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The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted the field of education, shifting instruction from in-person classrooms to virtual learning environments on a global scale. To understand how language teachers engaged in online pedagogy during the pandemic, the current study examines how one expert English Language Development (ELD) teacher, Ms. Anya Mendoza, adapted her instruction to deliver lessons that met the content and linguistic needs of her students. Findings demonstrate how, using a two-stage research design with a semi-structured interview and critical reflection journal entry, Anya performed both instructional and affective moves to support students in their content and language learning. Prioritizing student engagement, she also created space to humanize and empower her language learners in her virtual classroom. As we venture into a post-COVID-19 “new normal” that considers in-person, online, and hybrid instruction, findings from this study demonstrate the importance of anchoring instructional decisions on the needs of students to meaningfully support content and language teaching.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating and costly mental health issue (Greenberg et al., 1999; Hoge, Terhakopian, Castro, Messer, & Engel, 2007). RAND reported an estimated 2-year cost of [...], Introduction: Many military service members with PTSD do not receive evidence-based specialty behavioral health treatment because of perceived barriers and stigma. Behavioral health providers in primary care can deliver brief, effective treatments expanding access and reducing barriers and stigma. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial was to determine if a brief cognitive-behavior therapy delivered in primary care using the Primary Care Behavioral Health model would be effective at reducing PTSD and co-occurring symptoms. Method: A total of 67 service members (50 men, 17 women) were randomized to receive a brief, trauma-focused intervention developed for the primary care setting called Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care (PE-PC) or a delayed treatment minimal contact control condition. Inclusion criteria were significant PTSD symptoms following military deployment, medication stability, and interest in receiving treatment for PTSD symptoms in primary care. Exclusion criteria were moderate or greater risk of suicide, severe brain injury, or alcohol/substance use at a level that required immediate treatment. Assessments were completed at baseline, posttreatment/postminimal contact control, and at 8-week and 6-month posttreatment follow-up points. Primary measures were the PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview and the PTSD Checklist--Stressor-Specific. Results: PE-PC resulted in larger reduction in PTSD severity and general distress than the minimal contact control. Delayed treatment evidenced medium to large effects comparable to the immediate intervention group. Treatment benefits persisted through the 6-month follow-up of the study. Discussion: PE-PC delivered in integrated primary care is effective for the treatment of PTSD and co-occurring symptoms and may help reduce barriers and stigma found in specialty care settings. Keywords: primary care behavioral health, posttraumatic stress disorder, randomized clinical trial

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted the field of education, shifting instruction from in-person classrooms to virtual learning environments on a global scale. To understand how language teachers engaged in online pedagogy during the pandemic, the current study examines how one expert English Language Development (ELD) teacher, Ms. Anya Mendoza, adapted her instruction to deliver lessons that met the content and linguistic needs of her students. Findings demonstrate how, using a two-stage research design with a semi-structured interview and critical reflection journal entry, Anya performed both instructional and affective moves to support students in their content and language learning. Prioritizing student engagement, she also created space to humanize and empower her language learners in her virtual classroom. As we venture into a post-COVID-19 “new normal” that considers in-person, online, and hybrid instruction, findings from this study demonstrate the importance of anchoring instructional decisions on the needs of students to meaningfully support content and language teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated primary care services have grown in popularity in recent years and demonstrated significant benefits to the patient experience, patient health, and health care operations. However, broader systems-level factors for health care organizations, such as utilization, access, and cost, have been understudied. The current study reviews the results of quality improvement project conducted by the U.S. Air Force, which has practiced integrated primary care behavioral health for over 20 years. This study focuses on exploring how shifting the access point for behavioral from specialty mental health clinics to primary care, along with the use of technicians in patient care, can improve a range of health outcomes. Retrospective data analysis was conducted on an internal Air Force quality improvement project implemented at three military treatment facilities from October 2014 to September 2015. Positive preliminary support for these innovations was seen in the form of expanded patient populations, decreased time to first appointment, increased patient encounters, and decreased purchased community care compared with non-participating sites. Incorporation of behavioral health technicians further increased number of patient encounters while maintaining high levels of patient satisfaction across diverse clinical settings; in fact, patients preferred appointments with both technicians and behavioral health providers, compared with appointments with behavioral health providers only. These findings encourage further systematic review of systems-level factors in primary care behavioral health and adoption of the use of provider extenders in primary care behavioral health clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]