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Background: Mental health services in the United States public schools are an important component of the academic success of a student. Not all schools, however, have the necessary personnel and funding to offer such services. Methods: In this paper, we provide an analysis of data collected from schools in 3 geographic locations. Comparisons were made of the availability of personnel to assess and treat mental health disorders in students enrolled in city, urban, and suburban schools, with over 10,000 schools represented. The data were part of the 2015 to 2016 School Survey on Crime and Safety. Results: Accessibility of mental health practitioners and reasons that limited efforts of a school to provide the services were assessed. Statistically significant differences were identified by school location, demonstrating that those in rural communities were most challenged providing diagnostic assessment and treatment for students by school mental health professionals, for several reasons. Conclusions: Increased state and county funding to support mental health practitioners in public high schools is one suggestion to address mental health disorders in students. Other strategies are offered for timely and appropriate diagnoses and treatment for mental health disorders that may impact the quality of life of a student for a lifetime.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are areas designated as STEM disciplines. There is national and international attention being given to these fields as they are the foundation for partnerships and alliances in the global economy. Education beyond high school is necessary to achieve desired levels of competency and efficiency in STEM fields. Despite the demonstrated need, there is a shortage of individuals trained in these areas, especially women and ethnic minorities (BHEF, 2006). Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have contributed meaningfully to addressing the void of qualified STEM educators and researchers (Allen, 2002). Studies at the beginning of the new millennium (in 2000), indicated that 40% of African Americans graduating with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences matriculated from an HBCU (Cronkite, 2000; National Science Foundation, 2002). Furthermore, HBCUs were responsible for 40% of the bachelor's degrees awarded to African Americans in other STEM fields, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, environment sciences and mathematics (Cronkite, 2000; National Science Foundation, 2002). Although these studies have established trends on the role that HBCUs have played in generating the pool of African Americans with degrees in STEM areas, most of these studies relied on data collected in the 1990s. Moreover, the last national report on the status of HBCUs and STEM graduates entitled "Science and Engineering Degrees, by Race/Ethnicity of Recipients: 1991-2002" was published in 2002, using data from that time period, collected as part of the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (IPEDS; National Science Foundation, 2002). Studies are needed to update the contribution of HBCUs to address the shortage of STEM graduates in the years subsequent. The purpose of the present descriptive study is to reexamine the number and percentage of African Americans graduating from HBCUs with STEM degrees in a nine year period. This study used national data produced by National Center for Educational Statistics (2010). The focus is to report the impact that HBCUs are having on educating African American undergraduates in STEM fields. (Contains 10 tables.)

Alternative certification programs are changing the face of the teaching profession. Not only have these programs attracted individuals from different disciplines and educational backgrounds, they have also changed the ethnic and gender makeup of the classroom teaching population. This suggests an increase in point-of-view diversity in the teaching workforce which in turn suggests potential opportunities to effect planned variation in the educational experiences of students in urban schools. The current study examines the perceptions of teachers who come from these non-traditional programs. The study also addresses cultural issues related to teacher perceptions of effective classroom learning environments. The results in the present study suggest that a majority of the teachers surveyed perceived that a classroom that supports cooperative or group activities is an effective classroom environment. Finally, there were significant differences in teacher perceptions of effective teacher practices across teacher ethnicities. These differences, if viewed as resources, may manifest themselves in the form of pathways toward enriching the educational experiences of students in urban schools. (Contains 2 tables.)

The purpose of the study was to compare and contrast influences principals have on staffing, curriculum issues, and discipline policies in high- and low-performing urban high schools. The data for the present study were drawn from the first year follow up of the Educational Longitudinal Survey of 2002-2004 (ELS: 02), administered by the National Center for Educational Statistics. Of the 14,000 school administrators surveyed, only high-and low-performing urban high schools were included for this study. The results of this study revealed four areas where principals differed in their perceptions of their individual influences on academic achievement at their respective schools. Principals from high achieving urban school tend to have more influence on hiring and firing teaching staff and curriculum issues, such as course offerings and curricular guidelines. Principals from low achieving schools have more influence on school funding. (Contains 3 tables.)

Background: Violence at a school can have a negative impact on the health of students, teachers, administrators, and others associated with the school and surrounding community. The use of weapons in school buildings or on school grounds accounts for the majority of violent deaths, particularly among males. This national trend suggests the need for a more concerted effort to improve safety and prevent violence. This article reports the use of 13 safety measures in US public schools in 4 geographic regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) and 3 community settings (urban, suburban, and rural). Methods: Data representing 16,000 schools reported in the Educational Longitudinal Survey of 2002-2004 were analyzed. Data were self-reported by school administrators. Results: Of the various safety measures assessed, fire alarms and extinguishers were consistently reported regardless of the geographic region or community setting of the school. Other than measures for fire safety, schools throughout the country routinely used exterior light and student lockers as safety measures. There was a significant difference by geographic region and community setting in the use of safety measures that required specific personnel, namely a security guard and an adult to direct a guest to sign in. Conclusion: Recognizing the patterns of violence at public high schools, administrators working with students, other school personnel, and community partners may consider more combinations of the safety measures within their institutions together with local resources and services to improve safety and reduce violence. (Contains 3 tables.)

This study examined sex- and ethnic-related differences in technology use in secondary school science and mathematics classrooms. Female students reported that they were less likely to use computers than males but more likely to use calculators. African American students were found to use computers more than Hispanic and white students, whereas white students reported using calculators more often. (AEF)

Compares the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and conventional instruction (CI) for teaching a developmental education mathematics course to African-American college students. Results revealed statistically significant difference on the algebra posttest. Students in the CAI section had significantly higher attitudes toward mathematics than CI students. Males had higher scores on geometry and algebra posttest and higher attitudes toward mathematics. (Author/AEF)