<p> This is a study concerning the perception of consultation among school counselors, teachers, and mental health professional counselors (MHPCs) working collaboratively in the public school setting for the benefit of the academic and behavioral success of students. Although there are many consultation models and theoretical views (Brigman, Mullis, Webb, &amp; White, 2005; Caplan, Caplan, &amp; Erchul, 1995; Erchul &amp; Conoley, 1991; Erford, 2011; Kampwirth, 2006), this study utilized the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) framework for consultation in schools. </p><p> Although MHPCs are not considered school counselors by definition, and they are not compensated by school districts, they still serve as consultants with school counselors and teachers for the purpose of student success. This study explored the perception held by school counselors, teachers, and MHPCs regarding consultation conducted in the public schools. It also examined the perception of how the consultation process between these three professional groups affects students&rsquo; behavioral and academic success. This study utilized a qualitative design which used grounded theory methods of data analysis, collecting and analyzing data from interviews of school counselors, teachers, and MHPCs as they collaborate in the public schools. The participants included the MHPCs from one Midwestern agency and school counselors and teachers with whom the selected MHPCs had opportunity to interact in consultation in elementary and secondary schools.</p>

The purpose of this study was to examine Latino/a student preferences for school counselor activities. The primary focus of research was to determine what school counseling activities Latino/a students perceived as important and which school counseling activities Latino/a high school students perceived as satisfying. The researcher pursued this purpose through administration of a survey instrument developed by the researcher. The instrument consisted of 14 demographic items and 42 5-point Likert scale items based on the domains described in the ASCA’s national model and current literature on experiences of Latino/a adolescents. The sample was comprised of 210 Latino/a high school students from five high schools in three school districts in the suburbs of a large Southwestern U.S. metroplex. The study population consisted of 94 female and 115 male participants ranging in age from 14 to 20 years old with the median age of 17.54 years. Overall, students preferred school counseling activities focusing on college and career readiness. According to the results of this study, students indicated that although they believed college and career activities to be important, they were not satisfied with how their school counselors provided those activities. Multiple regression analyses were utilized to determine which demographic variables were significant predictors of respondents’ perceptions of importance. Results indicated student perceptions of importance did not vary across grades, economic levels, genders, or cultural differences. The results, limitations, and suggestions for school counseling programs were provided within the report.

<p> Structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the factors that relate to school counselors&rsquo; knowledge and skills of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). A sample of 4,066 practicing school counselors who are members of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) participated in an online survey and were included in the final analysis. Results of the structural model indicated that time spent on ASCA aligned activities was directly related to school counselors knowledge and skills of MTSS. In addition, time spent on ASCA aligned activities mediated the relationship between school setting, school level, MTSS training, challenges to obtaining knowledge and skills of MTSS, and knowledge and skills of MTSS. Rural school setting, secondary school level, MTSS training, and challenges related to training, administrative support, time, and staff buy-in were directly related to time spent on ASCA aligned activities and indirectly related to school counselors knowledge and skills of MTSS. Implications for school counselor training programs, counselor educators, school counselor leaders and practicing school counselors are also provided.</p>

abstract: Soft skills encompass a wide variety of skills that are necessary to be successful in school and in the workplace. From time management to goal setting, communication and collaboration, the non-cognitive, or soft skills, are fundamental to academic success However, even with their importance, soft skills are often not explicitly taught. The purpose of this action research study was to explore the impact of teaching soft skills to high school students. A soft skills curriculum was created using self-efficacy theory which serves as the heart of Bandura’s (1977) Social Learning Theory. Specifically, the soft skills were taught, modeled, and then practiced by the participants. The Soft Skills Training Group (SSTG) consisted of eight sessions and covered five soft skills: communication, collaboration, time management, work ethic, and goal setting. Additional soft skills related to employability were also covered. These consisted of creating a resume, completing a job application, and practicing job interviews. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Quantitative data included student and teacher Soft Skills Survey results. Qualitative data included student homework assignments and work produced during the intervention. Reflection sheets were completed after each session to serve as a self-assessment of new knowledge and application of the soft skills covered each session. At the conclusion of the SSTG intervention participants were also interviewed to gather qualitative data about their experience in the group. Results indicate that although high school students had received some training in soft skills, they lacked the motivation to consistently use their knowledge of soft skills in the classroom. As suggested by previous research, soft skills require hands on practice and constructive feedback to increase student use of soft skills on a regular basis. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2018

<p> The purpose of this study was to discover and understand the life and academic experiences of high school teenage mothers and expecting teenage mothers. The research questions was, How do these teenage mothers and expecting teenage mothers describe their life and academic experiences in a Missouri high school; What challenges do they face to successfully continuing their education; and What would they want and/or need in a high school-based child-care center if it were to be implemented as part of the high school&rsquo;s intervention with this at-risk population? The study was conducted at a medium-sized Midwestern Urban High School. The researcher interviewed 16 teenage mothers and expecting teenage mothers to provide insight into the research questions. Pseudonyms were used to preserve anonymity. Interviews were conducted face-to-face. The themes that emerged from the interviews included (a) problems with child-care, (b) barriers to resources, (c) teenage mothers&rsquo; and expecting teenage mothers&rsquo; recommendations, and (d) teenage mothers&rsquo; and expecting teenage mothers&rsquo; attitude toward pregnancy. Based upon the findings in this study, several recommendations may be beneficial to the life and academic success of teenage mothers and expecting teenage mothers attending urban high schools in Missouri: The inclusion of an on-site child-care center, whether it is in an adjacent building from the school itself or in a separate section within the school, would allow this particular population to attend school daily and on time regularly; therapeutic counselors and/or social workers along with guidance counselors should also be placed in the urban high schools; based on the participants&rsquo; statements, job training and paid internships placed in the schools would prepare the young mothers for jobs upon completing high school; visits from licensed pediatricians and dentists are recommended in the schools to see the children on a monthly basis; and the inclusion of a father support center should be placed in the urban high schools to work with teaching males, especially those who are fathers of children by the young ladies who are attending the school also, to be fathers whether their children attend the on-site center or not.</p>

<p> This thesis proposed an Adlerian therapy group with a focus on integrating art, play, trauma-, and attachment-informed practices to treat children who are experiencing the effects of intergenerational trauma. Summaries of the research documented various mechanisms of trauma transmission from parents to children, as well as the consequences for the children, including a decrease in executive and behavioral functioning and less academic success. The review of the literature supported multilevel, school-wide, trauma-informed interventions that provide information and support to administrators, teachers, staff, and parents, and direct services to the children. These services include the proposed Adlerian therapy group designed to support school-aged children suffering from the effects of trauma. The purpose of the group is to foster self-worth, to improve mental health, and to enhance better academic and social functioning. This paper also recommended future research to assess the effectiveness of the approach and of school-based trauma-informed programs, in general. </p><p>

The current program evaluation of school-wide positive behavior support (PBS) in an alternative education setting was conducted in three phases (Phase 1: initial evaluation; Phase 2: intervention; Phase 3: follow up evaluation). The purpose of the evaluation was to identify strengths and weaknesses of the PBS program and to implement changes to improve program effectiveness and positive outcomes for students. An exploratory case study design was used to achieve an in-depth understanding of the program through the use of quantitative and qualitative data collection. The evaluation was completed within one school year, between November 2007 and May 2008. The participants in this evaluation were the students and staff of the alternative school. Quantitative data included behavioral data on the students, inter-observer agreement data, and survey data; qualitative data included survey data and data from student and staff focus groups. Overall, the evaluation was successful in that the evaluators were able to identify strengths and weaknesses, and areas of concern to be addressed through interventions. The evaluators were able to implement a variety of interventions, and received feedback that the interventions were successful. Although student behaviors were not effectively changed as a result of this evaluation, the evaluators did develop a plan for ongoing evaluation, future trainings and program modifications, to be implemented over the course of the 2008-2009 school year.

No description available.

Many restructured public middle schools assign their classroom teachers to interdisciplinary teams (math, English, etc.) with common planning time scheduled weekly. Students are then assigned to one team of teachers, and this team and their students stay together throughout the school year. As a result, teachers and students learn more about each other, and teachers can increase their emphasis on the social, emotional and physical needs of their students. One goal of this increased emphasis is a reduction in disruptive behaviors in the classrooms. However, many teachers from these teams have reported little or no reduction in these disruptive behaviors. This study framed middle-school restructuring as a beginning systemic intervention and hypothesized the following: If teachers learned about systemic ideas that underlie restructuring and applied systemic interventions in the classroom, the disruptive behaviors would decrease. A team of four public middle school teachers were introduced to systemic thinking and interventions during weekly meetings for ten consecutive weeks. They viewed classroom behavior from a systemic perspective and practiced systemic interventions in the classroom. They kept track of their efforts each week and reported any changes that occurred. Some of the students from the team talked about their classroom behavior as well as other events in their lives which they believed influenced their behavior in the classroom. The results show that one member of the team reported a significant decrease in disruptive behaviors and one reported some decrease. Two members who rarely experienced disruptive behaviors in their classrooms reported an increase in their confidence as a result of learning a theoretical basis for their past and present successes. The team as a whole reported feeling more cohesive and productive, and, as a result, more successful in accomplishing their goals. Almost all the student participants reported wanting their classroom teacher to know about the events in their lives outside of school. The students also reported that much of their disruptive classroom behaviors increased in amount and intensity if they could get no help or understanding with their out-of-school problems.

Informed by the literature on metaphors, "second order" cybernetics and narrative epistemology it was the researcher's premis that a type of recursive search for new meanings occur for both the therapist and client whenever a story is told in therapy. In order to explore this premis, the researcher used a case study approach and followed three client/therapist systems over a three to five week period. The research process involved the following steps: (1) selecting and orienting three therapists on the use of storytelling in therapy, (2) the actual telling of a metaphorical story in a family therapy session, and (3) the completion of follow-up questionnaires and interviews for both the clients and the therapists. The results of this study are presented in charts summarizing the responses to the questionnaire. These charts illustrate the similarities and differences between the responses of the therapists, parents and children. The results are also presented through a synoptic narrative of the interviews of the three client/therapist systems. This narrative further reveals the multiplicity of responses that a single story can generate and begins to illustrate the interactive process that can occur. A description of this interactive process is provided. This meaning making process involves two distinct components. The first is called Intrapersonal Process or Internal Dialogue and involves the conversations one has with him/herself as he/she interacts with a story. The second is called the Interpersonal Process or Recursive Dialogue and involves the making public of the internal dialogues and the multiplicity of responses that can evolve as a conversation about these different responses is generated. This study found that both dialogues have therapeutic potential and should be seen as equally important and mutually influencing parts of a unique type of therapeutic conversation. Guidelines for generating such a therapeutic conversation are identified and discussed. The project also found that the interactive process has cognitive, emotional and behavioral components; and that metaphorical stories are particularly useful in family therapy because children not only understand them, but also become actively engaged with the stories.