Implications of the Pending Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling on Act 10

This white paper examines the potential implications of the pending Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, a landmark labor law that significantly restricted collective bargaining rights for public sector employees, including teachers and university professors. The ruling stands to reshape the landscape of public sector labor relations in Wisconsin, impacting public educators’ bargaining power, labor-management dynamics, and ultimately, the quality of public education. Drawing on scholarly research, this paper outlines the key challenges posed by the potential legal uncertainty and proposes a multi-pronged approach centered on collaborative labor-management frameworks, contingency planning, inclusive policymaking, capacity building, and data-driven decision-making. These strategies aim to stabilize labor relations and support Wisconsin’s public education workforce through what may be a crucial transition. The paper serves as a guide for policymakers, labor leaders, and public employers by helping them prepare in what is anticipated to be another step in the evolution of collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin

Defining the School Counselor Role: A Training for Clarifying Responsibilities in Schools

School counselors have important roles in the school building. However, many administrators, parents, and even students do not fully understand what a school counselor does. This can lead to burnout, job dissatisfaction, and intentions to leave the career (Blake, 2020; Lane, Bohner, Hinck, & Kircher, 2020). Not understanding what a school counselor needs results in a lack of resources for students, frustration, and role conflict (Hann-Morrison, 2011). Relationships also play a part in job duties and advocacy for school counselors. Better relationships often lead to more advocacy and collaboration, while poor relationships can lead to inappropriate duties and distrust (Blake, 2020; Lane et al., 2020). Based on the literature review, a training module was created to inform future and current administrators and teachers of the appropriate and inappropriate tasks for school counselors, as well as the influence their relationship with their counselor has on student success and position advocacy

The Impact of Gestational Timing and Method in Enacted Abortion Stigma

Induced medical abortion is a common gynecological procedure. Despite its frequency, abortion remains a topic of substantial controversy, with most women who have received abortions reporting stigma from multiple sources (Cockrill et al. 2023). The 2022 Dobbs decision deemed medical abortions constitutionally unprotected (Center for Reproductive Rights, 2022). Public sentiment regarding abortion, recipients, and morality are therefore contested and abortion patients endure stigma (Hanschmidt et al., 2016). In study 1, students were presented with one of two vignettes, which contained a story about a woman who decided to seek an abortion at either 5 or 16 weeks’ gestation. Students then completed the Stereotype Content Model (Fiske et al., 2002) to measure competence and warmth. In study 2, participants were presented with one of three vignettes describing a woman who recently became pregnant and received either a medication abortion, surgical abortion, or abortion denial. Then, participants completed an adapted Relational Compassion Scale and the Stereotype Content Model. In study 1, an independent-samples t-test found that ratings of warmth were not significantly lower in the 16-week gestation condition (M = 3.62, SD = 1.04) compared to 5-weeks (M = 3.75, SD = 0.97) (t = 0.575, p = 0.66, d = 0.12). In study 2, a one-way ANOVA found that ratings of warmth were not significantly lower based on abortion method between any of the three conditions (F(2, 130) = [.385], p = .681). Additionally, ratings of compassion were not significantly different based on abortion method condition (F(2, 131) = [.537], p = .586)

Lived Experiences of Role Identity and Perceived Stress in Fargo-Moorhead Area School Counselors

School counselors are often assigned non-direct service duties, which leaves them feeling like they do not have enough time to devote to the mental health needs of their students. They get pulled in various directions by teachers, parents, students, and administration, and there is not enough time in the day to complete all their expectations. This conflict can lead to dissatisfaction, high stress, and ultimately, burnout, evidenced by the number of school counselors leaving the field and many schools unable to fill these positions. This phenomenological research explored the lived experience of school counselors in the Fargo-Moorhead area, how they experience stress and role identity as they attend to the mental health needs of students. This exploratory study provides essential knowledge of the work experience of school counselors, which could lead to systemic change

Differences in Reported Mental Health for Schools Which Either Ban or Allow Smartphones

Since approximately 2012, multiple international studies have found that rates of adolescent mental illness are increasing, with smartphone use proposed as one potential cause. Smartphone and social media use has been found to be associated with increased rates of mental illness. Few studies have examined the impact of smartphone policies in schools alongside the variable of mental health. This study examined the mental health items of the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) in order to compare the mental health of students who were in schools which banned or allowed smartphones. Schools were grouped by policy based on a survey of administrators whose schools participated in the 2023 PAYS. Pearson Chi-Square Test of Independence was performed in order to determine if an association existed between group membership and mental health items. Gender was used as a moderator variable. The study found that students in schools which banned smartphones were more likely to report a symptom of depression and to report planning suicide. Girls in schools which banned smartphones were more likely to report two symptoms of depression. Results were examined within a theoretical framework of hyper-novelty and social contagion. Potential explanations for these findings include the possibility that a “fear of missing out” may be contributing to worsened mental health while away from the smartphones. Recommendations for practice and future study are included

Improving 1st Early Reading Skills Using Functional Phonics

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Functional Phonics program as a Title 1 reading intervention. The intervention was used to improve the early reading skills of two first grade students at a rural school district in Minnesota. Both students received Title 1 reading services five times a week for 45 minutes each. Students were progress monitored using letter names, letter sounds, and decodable word probes from the FastBridge Learning System. The results of the intervention showed progress in each of these areas for both students, with one student being released from Title 1 services as a result of excellent improvement. This paper discusses the importance of developing strong early reading skills and reading proficiency in the years before a student enters fourth-grade

Grief Group Therapy Manual for Adolescents in School

Students often experience the loss of a parent, pet, relative, or friend. With high rates of students experiencing death or a loss before adulthood, school counselors are commonly providing grief or bereavement support. Read the literature in which examines the impact of grief and loss on students and the effectiveness of group therapy for grieving students. Students commonly experience various factors that lead to a downfall in their education when dealing with a loss. The research included content regarding interventions, impacts, and examples of grief group therapy curricula for school counselors to refer to when supporting grieving or bereaved students. The curriculum for Group Grief Therapy includes the group overview, data tracking questionnaires, informed consent forms, weekly topic overviews, and activities for each week. Weekly topics are in correlation with American School Counselor Association standards and include topics such as; coping skills, recognizing supports, self-care, and sharing your grieving story

Building Independence: A Monthly Insight into Functional Living Skills Assessment and Growth

This capstone project explores the implementation and educational value of the Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS) as a tool for promoting independence in students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The AFLS are assessment protocols that are designed to give educators insight into a learner’s skill level within a specific domain. There are six AFLS domains: Basic Living Skills, Home Skills, Community Participation, School Skills, Independent Living, and Vocational skills, with each covering domain specific skills while having overarching goals. Learners need these skills if they want to be successful at home, in the community, and during employment, and these skill areas will be used to support the transition of students into more independent adult lives. This project included monthly newsletters focused on the six AFLS domains that are used to inform families of instructional strategies and supporting skills that are necessary to prepare learners for post-secondary life. These newsletters emphasized the importance of individualized instruction, task analysis, prompting strategies, and reinforcement strategies to support the learning of functional skills. The project also outlined the importance of consistent and structured exposure to functional skill instruction when developing deficit areas. The newsletters promote active family involvement, which can significantly enhance student outcomes in independence and quality of life

A Phenomenological Study of Factors that Impact Math Achievement in a Rural Midwestern Elementary School

Abstract Educational leaders are under pressure to improve student performance in the content area of math after the greatest decline since the National Assessment of Academic Performance began in 1969 (The Nation\u27s Report Card, 2022). Educational leaders are aware of the increasing gap in student performance in mathematics. While teachers recognize the importance of developing math instruction based on student centered needs and differentiated instruction. The purpose of this research was to conduct a phenomenological study based on the lived experience of rural elementary math teacher’s confidence in instructional practices and the factors that impact their efforts to improve student achievement. To understand this phenomenon, the researcher conducted a semi-structured interviews with ten K-5 teachers in a rural educational setting to gain the teachers’ lived experience and identify units of meaning around a hybrid theoretical framework of self-efficacy by Albert Bandura (1977) and differentiated instruction by Carol Ann Tomlinson (2010). The study found that the phenomena is driven by collegial support, experience in the classroom, intervention support obstacles, and parental perceptions and support within the content area of mathematics. The importance that comes along with understanding the development of mathematical strategies and confidence in instruction by teachers at rural elementary school levels drives the core of this study. The goal of this study was to use the experience to inform further research on the perspectives of rural elementary math teachers on their self-confidence within instructional practices that impact student performance. Keywords: self-efficacy, instructional design, academic achievement, vicarious experience, mastery experience, verbal persuasion, psychological arousal, content, process, product