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In a systematic scoping review, we analyzed empirical and conceptual writings on youth participatory action research (YPAR) in schools. YPAR has emerged as an empowering and youth-centered approach to group work whereby school counselors and students collaborate on researching, creating, and sharing projects about social ills impacting their lives. Reviewing YPAR literature, this article identifies knowledge gaps regarding the use and benefits of YPAR in school counseling practice.

Literature on the physical design of counseling spaces suggests that calm and comfortable school counseling offices support students' emotional disclosure. However, many counseling environment design studies fail to consider the perspectives of clients. Scholars have called for school counselors to invite youth to co-create interventions as a means to promote cultural responsiveness and honor students' cultural knowledge. The goal of the current exploratory action research was to bring visibility to the experiences of students who participated in a classroom-based school counseling intervention in which they co-created a hip-hop studio as a social and emotional support space. Specifically, focus groups on the value of the co-creation of a hip-hop studio for urban youth were employed. Results suggested students experienced the studio as a shared space for inclusivity, comfort, and belonging; a place to make their own design choices; and a practice space to garner peer support, engage in personal self-development, and support others.

In this New York City, New York-based study, we made use of a Critical Cycle of Mixtape Creation (CCMC) intervention to examine a Bangladeshi high school student's understanding of justice, and the impact of injustice on his well-being, through his creation of and reflection on original hip-hop song lyrics. The student participated in the CCMC intervention amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing Black Lives Movement, and crucially the white supremacist insurrection on January 6, 2021. Findings indicate that the CCMC enabled the student to process systemic racism and injustices with peers on his own terms and to further develop a knowledge of self. This study offers practical insights for school counselors to use hip-hop interventions with youth to collectively process the world around them.

As youth in the United States continue to become diverse, it is important for the practices educators adopt to be inclusive and antiracist. Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) is a pedagogy that aligns with the social emotional learning competencies and the tenets of antiracist education. We propose that school counselors are best positioned to support efforts to implement YPAR in schools. The following article provides 2 case examples of the use of YPAR: one in a school counseling small group and the other in a classroom co-facilitated with a teacher.

This paper explores, educators' use of technology to supplement traditional professional development that they may receive in their schools or institutions. Many educators in the 21st century use various forms of technology as part of their daily teaching practices and as part of their personal lives. This paper sets out to explore the impact of a weekly education-focused Twitter chat on educators' professional learning. The authors also set out to identify a weekly educational Twitter chat as a Virtual Professional Learning Network (VPLN). They identify a VPLN as a uniquely personalized space where participants can engage in dialogue with a network of individuals from around the world via social media platforms such as Twitter (and other social media platforms) to support one another's continuous professional learning. Garrison (2007) describes an online PLN as a synchronous or asynchronous online platform for individuals to collaboratively engage in critical thinking and discussions around specific issues (Trinkle, 2009).

Addressing students' mental health needs has become a growing concern amongst educators and school leaders, as 25% of adolescents are known to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Moreover, students in urban contexts are more likely to experience mental health challenges as they face environmental stressors in their communities that stem from a long history of structural racism, institutional racism, and discriminatory practices. Research demonstrates that promoting positive mental health with adolescents can lessen the impact of mental health concerns. In an attempt to support educators interested in supporting their students' positive mental health, this article identifies five culturally responsive strategies anchored in hip-hop culture that can be implemented in the classrooms. The authors draw from frameworks anchored in hip-hop to develop practical strategies that classroom teachers can use to support students in processing and coping with mental health stressors.

This paper offers a theoretical and practical approach to teaching and learning in STEM education. We uncover the deficits in existing STEM pedagogies while outlining a culturally relevant/responsive model that reveals the science genius of youth who are marginalized in contemporary STEM classrooms. Through an analysis of the concept cultural agnosia, we suggest hip-hop as treatment of the condition and an approach for a more culturally rich approach to instruction.

The underrepresentation of girls and students of color in STEM fields, particularly in science, is an ongoing issue that is very well documented. There is a limited amount of research that provides insight on experiences of girls, especially girls of color, who have been exposed to authentic science experiences. This article interrogates the effects of experiential learning on students' science identity and interest in pursuing a career in STEM, specifically for girls of color. This study provides insight into girls of color experience of authentic science internships where they followed a traditional working scientist schedule, the use of, or referencing of specific science knowledge, and use of traditional science lab equipment. Through this study researchers found that after participating in the authentic science internship, students became more confident to pursue careers in STEM-related fields and envisioned the field of science and STEM-related fields as approachable and accessible.

While significant attention has been given to student learning loss across summer, much less attention is given to student stressors and mental health concerns. To assist youth in processing and coping with emotional stress, research explores approaches to group counseling wherein youth write, record, and perform emotionally themed hip hop mixtapes. Hip hop, counseling, and social work literature lack studies comparing the effectiveness of different group types. This study examined a hip hop integrated therapeutic model within three groups using distinct leadership styles; within a high school summer enrichment program. Results suggest statistically significant reductions in stress and depressive levels.

This study involved a secondary analysis of data collected across the 2016-2017 academic year to determine the impact on students' social and emotional well-being of a new hip-hop lyricism course implemented by a school counselor. The new course introduced hip-hop and spoken word therapy into a specially designed classroom curriculum to meet the emotional and stress-coping needs of youth, allowing for improvements in the development of coping skills, emotional self-awareness, and self-image.

This article explores a model for school counselors to capitalize on the therapeutic, empowerment-oriented nature of hip-hop practices to engage in youth participatory action research (YPAR). Drawing from research that supports the use of hip-hop therapy and YPAR in schools, we propose a culturally sensitive group counseling process wherein students use hip-hop lyric writing, recording, and performing to critically analyze, research, and report on issues of personal importance to them.

bell hooks described homeplace as a space for love, belonging and connection that actively resists the dominant narratives within white supremacy. This article highlights how hip hop culture and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) led by school counselors can be used as a homeplace in schools, a space where students can speak on their experiences with issues in schools in a way they value most. This article details 2 ways hip hop and YPAR were combined to develop homeplaces. The authors describe the experiences of the students in the hip hop and YPAR process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to argue that providing youth of color with opportunities to explore content while reflecting on and sharing mental health concerns is an under-focused dimension of teaching and learning that has the potential to positively impact these students' academic achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines Design/methodology/approach: This paper used a qualitative study to interrogate a teaching/learning model through a hip-hop-based science program. Findings: Because urban youth of color are traditionally most disengaged in STEM and also the ones who are the least likely to seek or be provided with mental health tools/services, it is suggested that there is a connection between their low academic achievement and the absence of opportunities for them to address emotions that impact their academic success. Furthermore, if these youths come from communities where mental health stressors are highly prevalent, and teaching is most restrictive, a model for teaching that considers practices that address both their academic and mental health needs becomes necessary. Research limitations/implications: This work does not intend to devalue or undermine the role of school counselors or traditional teachers. It is believed that the role of the school counselor or social worker when youths identify themes that go beyond the scope of personal challenges is significant and that these professionals should be made available when engaging in this type of work. It is also believed that the educator who may not be privy to hip-hop can successfully engage in this type of activity with STEM students. Finally, the use of science as an exemplar for engaging in this work does not indicate that the other STEM disciplines cannot or should not explore this type of model. Practical implications: The paper outlines a model that other educators/researchers may use and suggests ways that this brand of research may be implemented by scholars across the country. Social implications: Through the implementation of the hip-hop-based science program as an intervention in science classrooms, students are provided the opportunity to bolster science content knowledge and knowledge of self. In addition, utilizing the hip-hop-based science program created an avenue for teachers to develop better understanding of students and their full socioemotional selves. This is especially necessary in STEM education where perceptions of students' decisions to not engage in the disciplines are directly related to our collective unwillingness to present the subject matter in a way that goes beyond the glorification of its stoic and "old white" history. Originality/value: This paper suggests a new dimension of STEM research through an exploration of hip-hop culture and youth emotions.

This study used a narrative inquiry to examine how BIPOC-identified male counselor educators integrated Hip Hop in their counseling practices and teaching to promote healing. The results of the study suggest Hip Hop offers modes of expression and modes of connection useful in counseling practice and in the training of future counselors. Practical implications for the use of Hip Hop in counselor education classrooms and counseling sessions are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This mixed-methods single-subject design study explored the impact of Hip Hop based counselor education coursework on school counseling master's student's multicultural competence development. In this study, students were trained in using a Hip Hop mixtape-making model for group work, and then facilitated small-groups during their internships. Analysis of repeated survey measures and two focus groups detail the impact of this novel training program on the participants' development and offer implications for research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth of color can benefit from creative, culturally responsive counseling interventions that address issues of power in cross-cultural relationships. Clinical mental health counselors may offer concrete integration of spoken word in treatment plans for this population. This article offers cultural background, philosophical support, and descriptions of modes in which mental health professionals can make use of spoken word in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While scholarship suggests Black and Brown youth disproportionately experience stressors that can disrupt cognitive and emotional regulatory processes, the recognize the resilience and innovation that Black and Brown youth have demonstrated amidst exposure to systemic stressors. Given this reality, school counselors are responsible for adopting strategies that center Black and Brown youth's internal capacity to foster authentic, emotional, development. This paper describes a culturally responsive school counseling intervention that leverages evidence-based counseling theory and hip-hop cultural practices to aid student's internal social and emotional potential. Specifically, the amalgamation of Hip-Hop and Spoken Word Therapy and Motivational Interviewing offers school counselors a social and emotional learning framework designed to engage with the complex intersectionality and emotional experiences of Black and Brown youth. A conceptual framing is presented herein, followed by tangible strategies for school counselors, an illustrative case study, and implications for practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing students' mental health needs has become a growing concern amongst educators and school leaders, as 25% of adolescents are known to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Moreover, students in urban contexts are more likely to experience mental health challenges as they face environmental stressors in their communities that stem from a long history of structural racism, institutional racism, and discriminatory practices. Research demonstrates that promoting positive mental health with adolescents can lessen the impact of mental health concerns. In an attempt to support educators interested in supporting their students' positive mental health, this article identifies five culturally responsive strategies anchored in hip-hop culture that can be implemented in the classrooms. The authors draw from frameworks anchored in hip-hop to develop practical strategies that classroom teachers can use to support students in processing and coping with mental health stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of hip hop practices within the minority youth counseling environment have demonstrated patient improvement in areas of critical consciousness and civic mindedness, creativity and activism, and the development of a verbal artistic voice. In this study, hip hop is used as an expressive dance tool that is supportive and congruent with intersectional youth identities, offering a decolonized approach to coping skill development for urban youth. The goal of this qualitative study was to illuminate the perceptions and experiences of youth who engaged in a hip hop dance program in a community center. The results of this study indicate that, through participating in a hip hop dance program, participants experienced: stepping out of their comfort zones, developing increases in self-confidence, and experiencing positive feelings associated with processing difficult topics verbally with their peers. Results highlight the need to honor and integrate youth and cultural practices in future therapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the paucity of professional development (PD) opportunities, gaps in cultural competence, and deterioration of direct counseling service opportunities for many school counselors, it is reasonable to conjecture that there is an inadvertent abandonment of skill development and related student outcomes. This mixed-methods study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative PD series for school counselors, exploring participants' self-efficacy in counseling skill use and cross-cultural competence. The researchers administered a multi-session PD to school counselors in an Urban, Northeast School District in the US. Data from pre-and post-training surveys, vignettes, and post-training focus groups indicated a significant decrease in participants' self-efficacy pre- to post-training. Further, results suggest participants learned innovative practice, practiced humanistic counseling skills, and understood new potential for student growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this special issue, the editors and each team of contributing authors offer examples of how a combined identity as educator–counselor can affect the various roles and responsibilities associated with school counseling. The suggestion that school counselor identity is always both educator and counselor is neither trivial nor a semantic distinction. Reshaping the narrative to suggest that school counselors are situated as educators who are oriented by counseling has the potential to mitigate much of the role ambiguity that has persisted in the profession for decades and, more important, has the potential to sharpen practice and contribute to greater student and schoolwide outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]