An SEA Guide for Identifying Evidence-Based Interventions for School Improvement

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The law focuses on using research evidence to improve teaching and learning and at the same time passes considerable authority from federal to state policymakers. This means that responsibility largely falls on states and localities to effectively make sense of and use research evidence in their decisions around school improvement, teacher preparation, principal recruitment, and family engagement. With support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Overdeck Family Foundation, and the William T. Grant Foundation, the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) has developed Guides for Identifying Evidence-Based Interventions for School Improvement

Assessing the value of action learning for social enterprises and charities

In this paper we evaluate action learning for leaders of social enterprises and charities. Based on ethnographic research including participant observation, facilitator reflective diary notes and in-depth, qualitative interviews with participants of two action learning sets undertaken over eight months, analysed using Wenger et al.’s (2011) value creation framework, we show how the current and future value of action learning is perceived by the participants. We seek to give a deeper understanding of the perceived value of action learning in the context of the not-for profit sector. We discuss how the value creation framework can be used to think about learning interventions such as action learning, the value of which is notoriously challenging to articulate both in terms of evaluating action learning and forward planning value

Decreasing Unwanted Behaviors in The Classroom Through the Implementation of a Social-Emotional Curriculum

Social-emotional learning programs can have an influence on social and emotional competencies which may lead to a decrease in unwanted behaviors in the classroom. This study examined the effects of one social-emotional learning program, Positive Action, on decreasing unwanted behaviors in the classroom in a rural Northeastern Iowa middle school. Participants included ten 6th grade students, 2 girls and 8 boys, who had received referrals prior to the implementation of the program. The number of referrals received was retrieved from the school district’s JMC gradebook program which had a discipline referral component. A checklist was used to record the number of referrals one year prior to the implementation of the program up to the date of implementation and then weekly for five weeks after implementation. Results of the dependent samples t-test revealed a significant difference between the baseline and the final week of data collection. After the implementation of Positive Action, there was a significant decrease in the number of referrals students received. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of the program over the intended course of three years, including a larger number of students from more than one school district

Solving the mystery of recurring low level contamination.

This article is a research review of a study that identified bacteria on cleanroom garments to solve the mystery of recurring low-level contamination in a facility

Macro Social Work (SW 6061) Syllabus

This syllabus is the prototype for SW 6061 a revitalized generalist macro social work course that will first be taught in the semester system. The format is a departure from the quarter system format and the process of development involved all faculty

Neurobiological Effects of Trauma and The Efficacy of Play Therapy in a School-Based Setting

There is evidence that play therapy, used in a school-based setting, can be effective when working clinically with children who have experienced developmental trauma and exhibit the resulting maladaptive behaviors and symptoms. There are benefits and drawbacks to working within the schools to access children in need. Some benefits are consistent access to the clients and working with a team of other professionals to meet children’s needs. Drawbacks can be the lack of access to families and the infrequency of treatment. This paper explores the literature on the neurological impacts of developmental trauma on multiple levels of children’s functioning to provide a better understanding of the many challenging behaviors seen in schools. Also explored is how the age at which the trauma occurs has identifiable outcomes based on neurodevelopment. In particular, I will explore using Bruce Perry’s (2009) neurosequential model of therapeutics and how this framework can be applied to treatment and clinical decision making. Then considered is the question of effectiveness of treatment in a school-based setting based on the identified clinical approaches that are expected to work best, in particular, the use of play therapy. The overall purpose of this paper is to provide support for the strength of clinical work that does take place despite the limitations of the school-based setting