In this practice brief, we share highlights from the 2022 PBIS Leadership Forum facilitated discussion: Systematic Screening: Practicalities & Considerations. Specifically, we describe what is meant by "systematic screening," explain the importance of systematic screening, provide information on resources to get started with…

The pandemic has exacerbated student dysregulation, leading to drastic changes in academic achievement and student behavior today. Mindfulness, an evidence-based practice, can help to regulate the nervous system (Rashedi et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2019) or "unflip a student's lid" (Siegel, 2012, p. 10-6). This allows students to manage…

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) recently launched the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) Minimum Service Package (MSP). The MSP can address the MHPSS needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises by helping stakeholders coordinate MHPSS responses within and across sectors, addressing gaps, advocating for needs, and…

School psychologists and researchers trained in school mental health, are worried about undergraduate and graduate students. Even pre-COVID-19, college mental health issues had already risen to crisis levels (Becker, 2020); reports early in the pandemic only further demonstrated elevated levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and a need to…

Teacher-Student Relationships (TSRs) contribute to a wide range of positive outcomes for K-12 students. However, many practitioners struggle to build positive relationships with students with challenging behaviors. In this article, we describe how TSR interventions can be structured using an established and common framework: Multi-Tiered Systems…

Purpose: This tutorial highlights the challenges and opportunities school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) face related to engagement with the multitiered systems of support (MTSS) framework in their public school work practices. It positions SLP involvement in MTSS as an area where a gap between research and practice exists and…

This commentary outlines the potential benefits of applying advances in the science of learning and development to special education service delivery and research. Building from a dynamic ecological systems perspective of development, it is argued that special education should focus on the whole child in context to leverage the correlated…

School counselors play an instrumental role in advancing equity and access for students through tiered supports and specifically group counseling. In this article, we propose the need to move away from a deficit-based model of groups focused on student skill gaps. First, we outline a culturally sustaining group approach that focuses on students'…

With increased suicide rates among youth during recent decades, the K-12 educational community still lacks a comprehensive model for suicide prevention that is tailorable for school systems. With this article, we present the Research-Informed Adaptable Model for the Prevention of Suicide in Schools (RAMPSS). A multitiered system of support, RAMPSS…

The contemporary educational experiences of Black girls suggest a disconnect between their success and what they must navigate on their road to success. Given Black girls' experiences, schools must implement systemic intervention as a part of multitiered systems of support. Interventions should engage antiracist frameworks that center on the…

The COVID-19 pandemic thrust the field of school psychology into unchartered territory--navigating how to continue to serve students in need via a virtual format while attempting to adhere to best practices. During this time, the team at Indiana University began implementing trauma-informed multitiered systems of support (TI-MTSS), more…

Disproportionality in exclusionary school discipline is a longstanding challenge in general and special education. To reduce disproportionality in discipline in a way that produces measurable results, federal law provides a mechanism referred to as Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS). Whether a school district has been cited for…

In this "Equity by Design" brief, we outline the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on student learning and wellness. Next, we critique common narratives and responses to student educational difficulties following the start of the pandemic. Finally, we conclude with key considerations for educational decision-making, prevention,…

Due to ongoing inequities, discrimination, and injustice, the antiracist movement has gained momentum in all parts of society, including education and school counseling. A foundational aspect of antiracism is self-reflection to increase awareness, identify biases, and build cultural proficiency. Multitiered systems of support (MTSS) is an…

Schools have long wrestled with how best to deal with student and schooling problems. The COVID-19 pandemic and other recent events have increased the number of such problems. This pressing reality along with growing concerns about social injustice and increasing criticism of public education have heightened calls for changes in how schools play a…