Advancing a Transactional Ecology Model of School-Based Positive Youth Development Programs for Children

Knowing that children thrive in a multi-systems approach to mental health development, a growing number of schools often promote their vision through mission statements that include school-based youth development programs claiming to improve social and academic outcomes for all students (Greenberg et al., 2003). However, there is scant empirical evidence investigating effective school-based “wraparound” mental health services for low income, Latino children and their families (Cabrera, 2013; Gándara, 2017). This quasi-experimental, mixed methods case study utilizes a sample of 415 low-income children and their parents living in northern California to test the hypothesis that school-based youth development programs can potentially strengthen students’ developmental asset attainment and positively impact the school environment

The Effect of Inquiry Learning on the Academic Achievement and Bilingual Verbal Cognition of Young Bilingual Students

The issues that prompt this study are based on current research indicating the positive effects of inquiry learning on the cognitive development of children. The purpose of this case study was to understand the effects of inquiry learning on the academic achievement and bilingual verbal cognition of 5th grade bilingual students in a French/English dual immersion program. The treatment group of students completed research projects through a guided inquiry learning approach, while the control group experienced the traditional problem-solving research approach. Empirical findings reported a significant mean increase in mathematics achievement, bilingual verbal cognitive ability, higher motivation to learn and increased self-efficacy in the treatment versus the control group of students

The Glen Project: A Transformational Ecology Model of School-based Universal Mental Health Development

This 10-month mixed methods case study utilized a sample of 27 teachers, the school administrator, and 281 low-income, Latinx children and their parents living in northern California to test the hypothesis that a school-based universally designed mental health program (The Glen Project) can strengthen students’ developmental asset attainment and positively impact the school environment within the first year of program implementation. The study utilized triangulated data to ascertain the effects of two program levels, (a) mental health and (b) school support services. All services were site-based and meant to target a wide variety of students and their families. Findings from the study reported that the Glen Project increased the developmental asset attainment in 7 out of 8 thriving indicators thus empowering the child within his/her environment. Data collected from the school administrator highlighted that the project positively impacted the school climate because parents, students, and teachers felt more connected to the school, and student referrals were down for (a) discipline (35%), (b) academics (66%), and (c) suspensions (51%). School climate survey data revealed that teacher perceptions changed from negative to positive in all three climate categories (a) relationships, (b) organizational attributes, and (c) personal development. The study concludes that an eco-developmental approach to school-based, universal mental health is a promising means to nurture connections in all systems of a child’s ecology

The Bridge Project: Connecting home, school and the community

Learning doesn’t happen alone. It happens when children socially interact with their parents, teachers and the local community. The Bridge Project, a recent research study I conducted in Morgan Hill, examined the academic and social effects of an after-school tutoring program on 25 Pre-K to 6th-grade Mexican immigrant children living in an affordable housing community. The results of the study were published in an article I wrote for the July 15, 2015 issue of The Journal of Latinos and Education. The Bridge Project program operated in the community center of a Morgan Hill complex where the children and their families live

The bridge project: Connecting home, school, and community for Mexican immigrant youth

This study examines the academic and psychosocial effects of the Bridge Project after-school program on 25 prekindergarten through 6th-grade English language learner Mexican immigrant children and their families living in an affordable housing complex in the San Francisco Bay Area. The results of the study show that the program increased the children’s reading comprehension by an average of 2.8 grade levels and increased children’s English proficiency an average of 2.8 California English Language Development Test levels over a 2-year period. Parents also observed their children’s growth in confidence, social skills, motivation, responsibility, and the ability to ask questions

Transactional literature circles and the reading comprehension of at-risk English learners in the mainstream classroom

This study examines a problem that many mainstream teachers face today: how to successfully improve reading comprehension for English language learners (ELLs) in an English-only environment. The researcher examines both the academic and psychosocial effects of the Transactional Literature Circles (TLC) programme on a treatment group of 75 fourth to sixth grade, at-risk, ELLs to a comparable control group who did not participate in the study. The results of this study report that TLC positively affected the reading comprehension of the programme participants. The students in the TLC programme outperformed the students in the control group on standardised reading tests, and in 7 months increased one grade level in reading. Teacher interviews and student surveys reported an increase in student reading engagement and motivation that positively affected reading self-efficacy, confidence and a willingness to participate in class discussions

Curiosité: Inquiry-based instruction and bilingual learning

The issues that prompt this study are based on current research indicating the positive effects of inquiry learning onthe cognitive development of children. The purpose of this case study was to understand the effects of inquirylearning on the academic achievement and bilingual verbal ability of 5th grade bilingual students in a French/Englishdual immersion program. The treatment group of students completed research projects through a guided inquirylearning approach, while the control group experienced the traditional problem solving research approach. Initialfindings report a significant mean increase in mathematical reasoning, bilingual verbal ability, higher motivation tolearn, and increased self-efficacy in the treatment versus the control group of students