Tips for New Scholars on Academic Publishing

When one looks at a list of common psychology words, terms and phrases along with their definitions; and then attempt to apply these to business organizations; it is amazing how psychology applies to business organizations in a very direct manner. Let’s review some common psychology words, terms, phrases and their definitions; and apply them to business organizations. Get ready for amazement and a revelation that will create much personal thought and serious discussions with others

Straight Talk From Recent Grads: Grant Writing Tips for New Investigators

There is an increasing demand and critical importance for those in academic positions to be conducting high quality research in addition to teaching well and successfully obtaining grants is often necessary to fund such scientific inquiry (Shaw, 2002). Faculty members in academic or research positions are likely to be among those spending the most time on such efforts as successful grant writing to support both research and scholarly productivity is compulsory for flourishing in these jobs (Hasche, Perron & Proctor, 2009). In fact, most job announcements in the Chronicle of Higher Education list the ability to acquire external funding as a leading factor in hiring decisions among candidates. Successful grant writing is every bit as important for keeping a new job once it has been obtained as new faculty members failing to meet a high standard of funded research and scholarship are typically released from employment after a predetermined period of time (Cater, Lew, Smith, 2008). According to Inouye and Fiellin (2005), “the competition for funds to conduct clinical research is intense, and only a minority of grant proposals receive funding” (p. 274). Adding to the difficulty and pressure to secure extramural funding in a new research position, universities are currently receiving less federal and state funding and are relying more heavily on their faculty to obtain external grant money (Toews & Yazedjian, 2007)

Increasing Access to Care by Delivering Mental Health Services in Schools: The School-Based Support Program

It is widely estimated that approximately 25% of school age youth face mental and behavioral health challenges. The vast majority of these youth are insufficiently treated, leaving them vulnerable to negative school outcomes such as attendance, behavioral, and academic problems. One common barrier to treatment is a lack of access to appropriate and consistent care including assessment and intervention. Often when students are identified in schools as potentially struggling with mental health issues, the child is referred out to the community for treatment. While well-intended, this approach is largely unsuccessful if families face challenges such as a language barrier, a lack of transportation or health insurance, or lack of flexibility with their jobs leaving them unable to make appointments. A unique school–community partnership in North Carolina attempted to overcome these obstacles by bringing mental health services to youth at the school campuses. The School-Based Support program largely mitigated problems with access to care and made a positive impact on school outcomes for youth. This report from the field describes the consequences of untreated mental health problems among children, barriers to receiving mental health treatment, and ways student mental health needs are currently addressed in schools. We then detail how the School-Based Support program was formed through a school–community partnership, the program components, evaluation results, and a case example

The effects of parental involvement on children's school readiness skills

The purpose of this dissertation is to test a number of models that examine the effects of parental involvement on kindergartners’ school readiness skills and whether the models differ for race/ethnic groups. The National Center for Early Development and Learning’s (NCEDL) Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten dataset was used for the current study. Data were collected on parental intentional teaching and socialization practices, the quantity of parental involvement in school-based activities, the quality of the parent-teacher relationship, and children’s school readiness as indexed by early academic skills (i.e., receptive vocabulary, expressive vocabulary, letter identification skills, and math skills) and social competence. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to investigate the effects of intentional teaching and socialization practices on children’s school readiness skills (N = 179). Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the effects of the quantity of parental involvement at school and the quality of the homeschool relationship on children’s school readiness skills (N = 742). The results revealed that greater use of discourse practices by parents was associated with children’s significantly higher receptive and expressive vocabulary scores. However, intentional teaching practices were associated with children’s significantly higher letter identification scores. Neither intentional teaching nor socialization practices predicted math or social competence skills. Race/ethnicity moderated the relationship between parental criticism and children’s expressive vocabulary skills. The quantity of parental involvement in school-based activities was not associated with children’s outcomes. However, the quality of the home-school relationship was positively associated with children’s letter identification skills and social competence. Race/ethnicity moderated the relationship between the quantity of parental involvement and the quality of the home-school relationship. Additionally, race/ethnicity moderated the relationship between quantity of parental involvement and children’s expressive vocabulary scores, and between quality of the home-school relationship and expressive vocabulary scores. The present findings extend previous research by demonstrating the differential effects of socialization and intentional teaching practices on children’s early academic outcomes. In addition, this study provides preliminary evidence that close and trusting relationships between parents and teachers can foster children’s school readiness skills. The results can be used to develop more effective school readiness interventions for families of young children

Empirically Supported Mental Health Interventions with Groups: Using Research to Support Vulnerable Students in Schools

This paper discusses the use of empirically-supported mental health interventions to support vulnerable students in schools. It gives an overview of the empirically-supported intervention (ESI) approach and its goodness of fit with schools. Factors that influence whether schools adopt an ESI approach, such as national education reform policies and the availability of resources are explored. Two ESI’s that have been shown to improve the lives of vulnerable youth are presented within a school social work case example. The paper concludes with implications and suggestions for future research, including efforts to educate school staff on the importance of adopting an ESI approach, where to locate ESI’s, and further research on the cost-effectiveness of ESI’s

Increasing Awareness of Child Mental Health Issues Among Elementary School Staff

Without sufficient education and training on mental illness, school teachers are less likely to have the capacity to recognize related symptoms in students and make appropriate referrals for care. The current pilot study tests the overall effectiveness of a new in-service training designed as the introductory component to a school-based mental health intervention. The training included information on the prevalence of mental health problems in the United States, common youth disorders, and treatment barriers that many families face. Participants\u27 knowledge before and after the training was measured using a 27-item instrument, and statistical significance was assessed for pre- to posttest changes for individual items. Results are overwhelmingly positive and provide evidence of an increase in accurate knowledge of child mental health issues. Implications for both practice and research are discussed

Supporting Academic Achievement Through School-Based Mental Health Services: A Multisite Evaluation of Reading Outcomes Across One Academic Year

Untreated mental health needs can have serious negative consequences for the life outcomes of children, including greater difficulty in performing well academically. Elementary schools have a unique opportunity to meet the mental health needs of students through early intervention. One model for the implementation of mental health services in the school setting is the School-Based Support (SBS) Program. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the SBS Program on the academic performance (specifically the reading scores) of students across six elementary schools. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for analysis, and results showed that participants demonstrated statistically significant increases in report card grades for general literacy, reading skills, writing skills, and kindergarten through second grade (K-2) reading level. These results contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the efficacy of comprehensive school-based mental health services, both for enhancing student well-being and for improving academic achievement

Supporting Prosocial Development Through School-Based Mental Health Services: A Multisite Evaluation of Social and Behavioral Outcomes Across One Academic Year

Unaddressed behavioral and socioemotional difficulties impact the mental health, educational attainment, and future outcomes of children to such an extent that it is imperative to identify effective strategies for early intervention and treatment. School-based mental health services address students’ socialemotional concerns by removing barriers to accessing appropriate services, improving coordination of services, and implementing prevention and intervention strategies for students. This study evaluates the effects of one such program on the socioemotional well-being of students served across six elementary school sites. Study findings support the critical need for school-based mental health for the promotion of prosocial behavior and socioemotional wellness

A comparison of caseworker characteristics in public and private foster care agencies

Recent attention has been given to caseworker characteristics as a relevant variable for study in foster care research. However, very few studies examine the characteristics of caseworkers employed in both public agencies and private contract agencies, in spite of increased privatization of foster care services. This study compared demographics, attitudes and beliefs, and work history among 51 public agency caseworkers and 30 private agency contract caseworkers in three Midwest counties varying in size from small to large. Caseworkers in public agencies had more experience and commensurately higher salary ranges than those employed by private agencies. Also, a larger proportion of public agency caseworkers in the sample were African American or members of several other ethnic minority groups compared to caseworkers in private contract agencies. Differences were noted in caseworkers' negative attitudes toward drug-using parents, alcohol-abusing parents, and parents with a mental illness, with caseworkers in private contract agencies expressing more negative attitudes toward parents with these conditions. On average, workers across types of agency thought that parents preferred more involvement in treatment planning than the workers themselves preferred. Results are discussed according to their implications for supervision and training of caseworkers, for research, and for policy-making.Caseworker characteristics Foster care Privatization Demographics Attitudes