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The National Association of School Psychologists emphasizes consultation, collaboration, and family-school-community collaboration as domains within school psychology practice. Family engagement is defined as caregiver participation in children's learning and instruction. While research outlines best practices in engaging and collaborating with families across multitiered systems of support (MTSS), there has been little examination of the current practices of school psychologists within this domain. This study investigated family engagement practices in schools, school psychologists' involvement in these practices, and their perceived effectiveness. Results indicated that while family engagement and problem-solving consultation methods were used within MTSS, school psychologists were less involved in implementation. Implications and future research are discussed.

Daily report card (DRC) intervention provides a structured method for increasing communication between teachers and parents regarding student behavior; however, limited research has investigated the effectiveness and acceptability of DRC intervention with preschool students. Additionally, effectiveness of DRC intervention is enhanced when parents provide consistent reinforcement for students' goal attainment. The purposes of the study were to (a) extend DRC intervention to examine effectiveness and acceptability with preschool students and (b) evaluate the impact of proactive antecedent e-mail prompts on home intervention integrity (i.e., parents' provision of contingent reinforcement). DRC intervention was implemented in a multiple-baseline-across-subjects design for 3 preschool students to evaluate impacts of (a) the intervention on classroom engagement and disruptive behavior measured via systematic direct observation and (b) proactive antecedent e-mail prompts on parents' home intervention integrity. Although DRC intervention resulted in negligible level changes in student engagement and disruptive behavior, variability of disruptive behavior reduced following intervention. Antecedent e-mail prompts did not improve home intervention integrity due to high baseline levels (i.e., ceiling effects). Finally, parents and teachers found DRC intervention to be feasible and appropriate for preschool. Limitations of the study and implications for expanding DRC intervention to preschool are discussed.

Food allergies affect approximately two children per average-sized classroom, and prevalence has increased in recent decades (Gupta et al., 2011; Pawankar et al., 2013). This increase has important implications for school psychologists and counselors because allergies can impact various psychosocial aspects of students' lives (Vale et al., 2015). Unfortunately, psychosocial considerations related to allergy management are often treated as peripheral in school food allergy policy development (Behrmann, 2010a). The purpose of the current review was to examine the availability of state-level guidelines and to evaluate available guidelines according to research supported practices for students including those impacting psychosocial facets of students' lives. Guideline documents identified varied in size and form and when available tended to provide limited coverage of social and emotional factors. Our review provides insight into scope of attention to psychosocial facets of well-being in state-level allergy policy guidelines and concludes with implications for practice across multiple tiers of support.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been evaluated in terms of efficacy; however, little is known about implementation factors of MBIs in schools. The purpose of the current study was to systematically review MBI studies published in school psychology journals. This systematic review examined peer-reviewed MBI literature in nine school psychology journals from 2006 to 2020 to examine prevalence of MBI intervention studies, specific techniques taught in MBIs, if and how fidelity of MBI implementation was evaluated, and how mindfulness skills were measured for youth participating in MBIs. A total of 46 articles (out of 4415) were related to mindfulness and 23 articles (0.52%) focused on the implementation of MBIs in schools. Nine different mindfulness techniques were implemented as part of MBIs in studies with some of the most common including awareness, breathing, and meditation. This study also found scarce evidence of implementation fidelity, and limited use of mindfulness measures within MBI studies. Future research and limitations are also discussed.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are increasingly being implemented in school settings for children and adolescents. Although positive outcomes have been documented for youth, less is known about the constructs of mindfulness (e.g., intention, attention, awareness, nonjudgement) that contribute to positive outcomes or how they are measured. Systematically identifying measures will facilitate improved understanding of what constructs of mindfulness are captured. The current study systematically reviewed literature to identify child and adolescent mindfulness measures from 2000 to 2021. Multiple search engines including PsycTest, PsycInfo, Psycarticles, NCBI, US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, APA PsychTest, and Google Scholar were used. Results of the current study describe a variety of measures to capture mindfulness and may be useful for researchers and practitioners implementing and/or evaluating mindfulness practices in schools. Eleven youth self-report measures designed for youth 5 to 18 years old were identified. A little more than half measured mindfulness multidimensionally (multiple constructs of mindfulness). Constructs commonly included on measures were attention, awareness, and assessment of one's own internal and external experiences. Descriptive information (e.g., target age range, description of mindfulness constructs) is provided for each measure. Future directions include continued investigation of validity, particularly content validity for youth mindfulness measures, and examining how the use of multiple methods and/or raters could contribute to an understanding of youth's mindfulness experience. Additional implications for the field of school psychology and limitations of the study are discussed.

By intentionally implementing strategies to partner with caregivers before, during, and after the evaluation process, school psychologists can empower families and improve student outcomes. The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP, 2019) has advocated for engaging families as active partners, emphasizing the importance of forming equitable partnerships between schools and families, in which both share responsibility for the success of all learners. Establishing intentional coordination and consistency, building positive relationships, and aligning family engagement efforts to the child's development are key considerations for successful family--school partnerships. This article provides strategies for how school psychologists can engage families (1) at the beginning of and during the evaluation, and (2) prior to, during, and after the individualized education plan (IEP) meeting.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) emphasizes the role of school psychologists across a variety of domains, including engaging with families across multiple tiers of support (NASP, 2010a). However, the national school psychology shortage, leading school psychologists to work across various schools, may play a large role in the ability to work with families successfully and provide them with appropriate supports in the school setting. This study investigated the relationship between the current number of schools served by school psychologists, the availability of family-based engagement and intervention programs, and those responsible for implementing such programs. Survey results from 232 practicing school psychologists indicated 75% serve multiple schools. The number of schools served significantly related to the availability of parent education programs in schools, as well as those responsible for implementing parent education, parent involvement, and parent training programs. Other school-based professionals, such as teachers, school counselors, school social workers, and practicum students, were responsible for implementation when school psychologists were serving multiple campuses. Implications for training and future research are discussed.

Alternative education settings (AES) educate many students with social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) challenges. However, there is limited synthesized research available on how to best support students' SEB functioning. This systematic review examined SEB intervention and outcome research conducted in alternative schools between 2010 and 2020. Sixty-eight peer-reviewed journal articles met the inclusion criteria. Results discuss demographic characteristics of participants (e.g., age, school type), frequently studied interventions (e.g., group contingencies, Check-In/Check-Out), tiers of intervention (e.g., universal, targeted), SEB outcomes (e.g., externalizing behavior, discipline), and data collection methods (e.g., school records, self-report). Practical implications for mental health practitioners and educators in alternative education settings, limitations, and future directions are also discussed.

In a collaborative partnership between a public school district in the northeast United States and university faculty, social-emotional/behavioral (SEB) screening was implemented across the district at three elementary schools serving students in kindergarten through second grade. Although both parents and teachers served as informants in SEB screening, the purpose of this article is to discuss considerations for specifically engaging parents in the SEB screening process. The authors will describe their experiences in the context of a research-practice partnership to demonstrate key aspects of engaging families in SEB screening, including communicating with parents about screening, completing screening measures (including overcoming barriers to implementation and completion), and using data. Guiding questions are also provided to assist school-based practitioners in making decisions.

Universal behavioral screening in the school setting plays a vital role in the prevention and early intervention of child difficulties. While universal screening methods have evolved, measures appear to examine child characteristics based on data collected primarily from teachers and children. Parents may also have important information to contribute to screening efforts; however, the extent to which parents are regularly involved in the screening process is somewhat unknown. This study investigated the behavioral screening literature in major school psychology journals from 2004 to 2014 to determine the frequency to which families and caregivers participate in the screening of child behavioral difficulties in schools. Results indicated very few research articles utilized families as screening informants. In addition, the majority of articles either did not mention families directly or only mentioned families briefly throughout the study. Implications for the inclusion of families within the screening process are discussed.

Mindfulness has been gaining momentum in the field of school psychology, however compared to other applied psychology fields, less research on mindfulness interventions has been conducted. This study systematically reviewed mindfulness literature and empirical studies in nine school psychology journals from 2006-2016. The prevalence of mindfulness articles and research specifically focused on mindfulness intervention were examined. Additionally, the type of intervention implemented, tier of intervention, and targets of intervention were examined. Results indicated that 0.57% of articles during the ten-year time frame were related to mindfulness (n = 17). Eight of the 17 articles investigated mindfulness interventions, with interventions ranging from informal practices (e.g., Mandala coloring) to specific intervention programs (e.g., Compassion and Attention in the Schools). Majority of interventions were implemented at the universal level for students. Future directions for mindfulness research and the importance of mindfulness in school psychology are discussed.

Eighty-seven preservice teachers, some of whom had preschool teaching experience, were randomly assigned to an intervention that included training in breathing awareness meditation infused with social-emotional learning (n = 43) or a control group that received training in (n = 44) in breathing awareness meditation only. Both groups showed an increase in mindfulness from pre- to posttest. However, as expected, dimensions of emotional competence improved more significantly for preservice teachers in the intervention group. Increases were also greater for participants with teaching experience. Both groups also increased in the belief that classroom misbehavior would result in negative cognitive and social costs to children, but a larger increase was observed for the intervention group. Implications for teacher preparation are discussed.

This study examined executive function (EF) skills and self-reported symptoms of ADHD. EF skills were measured to determine whether skills were different between groups that reported clinical levels of ADHD symptoms (clinical group) and nonclinical levels of ADHD symptoms (nonclinical group). EF skills in the nonclinical group were also investigated to determine whether differences existed for those who received false positive and negative feedback about an ADHD diagnosis. Results indicated statistically and clinically significant differences in EF skills between the clinical and nonclinical group. Participants in the nonclinical group who reported elevated scores on the ADHD screener after receiving false positive feedback had statistically significantly different EF function scores, but not clinically significant scores, compared to the participants in nonclinical group who received negative feedback.

This study examined a comprehensive screening model within children attending Head Start programs from urban (n = 232) and rural (n = 231) communities. The Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA; LeBuffe & Naglieri, 1999) was used to measure social-emotional protective factors (i.e., Total Protective Factors [TPF]) and risk factors (i.e., Behavior Concerns [BC]) within children that resided in two different community settings. Children from low-income rural programs received higher scores on a subscale measuring children's relationship to adults (i.e., Attachment subscale). Additionally, children from low-income urban programs received higher scores on children's ability to self-regulate (i.e., Self-Control subscale). Significant differences between children from rural and urban settings were not found on the primary scales (BC or TPF) of the DECA. Statistically significant gender differences by community-type were not found. Findings contribute to the literature by illustrating that community characteristics might influence the development of different social-emotional behaviors in preschool children. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

This study examined changes in preschool teachers' perceptions of classroom management strategies following group training in the recently revised Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program (C. Webster-Stratton, 2006). The authors used a pre/post follow-up design across 2 groups that each met for 8 sessions over an 8-10-week period for a total of 32 hr of training. Twenty-four preschool teachers from one of the lowest income and highest unemployment counties in the state of Michigan participated in the program. To examine short-term maintenance effects, the authors collected follow-up data 16 weeks after all teachers completed the training. The authors found improvements in teachers' perceptions of positive classroom management strategies and their use. Transporting this evidence-based teacher training program to school-based mental health service delivery settings warrants additional study. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study examined parental reports of children attending Head Start programs in high- (N = 200) and low- (N = 188) violence communities to determine whether differences existed in the level of risk and protective factors as measured by the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (P. A. LeBuffe & J. A. Naglieri, 1999). Previous research has indicated that children exposed to community violence are at risk for the development of social and emotional problems (S. Overstreet, 2000). Results from this study contrast with expected results as children in low-violence communities exhibited greater parent-reported behavior concerns than children in high-violence communities and no significant differences were found on levels of protective factors. This is the first study to demonstrate that protective factors are similar in an at-risk preschool population despite significant differences in the level of community violence.

Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) screening is an essential component of multi-tiered systems for supporting students' social-emotional development. SEB screening facilitates early identification and intervention for individual students and may be used to evaluate population-level response to universal positive behavior supports and social-emotional learning programs. Although school-based SEB screening research is common, the majority of studies have focused on screening tools for use with students in K-12 settings. The current study expands upon prior research to systematically review research on school-based teacher-report SEB screening tools for students in preschool. Results indicated 17 studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2008-2019, which evaluated 6 teacher-report SEB screening tools with preschool populations. All 17 (100%) research studies evaluated the technical adequacy of the screening tools and 1 (5.9%) research study explicitly evaluated aspects of usability and provided novel data to support usability. Results indicate a need to continue to evaluate the technical adequacy of preschool SEB screening tools and to place more explicit focus on evaluating the usability of the tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work of school psychologists is rooted in social justice and aims to preserve the rights, opportunities, and well-being of all children within the educational environment. In pre-service training, this requires that relevant knowledge and skills are taught explicitly and fostered carefully. At the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston), school psychology faculty infuse social justice through standalone theory-driven and experiential coursework, field-based learning activities, and supportive mentorship for students' growth of critical research skills and professional competencies. In the context of a college and university that embrace a social justice mission, program faculty engage in research and training with the goal of fostering reflective discourse on current practices and strive for continuous improvement. This paper describes the UMass Boston specialist and doctoral school psychology training sequence as a descriptive example of a programmatic commitment to social justice. It also offers suggestions for school psychology trainers interested in developing a social justice infused sequence in their program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]