Epidemiological research over the past two decades has highlighted substance use disparities that affect Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth, and the lack of effective approaches to address such disparities (Okamoto et al., 2019). The Ho'ouna Pono curriculum is a culturally grounded, teacher-implemented, video-enhanced substance use prevention program that has demonstrated efficacy in rural Hawai'i in a large-scale trial (Okamoto et al., 2019). Despite its potential to ameliorate health disparities and address youth substance use, prevention programs such as Ho'ouna Pono have been poorly disseminated and implemented across Hawai'i, raising the question: The present study used concept mapping to understand previously identified implementation barriers and develop implementation strategies for Ho'ouna Pono. Seven Hawai'i Department of Education (HIDOE) educational leaders and administrators sorted Ho'ouna Pono implementation barriers (e.g., "There is a lack of HIDOE funding to support prevention curricula"), named concepts, and rated barriers' perceived impact and difficulty. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis yielded a five-cluster solution: (1) Kumu (Hawaiian word for teacher) Controlled, (2) School Level Buy-in, (3) Curriculum, (4) Student Attitudes + Mindsets (Family + Community), and (5) Policy. Participant ratings identified eight high-impact and low-difficulty barriers. Discussion revealed important intersections among barriers indicating the need for coordinated and cross-level implementation strategies to support Ho'ouna Pono sustainment. Brainstormed implementation strategies using participants' own language highlighted a need for participatory methods in school settings to bidirectionally share ways to best sustain substance use prevention programs.

Both schools and caregivers play an important role in supporting children's mental health, but there are few mechanisms for caregivers and school-based mental health providers to work collaboratively to address children's needs. Closures of schools during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic left gaps in mental health support services to children and increased the burden on caregivers to ensure their children's well-being. In this study, investigators explored the feasibility and acceptability of a motivational interviewing-based program in which school-based mental health providers were trained to connect directly to caregivers to assist them in supporting key aspects of their children's well-being, including sleep, coping, and academic behavior. Results indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the program and a perception that it was helpful to caregivers and children. However, major challenges in recruitment of providers, as well as qualitative interviews with those providers who participated, indicated that the feasibility of implementing such a program is limited without significant additional implementation infrastructure. Findings suggest that structured support of caregivers, accessed through their children's schools, has high potential for improving child outcomes and family well-being. Future research should explore what implementation infrastructure is needed for schools to effectively offer these types of supports.

We analyzed a population-representative cohort (=13,611; at kindergarten, first, and second grade = 67.5, 79.5, and 91.5 months, respectively) to identify kindergarten to second grade factors predictive of being bullies or victims during third to fifth grade. We did so by estimating a block recursive structural equation model (SEM) with three sets of predictors. These were: (a) individual and school socio-demographics; (b) family distress and harsh parenting; and (c) individual behavior and achievement. Relations between each of the included variables and the bullying outcomes were simultaneously estimated within the SEM. Thus, each variable served as a control for estimating the effects of the other variables. We used robust standard errors to account for student clustering within schools. Results indicated that externalizing problem behavior strongly predicted being a bully ([ES] = .56, <.001) and a victim (ES=.29, <.001). We observed a negative relation between being Hispanic and being a victim (ES = -.10, <.001) and a positive relation between being Black and being a bully (ES = .11, <.001). We also observed statistically significant relations between a family's socioeconomic status and being a bully (ES = -.08, <.001) as well as school poverty and being a victim (ES = .07, <.001). The results advance the field's limited understanding of risk and protective factors for bullying perpetration or victimization during elementary school and provide additional empirical support for assisting young children already exhibiting externalizing problem behaviors.

Racial/ethnic minoritized (REM) youth represent a high-risk group for suicide, yet there are striking disparities in their use of mental health services (MHS) even after risk is identified in schools. Prior research suggests that school-based risk assessments and hospitalization encounters can be negatively experienced by REM youth and families, thus deterring likelihood of seeking follow-up care. The Safe Alternatives for Teens and Youth-Acute (SAFETY-A) is a brief, strengths-based, cognitive-behavioral family intervention demonstrated to increase linkage to MHS when implemented in emergency departments. With its focus on strengths and family engagement, SAFETY-A may cultivate a positive therapeutic encounter suited to addressing disparities in MHS by enhancing trust and family collaboration, if appropriately adapted for schools. Thirty-seven school district leaders and frontline school MHS providers from districts serving primarily socioeconomically disadvantaged REM communities participated in key informant interviews and focus groups. First, interviews were conducted to understand usual care processes for responding to students with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and perspectives on the strengths and disadvantages of current practices. An process analysis was used to describe current practices spanning risk assessment, crisis intervention, and follow-up. Second, focus groups were conducted to solicit perceptions of the fit of SAFETY-A for these school contexts. Thematic analysis of the interviews and focus groups was used to identify multilevel facilitators and barriers to SAFETY-A implementation, and potential tailoring variables for implementation strategies across school districts.

Previous research has identified mental health symptoms such as depression and aggression as contributing factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempts in adolescence. However, much of this work has focused on older adolescents (ages > 14) resulting in a dearth of knowledge about early adolescents under 12 years. Moreover, much less is known about school connectedness as a protective factor in the relationship between mental health symptoms and suicidal behaviors. This study examined the interaction effect between school connectedness and mental health symptoms on suicidal behaviors among early adolescents aged 9-12 years. Data were drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and yielded an analytic sample ( = 2826) that was majority male (52%), Black (53%), and with an average age of 9.3 years. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Among participants, 2% experienced suicidal ideation, and 2% experienced suicide attempts. Black adolescents were more than five times more likely to experience a suicide attempt compared to their White peers ( = 5.37; 95% CI = 1.71-16.95; = .004). There was a significant interaction effect between withdrawn depressed symptoms and school connectedness ( = .95; 95% CI = .91-98; = .006), and between aggressive behavior and school connectedness ( = 1.02; 95% CI = 1.01-1.03; = .001) on suicide attempts. School connectedness did not moderate the relationship between mental health symptoms and suicidal ideation. The findings have important practical implications, which are discussed.

Students with disabilities or at risk for disability identification (SWD) are disproportionately affected by the bullying dynamic; however, professional development and educator-focused training on preventing bullying for this population is lacking. To address this gap, this study presents an analysis of qualitative data collected from general and special education teachers ( = 33) participating in an online professional development training using Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) to prevent bullying among students with disabilities. Braun and Clarke's six-step process was used to identify key themes and exemplar quotes from qualitative reflections collected as knowledge check responses embedded within two training modules. Three themes were identified and examined based on MTSS tiers: (1) teacher perceptions of SWD and their inclusion in a MTSS-based bullying prevention plan; (2) identifying key stakeholders for preventing bullying within a MTSS-based bullying prevention plan; and (3) potential challenges and solutions of implementing a MTSS-based bullying prevention plan within the individual, classroom, and school contexts. Findings highlight the need to educate teachers on how to use MTSS, especially for bullying prevention and interventions that are inclusive of SWD. Implications from this work extend to all students including those with mental health considerations, regardless of disability status.

School social workers are integral to the school mental health workforce and the leading social service providers in educational settings. In recent decades, school social work practice has been largely influenced by the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) approach, ecological systems views, and the promotion of evidence-based practice. However, none of the existing school social work reviews have examined the latest characteristics and outcomes of school social work services. This scoping review analyzed and synthesized the focuses and functions of school social workers and the state-of-the-art social and mental/behavioral health services they provide. Findings showed that in the past two decades, school social workers in different parts of the world shared a common understanding of practice models and interests. Most school social work interventions and services targeted high-needs students to improve their social, mental/behavioral health, and academic outcomes, followed by primary and secondary prevention activities to promote school climate, school culture, teacher, student, and parent interactions, and parents' wellbeing. The synthesis also supports the multiple roles of school social workers and their collaborative, cross-systems approach to serving students, families, and staff in education settings. Implications and directions for future school social work research are discussed.

Although social and emotional learning (SEL) benefits children and youth worldwide, classifying a program as SEL is insufficient to capture its variability of content. There is currently little to aid in identifying specific program content so that foci may be identified (e.g., self-management skills vs. social skills). This gap poses a difficulty for researchers attempting to address heterogeneity in SEL research and practitioners who want to select programs best suited for their contexts. This paper begins to address these concerns by extracting and contrasting 'core components' of interventions within an identified shortlist of 13 universal, elementary evidence-based programs through a distillation method using the often cited 'five core competency' model from CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning). Results showed that CASEL's core competencies are represented across short-listed programs. However, almost all programs had identifiable foci, targeting a subset of skills. Accordingly, the use of 'core components' is recommended as a method for offering more nuance in SEL classification for programs beyond the current study, with implications for program implementation and the design of future research in SEL evaluation.

Teaching is a stressful profession, and teacher stress has been shown to be associated with job dissatisfaction, attrition from the field, and negative outcomes for teachers and their students. A major contributor to teacher stress is disruptive student behavior. Given that students with or at-risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) demonstrate high rates of disruptive behaviors and are present in nearly every classroom, studying the connection between student ADHD symptoms and teacher stress may provide useful insights for better supporting teachers and their students. Aims of this study were to (1) assess the replicability of a previous finding that teachers rate their students with elevated ADHD symptoms to be more stressful to teach than students without these symptoms and (2) explore the extent to which key factors (i.e., overall work-related stress and student-teacher relationship quality) moderate the relationship between student ADHD symptoms and related teacher stress. Participants were 97 K-2nd grade teachers who completed an online survey about themselves and two male students in their classroom. Results showed that teachers report students with elevated levels of ADHD symptoms and impairment to be more stressful to work with than students who do not exhibit these symptoms ( = 1.52). Additionally, overall work-related stress and conflict in the student-teacher relationship exacerbated the relationship between student ADHD symptom severity and related teacher stress, whereas closeness in the student-teacher relationship mitigated this association. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Children in rural settings are less likely to receive mental health services than their urban and suburban counterparts and even less likely to receive evidence-based care. Rural schools could address the need for mental health interventions by using evidence-based practices within a tiered system of supports such as positive behavioral interventions and supports. However, very few school professionals, with or without mental health training, have received training on evidence-based practices. Rural schools need implementation strategies focused on training to prepare school personnel for the implementation of interventions with fidelity. Little is known about training strategies that are feasible and appropriate for the rural school context. User-centered design is an appropriate framework for the development of training strategies for professionals in rural schools because of its participatory approach and the development of products that fit the context where they are going to be used. The purpose of the study was to develop and assess components of an online training platform and implementation strategy based on the user-centered design. Quantitative and qualitative data from 25 participants from an equal number of schools in rural areas of Pennsylvania were used in the study. A mixed-methods design utilizing complementary descriptive statistics and theme analyses indicated that the training platform and implementation strategy were perceived as highly acceptable, appropriate, feasible and usable by school professionals. The resulting training platform and implementation strategy will fill a void in the training literature in rural schools.

Facilitating success for students with behavioral health challenges requires effective collaboration among professionals from traditionally disparate systems (e.g., education, health, and mental health). The current investigation describes a case-study implementation of a school-based learning collaborative model and explores its effectiveness in promoting knowledge, skill, efficacy, and systems-related improvements in cross-sector collaboration. The learning collaborative (LC) was offered to school teams over the course of a year and consisted of a combination of didactic and experiential learning opportunities, guest speakers, district-specific improvement goals, peer learning and support, and individualized consultation support. Evaluation efforts included evidence demonstrating the efficacy of the LC, improvement in person-centered knowledge skills and competencies, and generation of concrete changes in school systems. Respondents consistently shared that the quality of the LC was high that the topics were highly useful for their day-to-day practice, and that they would recommend the LC to their colleagues and peers. In turn, this process fostered improvement in educators' knowledge, skills, and confidence, and generated systemic improvement in districts to support children with behavioral health needs and their families. Specific components of this model that best account for changes are discussed, along with implications for application and next steps.

teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA) is an evidence-based program developed in Australia that teaches young people in grades 10-12 how to identify and respond to signs of mental health challenges and crises among peers. Recognizing the growing adolescent mental health crisis in the USA, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, in partnership with a Johns Hopkins University research team, used a multimethod research approach to adapt the program culturally and contextually from Australia to the USA. The goals of the study were to engage adolescents, MHFA instructors, and content area experts ( = 171) in a process to determine: how to retain the elements of the course that were evidence-based and effective while adapting the program for US students, what topics to add so US students have the essential information and skills teens needed to help a friend experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis, what changes to make to curriculum materials to ensure the style and delivery resonate with US students, and what tools to include so the program is implemented safely and with fidelity in diverse US schools. This paper outlines the adaptation process, including engaging participants, identifying key recommendations for modification, and making changes to the tMHFA program. The findings demonstrate the types of adaptations that may be needed to facilitate implementation and maintenance of program effectiveness when introducing tMHFA to new populations of students in the USA. In addition, the process outlined can be replicated toward this purpose as the program continues to expand both in the USA and in other countries.

The supply of school mental health (SMH) providers and services cannot meet the demand of students in-need, and this gap is expected to widen in coming years. One way to increase the reach of helpful services for youth is to grow the SMH workforce through task-shifting to paraprofessionals. Task-shifting could be especially promising in expanding Motivational Interviewing (MI) interventions, as MI can be molded to target a number of academic and behavioral outcomes important to schools. However, no review of training exclusively paraprofessional samples in MI has yet been conducted. The current paper provides a scoping review of 19 studies of training paraprofessional providers to use MI to evaluate trainee characteristics, training content and format, and outcomes. Of these 19 studies, 15 reported that paraprofessionals improved in using MI following training. Nine studies reported that task-shifting MI was positively received by clients and/or providers. Six studies examined task-shifting MI in youth-serving contexts, and four examined the practice in traditional school contexts, suggesting its potential for use in SMH. Other findings and implications, such as client behavior change and provider fidelity, are shared, along with ideas for advancing research, practice, and policy in this subfield.

The randomized trial of the Making Socially Accepting Inclusive Classrooms (MOSAIC) program included intensive coaching from research staff to support teachers' implementation of MOSAIC strategies and resulted in positive student outcomes (Mikami et al., J. Clin. Child Adolesc. Psychol. 51(6):1039-1052, 2022). However, these intensive procedures are costly (in time, money, and resources) and serve as barriers to intervention adoption under typical school conditions. In this study, we explored the extent to which MOSAIC-trained teachers could sustain practices under typical practice conditions (sustainment), the extent to which teachers who did not participate in the trial could adopt the practices under typical practice conditions (spread), and the extent to which strategy use in the follow-up year was associated with participation in MOSAIC-focused professional learning communities (PLCs). Participants were 30 elementary school teachers, including (a) 13 teachers who received intensive coaching on MOSAIC practices during the previous year (MOSAIC group), and (b) seven teachers who participated in the trial in the control condition, plus 10 new teachers interested in MOSAIC (new-to-MOSAIC group). We assessed MOSAIC strategy use over the school year via monthly observations and biweekly teacher self-report surveys. Observation data revealed high sustainment in the MOSAIC group, with teachers showing less than 20% decline in the use of most strategies between the two years of participation. New-to-MOSAIC teachers implemented some core MOSAIC strategies, although not to the extent as those in the MOSAIC group. Higher strategy use was modestly associated with PLC attendance. We discuss implications for encouraging sustainment and intervention spread after initial, intensive supports are withdrawn.

Limited research has examined factors distinguishing between patterns of adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The current study examined demographic, school, family, and mental health differences across patterns identified by Romanelli and colleagues (2022): history of thoughts only, plans with thoughts, attempt with thoughts and/or plans, and attempt without thoughts. The current study includes 4,233 students (  = 14.65 years,  = 2.06) with a history of suicide risk referred to school Student Assistance Program teams. The sample was approximately 60.7% female, 59.8% White (16.0% Black, 15.4% multiracial, 8.8% other), and 14.4% Hispanic. Results indicated that the "attempt without thoughts" group was small with no differentiating characteristics. However, membership in the other three groups was predicted by demographic, school, family, and mental health factors. These results support the importance of examining suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts as distinct indicators and assessing key biopsychosocial factors. Further research could improve how behavioral health systems identify at risk youth.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools rapidly changed from in-class instruction to remote learning. Parent involvement and management of the home learning situation was greatly emphasized, and this presented challenges and opportunities for parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There was an urgent need for effective parent support in the home learning situation, particularly for parents of youth with ADHD. The current study implemented a behavioral parent training (BPT) program, an evidence-based intervention for childhood ADHD, modified to target home learning and be delivered via telehealth. The intervention was evaluated in a multiple baseline trial across families of youth with ADHD ( = 3). The primary outcome was daily, parent-reported academic engagement during home learning. Parents also completed daily ratings of their child's respectful and disruptive behavior, and remote, home observations of academic tasks were recorded at baseline and post-treatment. Based on visual analysis of baseline, treatment and post-treatment daily ratings, two of the three participants had a positive response to treatment indicated by improved academic engagement. These findings provide preliminary support for the home-learning, telehealth-delivered BPT program in supporting families during the COVID pandemic.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process of acquiring and applying knowledge, skills, and attitudes to achieve long-term relational and emotional goals. Teachers often implement SEL strategies in the classroom; however, shifting to online schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted teachers' perceptions of their abilities to implement SEL. This study was designed to identify whether and how teachers' perceptions of SEL changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers ( = 637) in the USA completed a demographic questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and rated their beliefs about SEL during the pandemic on a modified version of the Comfort and Culture subscales of the Teacher SEL Beliefs Scale. Data were collected between September 2020 and March 2021. Teachers indicated that they felt neutral to comfortable with SEL and that they felt neutral to supported by their school culture for SEL during the pandemic. Lower depression symptoms, greater school poverty, and perceived general support (not specific to SEL) from the administration were associated with higher teacher comfort with SEL. Further, greater general support from the district and colleagues was associated with greater school culture supporting SEL during COVID-19. Results suggest that addressing teachers' internalizing symptoms and fostering a supportive work environment is important in aiding teachers in SEL implementation.

Schools and students have faced a variety of challenges during the 2020-2021 academic year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. These issues have drawn attention to the increased need for robust social-emotional learning skills at the elementary level to address the deficits exacerbated by the pandemic. is an evidence-based suicide prevention program for middle and high school students. In 2020, launched an elementary school curriculum focused on promoting protective factors and resilience. Data were collected across 11 elementary schools ( = 1022; 3-5th graders) in the Great Plains region of the USA at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic (T1: Fall of 2020, T2: Spring of 2021). We examine the effectiveness of the program using a pre- and post-test design measuring various student social-emotional outcomes including positive classroom climate, emotional problems, school belonging, help-seeking attitudes, bullying perpetration, peer victimization, student and teacher intervention, student well-being, and student resilience. The program was evaluated using multilevel regression models to examine the associations between self-reported student program exposure and student outcomes. Although comparisons between T1 and T2 indicated a worsening of several student outcomes, positive associations were found when accounting for the degree of student exposure to the program. Greater student exposure was associated with improved positive classroom climate, school belonging, help-seeking attitudes, student well-being, resiliency, and lower reports of emotional problems. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The current study analyzed 502 responses from members of the education workforce on the Resilience at Work (RAW) scale and other measures of health and job satisfaction as part of an initiative offering training and technical assistance to support student and staff well-being. A latent profile analysis using scores on components of the RAW identified three resilience profiles: lower, moderate, and higher capacities for resilience. Profiles were differentiated across components related to resilience capacity including alignment of work and personal values, level of social support, and ability to manage stress. Differences between profiles were observed across days of poor physical health, days of poor mental health, days of activity restriction, general health rating, and domains of burnout, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress. These findings reinforce calls to support the education workforce through changes that allow access to meaningful work, an evaluation of demands including workload, relevant training on emotional wellness, positive experiences, connections with others, and stress management.

There is growing evidence of the efficacy of evidence-based interventions in improving the academic and social outcomes of children who exhibit challenging behaviors during program implementation periods. However, less is known about the extent to which practices learned as part of these interventions are sustained after these projects end, when funding is paused temporarily, and in less-than-ideal conditions. This study used qualitative methods to investigate whether teachers previously trained in the BEST in CLASS-Elementary intervention continued to use the program's evidence-based practices with students 1-2 years after completing the program and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also examined teachers' perceptions of the impact of practice use on students' academic and social outcomes. Thirteen BEST in CLASS-Elementary teachers from elementary schools in two southeastern states in the USA where the program was implemented completed semi-structured interviews on the topic. Data were coded thematically, and the results indicated that over 50% of teachers reported using "rules," "supportive relationships," and "praise" frequently with their students. However, "precorrection" and "opportunities to respond" were reportedly used less often. Teachers also perceived that their use of these evidence-based practices was linked to increases in their students' academic engagement and academic performance and knowledge, improvements in students' behaviors, their relationships with teachers, and general comfort and self-confidence. The discussion highlights modality-specific patterns noted in the results that might influence sustainment and the implication of these findings for interventions and programs aimed at promoting positive behavioral outcomes for early elementary school students.

Early childhood educators are expected to provide the children in their centers high-quality care and preparation for later school success. At the same time, nearly a third of children enter early care and education settings displaying challenging behaviors, which in turn impacts educators' stress levels and wellbeing. It is then unsurprising that classroom management and providing behavioral supports are consistently identified as areas where educators require further training upon entering the workforce. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the empirical literature on professional development (PD) approaches targeting these areas for early childhood professionals. Forty-two studies were identified as meeting inclusion criteria and were coded for strategies targeted, the context and characteristics of the PD series, and the research design and outcomes utilized. Findings revealed that studies were highly variable in terms of targeted strategies, format of administration, training dose, research design, educator and child samples, and reporting practices. The majority of studies were conducted with educators from Head Start and public preschools and utilized research staff in the administration of the PD approaches. This indicates a need for more high-quality empirical evidence on PD approaches that cater to the larger early childhood workforce and centers' needs. Implications for researchers and early childhood mental health professionals and administrators are discussed.

Theory and research point to the daily interactions between individual children and teachers as formative to teacher-child relationships, yet observed dyadic teacher-child interactions in preschool classrooms have largely been overlooked. This study provides a descriptive examination of the quality of individual children's interactions with their teacher as a basis for understanding one source of information theorized to inform children's and teachers' perceptions of their relationships with each other. Children's dyadic interactions with teachers, including their positive engagement, communication, and conflict, were observed across a large and racially/ethnically diverse sample of 767 preschool children ( = 4.39 years) at three time points in the year. On average, most children displayed low-to-moderate levels of positive engagement (78%), while nearly all children showed rare communication (81%) and conflict (99%) with the teacher. Boys demonstrated lower positive engagement and higher conflict with the teacher than girls. Black children were observed to demonstrate higher positive engagement with the teacher compared to White children. No differences in interaction quality were observed for Black children with a White teacher compared to White child-White teacher or Black child-Black teacher pairs. Results advance our understanding of dyadic teacher-child interactions in preschool classrooms and raise new questions to expand our knowledge of how teacher-child relationships are established, maintained, and modified, to ultimately support teachers in building strong relationships with each and every preschooler.

We analyzed a population-based cohort of 11,780 U.S. kindergarten children to identify risk and protective factors predictive of frequent verbal, social, reputational, and/or physical bullying victimization during the upper elementary grades. We also stratified the analyses by biological sex. Both girls and boys displaying kindergarten externalizing problem behaviors were at consistently higher risk of frequent victimization during 3-5 grade (for the combined sample of boys and girls, verbal odds ratio [OR] = 1.82, social OR = 1.60, reputational OR = 1.85, physical OR = 1.67, total OR = 1.93). Hispanic children relative to non-Hispanic White children and those from higher income families were the most strongly and consistently protected from victimization. Boys were more likely to be physically bullied but less likely to be verbally, socially or reputationally bullied than girls. Other variables including disability, cognitively stimulating parenting, academic achievement, and internalizing behavior problems had statistically significant but less consistent and generally weaker relations with frequent victimization.

Relational aggression is characterized by attempts to damage another's relationships or social status and is a major concern affecting academic, socioemotional, behavioral, and health outcomes, particularly for urban, minority youth. Teachers and peers frequently disagree about which students are relationally aggressive. Factors associated with peer and teacher discordant and concordant identification of relationally aggressive students were explored including prosocial behavior, perceived popularity, academic competence, and gender. Participants included 178 3rd-5th grade students across 11 urban classrooms. Findings revealed that students were more likely to be rated as relationally aggressive by their peers but not their teacher as scores on peer nominations for prosocial behavior decreased, while teacher-rated academic motivation/participation increased. Female students were more likely to be concordantly identified by peers and teachers as relationally aggressive when ratings for overt aggression increased. These results highlight the utility of obtaining ratings from multiple informants as well as the difficulty in accurately identifying all students who may benefit from interventions targeting relational aggression. Findings also suggest factors that may be related to the potential shortcomings of current measures and provide avenues for additional research to improve detection of relationally aggressive students.

Increasing evidence has shown that the Covid-19 outbreak has impacted adolescents' mental health. Utilising a mixed-method design, the current study examined a total of 518 adolescent perspectives (60% female), in Scotland, on what and help their mental health in the context of Covid-19. A reflexive thematic analysis revealed three themes in relation to what helped adolescents' mental health since the Covid-19 outbreak. These related to findings about the value of: (1) engaging in recreational activities, (2) engaging with friends, and (3) the disruption to schooling. The remaining four themes related to what could have helped adolescents mental health and wellbeing since the Covid-19 outbreak. These focussed on (1) better support: in relation to mental health; school work; and communication, (2) contact with friends, and (3) more opportunities for recreational activities. Males were more likely to report recreational activities helped and less likely to report better support have helped. Adolescents who reached clinical threshold for depression and anxiety and those with elevated PTSD-like symptoms about Covid-19 were more likely to state more support have helped, and adolescents who reached clinical threshold for depression were likely to report that friends could have helped their mental health. The findings may inform mental health policy and interventions in the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

This study examines patterns and trends in 911 calls from Boston public school addresses related to mental health and physical assaults/fights generated from 2014 to 2018. We analyzed 12,113 Boston Police Department (BPD) 911 call records from 102 Boston Public School addresses during the 2014-2018 school years. In addition, we separately analyzed calls coded by BPD as Emotionally Disturbed Person ("EDP"), indicating a psychiatric crisis was the primary reason for the call, as well as calls coded as "Fight," "Assault," or "Assault and battery." Call frequency ranged from 0 to 277 per school each year. Although the annual average number of calls increased each school year over the 4-year period, this was primarily due to an increase in hang-ups and abandoned calls. Overall, 7.4% calls were coded as EDP and 6.5% were coded as assault/fight. Call volume was highest in the middle of the school day, with a median time of 12 pm. EDP calls were significantly earlier in the day than non-EDP calls, and the percentage of calls labeled as EDP decreased in frequency each day over the course of the week. There were more overall 911 calls, on average, per day in late spring than in other seasons. The frequency with which schools call upon police as emergency service providers for psychiatric crises indicates a need for additional school-based resources. Such resources may be most effective if they are allocated mid-day, responsive to changing student needs over the course of the week, and increased in spring.

Lack of training for school clinicians in evidence-based practices (EBPs) contributes to underutilization of such services for youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Advances in web-based technology and videoconferencing have allowed for expanded access to and optimization of training. We describe the development and outcomes of a novel web-based platform for training school clinicians to gain skills in EBPs for school-age youth with ADHD. The training platform is adapted from an empirically supported, in-person training for a school-home behavioral intervention (Collaborative Life Skills program) and includes skill modules for working with teachers, parents, and students. Training methods include web-accessed manuals/handouts, skill example video clips, automated progress monitoring tools, and consultation/in-session coaching via videoconferencing. We gathered stakeholder qualitative and quantitative feedback during discovery and design phases of the iterative development. We then evaluated the usability, acceptability, fidelity and clinician and student outcomes of the remote training program. Focus group themes and qualitative feedback identified clinician preferences for remote training features (e.g., interactive, brief, role-plays/coaching methods), video tools (recorded samples of skills and therapy sessions), and progress monitoring tools (e.g., clear, easy to use). Clinician usability ratings of the platform were high with most components rated as moderately to very useful/easy to use. Clinician ratings of usability, fidelity implementing the treatment, and their EBP knowledge and confidence following training were favorable. Student's outcomes were similar to those achieved in prior studies of clinician in-person training. Results support the promise of remote, web-based clinician training for the dissemination of evidence-based practices.

Public schools are a major provider of mental health services for children in the US. Mental and behavioral health services range from universal programming to individualized clinical supports to address student needs. These services in schools are delivered by various professionals including non-teaching and teaching school personnel, school-employed clinicians, and/or contracted community mental health partners. Provision of mental health services requires complex coordination of providers across disciplines, although few professionals have training in multidisciplinary collaboration strategies. Attention to team processes, such as delineating team members' roles, improving communication, and identifying collaboration strategies, may impact the effectiveness of evidence-based mental health service provision in real world settings. One intervention, Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been used in healthcare with positive outcomes and has been adapted to educational settings. The current paper describes the community-partnered subsequent adaptation of TeamSTEPPS for schools. Needs assessment interviews identified challenges, successes, and goals for student mental health. Overarching themes extracted from interviews include limited resources at multiple levels (e.g., financial support, time, and personnel), communication challenges, and poor role clarity. A community advisory board provided guidance during the adaptation and implementation planning process. Adaptations to the intervention included tailoring the intervention to the school context and the development of flexible training plans. In addition, individualized implementation plans were developed with each school partner to mitigate foreseeable barriers to rolling-out TeamSTEPPS. Our team is currently piloting the adapted TeamSTEPPS intervention and implementation strategies in partnership with three school districts.

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.

Mindfulness-informed school-based mental health curricula show much promise in cultivating a positive school climate which supports the well-being and mental health of pupils and staff. However, non-positive pupil outcomes and experiences of school-based mental health interventions are often under-recognised and under-reported. This study sought to capture non-positive pupil experiences of a popular mindfulness-informed curriculum. Some pupils across all schools in the study described non-positive experiences, including having troubling thoughts and emotions, and not finding the programme effective. Contexts surrounding these experiences are explored and linked to existing literature, and subsequent recommendations for improvements are made, including the importance of having clear programme structure, definitions and aims, acknowledging and accommodating fidelity issues as best as possible, and better highlighting the potential for non-positive experiences and how they may be reduced.