by which these programs impact teachers, as well as students. [This paper was published in "Prevention Science" v17 n3 p325-337 2016.]

Supportive relationships with adults at school are critical to student engagement in adolescence. Additional research is needed to understand how students' racial backgrounds interact with the school context to shape their perceptions of school support. This study employed multilevel, latent variable methods with a sample of Black and White students (N = 19,726, 35.8% Black, 49.9% male, mean age = 15.9) in 58 high schools to explore variation in perceived caring, equity, and high expectations by student race, school diversity, and socioeconomic context. The results indicated that Black students perceived less caring and equity relative to White students overall, and that equity and high expectations were lower in diverse schools for both Black and White students. Nonetheless, racial disparities were attenuated in more diverse schools. The findings point to the need for intervention to improve perceptions of school support for Black youth and for all students in lower income and more diverse schools. [This paper was published in "Journal of Youth and Adolescence" v45 n6 p1176-1191 2016.]

A critical next step in advancing our understanding of teacher practices that can equitably engage and support learning in diverse classrooms is determining the effectiveness of culturally responsive interventions. Yet, quantitative measurement indicators of the effectiveness of culturally responsive teaching interventions are scarce. Most research relies exclusively on self-reports, with limited attention to issues of social desirability, and few studies observe teacher practices. Data come from 142 K-8 teachers in six schools who were assessed via the Assessing School Settings: Interactions of Students and Teachers (ASSIST), an externally-conducted observation, and who also provided self-report data of cultural responsiveness. Analyses indicated that teachers self-reported higher rates of culturally responsive teaching strategies than were observed on the ASSIST. There were, however, significant associations between observations and teachers' ratings of self-efficacy. Findings suggest a need for additional research to develop and validate efficient, multi-informant approaches for assessing cultural responsiveness in the classroom. [This paper was published in "Psychology in the Schools" v52 n6 p533-548 2015.]

Evidence-based interventions are being disseminated broadly in schools across the U.S., but the implementation levels achieved in community settings vary considerably. The current study examined the extent to which teacher and school factors were associated with implementation dosage and quality of the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG), a universal classroom-based preventive intervention designed to improve student social-emotional competence and behavior. Specifically, dosage (i.e., number of games and duration of games) across the school year and quality (i.e., how well the game is delivered) of PAX GBG implementation across four time points in a school year were examined. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the association between teacher-level factors (e.g., demographics, self-reports of personal resources, attitudes toward the intervention, and workplace perceptions) and longitudinal implementation data. We also accounted for school-level factors, including demographic characteristics of the students and ratings of the schools' organizational health. Findings indicated that only a few teacher-level factors were significantly related to variation in implementation, whereby perceptions (e.g., fit with teaching style, emotional exhaustion) were generally related to dosage, whereas demographic factors (e.g., teachers' age) were related to quality. These findings highlight the importance of school contextual and proximal teacher factors on the implementation of classroom-based programs. [This paper was published in "Prevention Science" v16 n8 p1064-1074 2015.]

There is growing interest in coaching to support teacher implementation of evidence-based interventions; yet, there is limited research examining the tailoring of coaching support to teachers' needs. This paper examined coaching dosage across one school year, and the relationship between coaching contacts and teacher baseline and end-of-year data. Data came from a randomized controlled trial including 210 teachers in 18 schools implementing the Good Behavior Game (GBG), either as a stand-alone or when integrated with a social-emotional learning curriculum. The overarching goal was to determine whether coaches provided varying levels of teacher contacts and how this support related to condition assignment, implementation, and teachers' beliefs and perceptions data. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used to examine the frequency of teacher contacts across the school year. GMM indicated three distinct patterns; about 58% of teachers received a moderate number of contacts; 27% received a consistently low number of contacts; and 15% received high and increasing support. Teachers who received a high degree of support were more often implementing the integrated GBG and reported more negative beliefs and perceptions at the start of the school year than those in the low contact class. Teachers in the low contact class implemented the least number of games and minutes of GBG, but reported better perceptions of organizational health and burnout, at the end of the year. Coaching dosage was unrelated to observer ratings of implementation quality. [This paper was published in "School Mental Health" v7 n1 p61-73 2015.]