Changes in African American and Latinx Students’ Perceived Ethnic–Racial Discrimination During the Middle School Transition Year

The middle school transition year poses known challenges to early adolescent adjustment, particularly for students from ethnic and racial minoritized backgrounds who face ethnic and racial discrimination from school personnel and classmates. Drawing on a sample of 711 African American and Latinx sixth-grade students attending 17 schools, we employed latent class analysis and latent transition analysis to explore the nature of and changes to perceived ethnic and racial discrimination during the beginning and end of sixth grade. We also examined the possibility that perceived ethnic–racial discrimination could be diminished through a school-based, universal program for teachers to improve the school ecology. Findings revealed four distinct classes concerning perceived ethnic–racial discrimination, with patterns over time highlighting the malleability of perceived ethnic–racial discrimination during the first year of middle school. Findings provide direct implications for understanding and improving ethnic and racial minoritized students’ school experiences at the middle school transition

School-based mental health supports during COVID-19: School professional perspectives

The present study explored the ways school professionals adapted school-based mental health supports and services for remote delivery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We surveyed 81 school professionals (e.g., counselors, psychologists, and social workers) and conducted in-depth interviews with a subsample of professionals (n = 14) to explore their perceptions and experiences of supporting youth with mental health concerns and suicide-related risk during the fall and winter of the 2020–2021 school year. Commonly endorsed school-based mental health interventions (e.g., counseling services and checking in), ways of communicating (phone and email), and individuals delivering support and services to students with suicide-related risk (e.g., counselors and teachers) were identified based on school professional survey responses. Qualitative findings point to facilitators (e.g., specific platforms for connecting with students and families) and barriers (e.g., limited communication) to successful service delivery during COVID-19. Findings highlight the creative ways school support professionals adapted to provide school-based mental health supports. Implications for remote school-based mental health services during and following the pandemic are discussed