Thesis advisor: Raquel Muñiz / Due to opportunity and achievement gaps in schools, leaders face the challenge of monitoring student expectations related to academic rigor and emotional health. As a result, social and emotional learning (SEL) has gained traction for students in the field of education. However, SEL competencies are rarely developed with the adults who work with these students. In this dissertation in practice, interviews, observations and questionnaires were used to collect data about the practices of school-based leaders in a qualitative case study at the elementary and middle school levels. Research revealed what leadership practices modeled SEL competencies, practices such as those involving time and resources, relationship building and sharing of expertise; and how they shaped the ways in which adults collaborate, including honest and authentic dialogue, adult learning, and the improvement of practices. This is important due to the many leadership practices employed in schools that influence adult behaviors. The findings suggest that socially and emotionally competent leadership considers both an awareness of self and other, as it cultivates individual capabilities, collaborative relationships, and a greater capacity in the schools in which it exists. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

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Strong Kids is a social-emotional curriculum designed to reduce students' externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Strong Kids has shown promise in elementary school, but this was the first study to evaluate the newly updated version of the intervention in a middle school setting. The curriculum was implemented by two general education teachers with students at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. A mixed method design was used to evaluate outcomes with eight middle school students. Overall findings suggest that Strong Kids was effective at improving students' social emotional knowledge and internalizing symptoms; however, there were no significant changes in students' externalizing symptoms. Teachers were able to implement the curriculum with fidelity. Teachers and students also found the curriculum to be predominantly positive. Future studies should include a larger sample size, control group, and follow up data points.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the academic, social, and emotional effects of COVID-19 on 11th- and 12th-grade students. There has been little documentation regarding the specific change that the pandemic has had on these students; it is imperative that we look at the effects of COVID-19 on the students who experienced COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection was completed through individual interviews. Analysis of data occurred in three phases: (a) categorization of data under the four organizational factors, (b) building the explanation in a phenological form, and (c) re-examination of the data. The analysis of the narrative study was based on the theoretical proposition that the teachers were focused on the whole child and not just academic standards. The humanistic theory framework was established as teachers examined the influences in their classrooms based on the well-being of their students. The credibility of the analysis was protected by triangulation of data through multiple sources of evidence, establishment of a chain of evidence, and member checking. The results revealed that the main concerns were students attending school and getting the credits needed to graduate through both in-person classes and online learning. The themes that emerged were classroom management, relationship building, communication, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed learning, and the effects of COVID-19.

Young children face unique social challenges, and they need social and emotional resilience skills in order to navigate their way through school. Many of the children who need the most help are in family situations where parents are not able to teach these skills. Students can become more resilient through social and emotional learning (SEL) in the classroom. SEL teaches children to identify the emotions of themselves and others, to communicate their emotions in a nonviolent way, and to be good friends. By teaching SEL at a young age, teachers can help children become more adept as they make friends and learn how to interact in social situations, thus bolstering their relationships with friends and adults. Improved social and emotional skills help students succeed in academics and with their peers as they form social connections. Strong Start Pre-K, a social and emotional learning curriculum, was evaluated in a local preschool program. Using a nonequivalent control group design, two preschool teachers taught the curriculum in their classrooms, and a third classroom was the control. Both before and after the implementation of the curriculum, data were gathered from classroom teachers on their students' emotional regulation, internalizing behaviors, and the teachers' perceived relationships with their students. Results indicated a slight increase in emotional regulation and a significant decrease in internalizing behaviors in the treatment groups. Student-teacher relationships improved, specifically with a decrease on the subscale of Conflict. Treatment fidelity indicated that teachers were able to implement most or all of the components of each lesson 90% of the time. Social validity measurements indicated that the teachers would recommend the curriculum to other educators.

Strong Teens is a curriculum designed to help students develop the social-emotional skills needed to manage challenges and become successful socially and academically (Carrizales- Engelmann et al., 2016). Strong Teens has shown promise among adolescents, but this was the first study to evaluate the newly updated version of the intervention in a high school setting. The curriculum was implemented by a special education teacher with students at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders. A mixed method design was used to evaluate outcomes with 16 ninth grade students. Overall findings suggest that Strong Teens was effective at improving students' social emotional knowledge over a 3-month period. However, there was a worsening of students' internalizing symptoms and teacher-student relationships. The teacher implemented the curriculum with low to moderate fidelity. Students were mostly neutral in their view of Strong Teens, while the teacher held a more favorable view. Future studies should include a larger sample size, offer training to educators on the implementation of Strong Teens, and consider using a more effective collection method to ensure students' anonymity.

Successful social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have established methods with teacher and peer support that improve prosocial behavior. Research has shown intervention programs that incorporate these skills reduce antisocial behaviors, but implementation in schools may vary and therefore affect outcomes. The purpose of this non-experimental program evaluation study was to understand the perceptions of implementation, impact, acceptability, and effects of Second Step within a suburban elementary classroom in the northeastern United States. The participants were teachers in a suburban elementary school near a large northeastern US city. A questionnaire, observations, interviews, a focus group, and school collected data (e.g., Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) testing) were used to answer the research questions. Participants reported perceptions that Second Step had positive effects on academic performance. PSSA data showed that student academic performance appeared to be minimally affected or unaffected by Second Step. Results from the questionnaire, interviews, and focus group suggest teachers believed Second Step improved student behavior. However, the school did not collect behavioral data (e.g., suspensions, referrals, detentions, etc.) prior to or after Second Step adoption. Limited training and other factors may explain why reported fidelity to the curriculum appeared inconsistent with observational measures. Participant bias may have also influenced interview and focus group data. Despite limitations, schools that adopt Second Step should rely on evaluations to determine whether intended impacts are realized. Also, Second Step and other SEL curriculum researchers should consider providing guidance about implementation, assessment, and cost-benefit analysis. Researchers could investigate systematic changes to lesson content and delivery in ways that allow teachers to adapt or modify instruction without compromising curricular effects. / Special Education

This descriptive study provides insight on the prevalence of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) screening and school psychologists' roles in that screening process in Utah schools. EBD screening plays an important role in implementing Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). An electronic questionnaire was sent to 260 practicing Utah school psychologists. A total of 89 of those school psychologists completed the survey resulting in a 34% participation rate. Twelve percent (n=11) of participants reported that EBD screening was happening in their schools. Participants reported that the lack of resources to address student needs, the lack of administrative support, and the school having too many other concerns were barriers to EBD screening implementation. Survey results also reported that successful EBD screening consisted of a combined effort consisting of teams, administration, and school districts. Additionally, school psychologists reported that their role in EBD screening should mainly be focused on data interpretation and intervention implementation. The goal of this thesis project was to increase awareness of how universal EBD screening was occurring in Utah schools.