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Contrary to the intent of educational institutions to provide a rich and fulfilling learning environment to all students, disproportionately negative outcomes persist for historically minoritized students. Educational staff are well-situated to combat such inequities in schools through practices associated with an asset-based or social justice approach - to not only incorporate students’ cultural identities and prior knowledge into instruction, but also challenge inequitable power structures affecting marginalized youth. School psychologists in particular are capable of serving as an indirect resource for facilitating the work of social justice in schools which may otherwise fall by the wayside. However, research in practicing teachers’ attitudes toward engaging in such transformative educational practices is lacking, as is literature examining potential barriers to culturally responsive consultation for school psychologists. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the degree to which practitioners’ social justice beliefs, perception of implementation drivers (facilitators to buy-in), and training credentials may predict their stage of behavior change in adopting social justice practices. Results from 249 respondents indicated that participants’ social justice beliefs and perceptions of implementation drivers did significantly predict their endorsed stage of change, but no interaction between the predictor variables was observed, nor did respondents’ role as teacher or school psychologist serve as a moderator for the impact of social justice beliefs on stage of change. Participants overwhelmingly selected pre-action (Contemplation, Preparation) or action (Action, Maintenance) stages over Precontemplation (i.e., no interest in learning more about or engaging in social justice practices), regardless of demographic features or their level of social liberalism.

The purpose of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility of monitoring the progress of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) both in school and at home to promote a school-based integrated care model between parents, teachers, and medical providers. This is a prospective cohort study. To monitor progress, outcome measures were administered via an online platform developed for caregivers and teachers of children (n = 30) attending a school specializing in neurodevelopmental disorders and using an integrated medical and education program. Longitudinal analysis showed improvements in a novel scale, the Teacher Autism Progress Scale (TAPS), which was designed to measure key autism-related gains in a school environment (2.1-point improvement, p = 0.004, ES = 0.324). The TAPS showed a strong and statistically significant correlation, with improvement in aberrant behavior (r = -0.50; p = 0.008) and social responsiveness (r = -0.70; p < 0.001). The results also showed non-statistically significant improvements in aberrant behavior, social responsiveness, and quality of life over time at both school and home. To assess feasibility of ongoing progress measurement, we assessed missing data, which showed caregivers were more likely to miss surveys during summer. Results demonstrate the value and feasibility of online, longitudinal data collection in school to assist with individualized education planning and collaborative care for children with ASD. Lessons learned in this pilot will support school outcomes researchers in developing more efficacious, collaborative treatment plans between clinicians, caregivers, and teachers.