In the United States truancy prevention is lacking two key elements to success; research that explains the causes of truancy and empirical evidence for best practices of truancy prevention. Truancy has been a problem in academics since the early 1900's, when truancy became illegal. Since then, truancy rates have continued to see a steady increase,…

This research seeks to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of a behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) program within the Mansfield Independent School District, catering to students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The primary focus of the BTAM initiative is to detect early signs of potential violence in students'…

The leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States is tobacco product use. The 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, which was completed in 2022, showed that the e-cigarette epidemic among youth continues to remain a public health threat. The survey revealed that over 2.5 million middle and high school students…

Much of the sexual assault prevention literature on the university level focuses on individual institutions' varied efforts to address incidences of sexual assault on their campuses and their outcomes (Donais et al., 2018). While consent education programming has emerged as one such effort, there is a dearth of evaluative literature in this area…

"The issue of what to do in response to suicidal students is anything but a clear one" (Harshbarger, 2014, para. 3). How to best support students with severe mental illness is an ongoing challenge for institutions of higher education. Institutions must adapt to a rapidly changing landscape of evolving federal policy, case law, and…

It should be noted that about a year after this researcher began work on this dissertation, he became seriously ill, greatly interfering with his ability to function. In 2019 he was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, a terminal lung disease. As his physical condition continued to worsen, work on the dissertation came to practically a…

Alcohol use, especially heavy or binge-drinking behavior, among college students continues to be an area in need of prevention and effective clinical intervention. With the myriad of known consequences that are associated with problematic and risky drinking, it is crucial that there are evidence-based programs available and offered to college…

The present study provides a "breadth" and "depth" perspective of the current landscape for school suicide prevention (SSP). Despite an increase in SSP programming, practices, and policy, there remains a gap in understanding of how widely these activities are disseminated and implemented. Additionally, there is a lack of…

This research study was to obtain, through the application of a qualitative narrative design of open-ended questions, the perceptions of school administrators regarding the effectiveness of the 2015 modified legislated implementation of House Bill 2398 and Texas Truancy Prevention Measures programs (TTPM). The TTPM policies and procedures are…

As eating disorders symptomatology often begins during adolescence, schools have a unique and essential role. Specifically, schools can be at the forefront in the intervention and prevention of eating disorders to implement programs that work. In addition, schools can reach students at individual and universal levels, positively impacting those at…

Rising youth suicide rates in the last several years have become an increasingly critical issue both nationwide and within the state of Utah. In a World Health Organization (2019) suicide report, it was found that an estimated 62,118 youths between the ages of 10 and 19 completed suicide in 2016, making suicide the second leading cause of death…

Chronic absenteeism and truancy have plagued the United States for more than a century. Various interventions have been utilized, yet eight million students are absent from school every day, and seven million meet the threshold for chronic absenteeism in a school year. Some communities implemented voluntary court-based truancy diversion programs…

Graduate school is a high stress situation due to the need of fulfilling expectations while balancing various personal, professional, and educational obligations. As a result, graduate students are especially susceptible to mental health conditions during their educational journey. Take a Stability Equilibrium Course ("Take a SEC") was…

Theories abound on why school shootings occur. Current literature centers on shooter profiles and rarely focuses on where the shootings occur. This study investigates the relationship between impoverished schools and if those schools are more likely to experience a school shooting than non-impoverished schools. Four factors of poverty were…

The purpose of this study was to apply two of Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Training Evaluation to evaluate the implementation of PAX Good Behavior Game training in a challenged Ohio middle school. The study explored teacher "reactions" to and perceived "learning" from the training as it relates to the middle school's goals, and…