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Previous research has indicated few victims of dating violence seek help for abuse or violence experienced at the hands of a dating partner, a failure that has led to rising healthcare costs and unreported crime. Attachment theory and the social support network orientation model have been used in understanding differences in attachment style and help-seeking behavior among individuals seeking help for medical and psychological problems, but the differences in these variables among victims of dating violence have not been examined. The purpose of this quantitative web-based study was to examine differences in type of abuse or violence experienced, attachment style, and help-seeking behavior between collegiate male and female victims of dating violence in heterosexual and same-sex relationships. A sample of 149 collegiate males and females involved in heterosexual and same-sex relationships completed the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2), the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), and the General Help Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ)/Actual Help Seeking Questionnaire (AHSQ) to measure the effect of the independent variables, gender and sexual orientation, on the dependent variables, type of abuse or violence experienced, attachment style, and help-seeking behavior. The results of the MANOVA and chi-square analyses revealed: (a) no significant effect between one's gender and sexual orientation and type of abuse or violence experienced and style of attachment, (b) male and female victims of dating violence in same-sex relationships were less likely to seek help from formal sources than male and female victims in heterosexual relationships, and (c) type of actual help secured is independent of help-seeking behavior. The results of this study demonstrate a need for social change in the way victimization by dating violence is perceived and may aid helping professionals in developing culturally sensitive screening tools to identify and assist a population who might not otherwise seek help.

Contemplative practices and orders of consciousness| A constructive-developmental approach

<p> Research suggests that Latino adolescents, both native and foreign born, are at increased risk for the development of school, behavioral, and psychological problems. It also identifies a variety of factors associated with both risk and resilience in this population. There is, however, a scarcity of research that specifically examines risk and resiliency in recent Latino immigrant adolescents who have unique circumstances that may affect their functioning. This study was conducted to address this gap in the research literature by investigating the relationship between a sense of school belonging and internalizing, externalizing, and school problems in adolescent immigrants. Participants included 78 Latino adolescent immigrants between the ages of 11 and 18 who completed a number of instruments to assess their level of connectedness to their schools; internalizing, externalizing, and school problems; and overall psychological adjustment. One teacher for each student also completed a measure of academic effectiveness. Results showed that participants who reported a higher sense of school belonging indicated lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher overall psychological adjustment. Significant relationships between school belonging and anxiety symptoms, school/academic problems, and externalizing behaviors were not found. These findings have implications for school psychologists and other school mental health staff who are in a position to support youngsters in need and to foster a supportive and inclusive school environment for immigrant children.</p>

<p> U.S. and world communities face the challenges of understanding how children grieve and of giving them sufficient social and educational support. Inner-city minority adolescents have not been represented well in the bereavement and attachment literature. The purpose of the quantitative study was to use the attachment theory to understand the impact of parental bereavement on these adolescents. Data were collected using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), the Piers-Harris Children's Self- Concept Scale (2^nd ed.), and school records. MANOVAs were used to analyze the influence of attachment organization, bereavement status, and gender on self-concept and academic and behavioral functioning in school. Results indicated that securely attached adolescents functioned better across all 3 variables than did insecure and unresolved/disorganized adolescents. There were no differences in functioning in the bereaved group according to attachment organization. Results according to gender indicated that although the female participants experienced more academic success and had fewer behavioral difficulties in school, their self-concept was more negative than was that of their male counterparts. There were no differences in functioning in the bereaved group according to gender, but compared to the entire sample, the bereaved females no longer functioned better than males, academically or behaviorally, and there were no longer differences in self-concept. Possible positive social changes from these findings include improvements in school-related student support such as promoting the use of the AAI, linking educational and clinical environments, and assisting schools in developing safe-base classroom environments that could better meet students' needs according to their attachment organization and bereavement status.</p>

<p> Children who live in foster care are more likely than their peers in the general population to have academic delays, special education needs, and social-emotional and behavior problems. Research suggests that a plethora of educational accommodations and interventions may help address these needs; however, it is uncertain to what extent these accommodations and interventions are routinely used in school districts and how prepared schools are to deal with the needs of children in foster care. One hundred and two school districts across the country were surveyed using the School Rating Scale for Children in Foster Care to examine policies and procedures routinely used to address the needs of children in foster care. Results suggest that school districts engage in several interventions and accommodations recommended by research for topics regarding policies and procedures, social-emotional and behavioral interventions, special education, homework, and collaboration. The results indicated a significant positive correlation between districts' average policy adherence and the presence of a written policy; however, many participants were unaware of their school district's policies suggesting a need for professional development.</p>

<p> The current study was a replication and extension of our previous study (Kendrick et.al, 2011) which examined the play behaviors of preschool children (range: 2-5.5 yrs old) and how teachers' presence and engagement may impact children's play while on the playground. In the current study we also examine the influence of teachers' style on children's play while on the playground. Two sites were examined over a five week period; one served as the control group and the other as the experimental group. Within the five-week timeline, both groups participated in weekly teacher instruction consisting of being in close proximity (i.e. within 3 feet) of the children in the playground. Behaviors of the teachers and children were observed, recorded and coded at three time points (baseline, 3 weeks, and 5 weeks). The analyses revealed that initially having teachers in close proximity to children while on the playground reduced children's onlooker behavior and increased their parallel play. Over time children appeared to habituate to the teacher's proximity as they resumed play behaviors seen at baseline. Interestingly, teacher proximity also had an impact on teacher's engagement style. For example, both groups of teachers displayed more neutral, rule enforcer or director of play styles at baseline, but over time both groups moved toward more child directed styles. When examining more closely the impact of teacher training in the experimental group, which involved strategies to facilitate complex play and reduce aimless and onlooker behaviors, the experimental group compared to the control group (those who did not receive training), seemed to have a more negative impact on children's play behavior. That is, more aimless behavior and less simple social play was observed in the experimental group indicating that the teacher training was not helpful in facilitating children's social skill development. Methods for coding and analyzing data as well as implications of the teacher training are further discussed.</p>

<p> The low graduation rate of degree-seeking students at public community colleges is an important crisis facing communities across the United States. College satisfaction and withdrawal cognitions in students have been identified as key factors in college persistence by researchers. However, a review of the literature revealed no study in which a college-persistence intervention based on the personalization principle theory or using tailored messages has been conducted. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of a college-persistence intervention, based on the personalization principle theory and Mashburn's theory, for students at a community college. This study used between-groups experimental research design and employed a nonprobability convenience sample comprising 108 college students at a regionally accredited public community college in the United States. Random assignment to 1 of 3 groups, including 2 experimental groups and 1 no-message control group, was conducted. The 2 experimental groups were the personalization-based tailored instructional messages and generalized instructional messages groups. A one-way MANOVA indicated that there was no significant difference in the college satisfaction and withdrawal cognitions of students in the experimental and control groups. A chi-square test of independence also indicated that there was no significant association between intervention type (personalization-based tailored instructional message, generalized instructional message, and no-message control) and college persistence. This study provides educators with a basis for social change with the debut of a prototype intervention that may be replicated and extended in future research to help students earn a college degree.</p>

<p> As our nation has become more aware of severe, yet usually rare, crisis events in schools, the need for crisis planning is more evident. Although the severity of crises can differ greatly (e.g., school shooting versus physical assaults), crisis preparedness is an essential component of schools' responsibilities in order to effectively respond to a variety of situations. A total of 70 participants, from multiple states across the United States, completed an online questionnaire about demographic characteristics, resources for school crisis planning, and training on crisis topics. Participants also submitted a copy of their school's crisis plan to be evaluated using a recently developed checklist to assess the comprehensiveness of plans. The results indicated that school crisis plans were often lacking recommended components in the prevention, intervention, and postvention areas. Further analyses revealed that demographic variables did not significantly impact the variation in plan quality, and the total training score did not significantly predict plan quality. However, the regression analysis for the total resources score was significant in predicting plan quality. Another important finding of this research was that plans often included essential crisis procedures that were not included on the checklist used for evaluation. These results hold several implications for schools. First, schools should be revising and updating crisis plans on a regular basis. The lack of certain components based on the checklist should be taken into account when revising these plans. Schools may also want to invest in factors that will positively influence their crisis planning. The current study suggests that resources are a significant predictor of plan quality, and thus this should be an area where schools focus time and funding. </p>

<p>Schools are increasingly held accountable for student academic and behavioral performance, and showing efficacy of these treatment efforts. The primary metric for reporting academic progress, state endorsed standardized tests, does not take into account or effectively measure discrete skills or behavioral improvement. This necessitates the development of tools efficient in quantifying students&rsquo; school-based behaviors. Mental health practitioners achieve this metric utilizing the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). The Global Assessment of School Functioning (GASF) is being developed to be an efficient scale used by teachers for similar means. The aim of the present study is to examine the utility of the GASF in capturing overall school functioning. This study was broken into two phases. Teacher consultants assessed content validity and validated vignettes that would be used to assess inter-rater reliability. School personnel then rated five vignettes using the GASF and responded to questions regarding their perceptions of the instrument. Correlational statistics suggested that school personnel were able to rate vignettes with substantial reliability (.877). Responses to questions relating to the raters competency and training and the raters overall impressions of the technical quality of the GASF were positive. The culminating analysis from the data presented in this study suggest that the GASF warrants further study to determine its technical properties and utility as a rating scale that school personnel can use to benchmark and progress monitor student behavior. </p>