Objectives: To describe the participants of a university-based COVID-19 contact tracing course and determine whether the course changed knowledge, attitudes, and intention to participate in contact tracing. Participants: Faculty, staff, and students were eligible. Methods: Surveys evaluated the impact of the course on participant intentions to…

Although mental health concerns are common among children and adolescents, youth-serving adults often feel underprepared in responding to these challenges. Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a training program designed to teach adults how to assist youths experiencing mental health or addiction challenges. This pilot program evaluation study…

Over the past 20 years there has been a major focus on increasing educational opportunities for African American students. As part of efforts to increase these opportunities, high schools across the country have focused initiatives on increasing the number of African American students enrolling in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. While the number…

Background/Context: Childhood trauma can increase preschooler's risk for behavioral problems, poor student-teacher relationships, and expulsion (Loomis, 2020; Zeng et al., 2019). Efforts have been undertaken to address the gaps in knowledge and confidence of ECE teachers by integrating trauma-informed approaches into ECE settings, who by virtue of…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effectiveness of one specific freshman mathematics intervention program on improving students' mathematics knowledge and to examine student perceptions and attitudes towards mathematics. Students participating in the mathematics intervention program were assigned to two math classes each…

This study used a combination of surveys and drawing-based metrics to evaluate whether integration of art-based activities into EE camp programing could enhance environmental orientations of diverse youth ages 6-12 (n = 285) in Athens, GA, USA. Compared to a control group, art-based EE had a positive effect on children's eco-awareness and…

Background: Threat assessment is a widely recommended practice used by schools to investigate and respond to student threats of violence; however, students are often reluctant to disclose threats. Methods: We developed an online educational program for students to increase their understanding of threat assessment and the need to report serious…

Background: National data confirm that youth are not eating recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables (F/V), legumes, and whole grains (WGs). Establishing plant-based eating patterns early in life may positively impact long-term health through tracking of adolescent eating patterns into adulthood and through potential associations between…

Over the past decade, the author and their colleagues have been carrying out research to try to better understand the factors that shape students' engagement with science, as well as their science and career aspirations. The ASPIRES/ASPIRES 2 studies have tracked a cohort of students in England from the age of 10 to 18, combining large-scale…

This study examined the effects of the Local Systemic Change Through Teacher Enhancement Initiative (LSC) on 1,596 in-service high school mathematics teachers' knowledge. Because data are clustered by schools, a hierarchical linear model was calculated. It was found that five of the characteristics of the professional development, time to reflect,…

Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands (STSM) is a non-profit organization located in South Carolina focused on providing services for survivors of sexual assault, as well as community education to identify and prevent sexual violence. One of these programs, the Building Health Communities Curriculum (BHCC) (previously known as the Youth Violence…

Despite decades of research supporting family engagement's benefits on children's social, emotional, behavioral, and academic development (Hill & Tyson, 2009; Jeynes, 2012; Patall et al., 2010; Sheridan et al., 2010), teachers are not always adequately prepared to work with families (Chavkin & Williams, 1988; Epstein & Sanders, 2006;…

Parents' involvement in early intervention (EI) services fosters positive developmental trajectories in young children. Although EI research on parenting skills has been abundant, fewer data are available on parents' knowledge of normative child development. Sixty-seven mothers of children participating in a Midwestern city's EI program completed…

STEM Pathways aims to increase youths' long-term interest, learning and achievement in STEM through a deliberate and interconnected system of STEM learning opportunities. STEM Pathways is a partnership between five informal STEM organizations--The Bakken, Bell Museum of Natural History, Minnesota Zoo, STARBASE Minnesota, and The Works--and the…

STEM Pathways aims to increase youths' long-term interest, learning, and achievement in STEM through a deliberate and interconnected system of STEM learning opportunities. In fall 2014 and spring 2015, a survey was administered to fourth- and fifth-grade students at the six STEM Pathways schools in Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS). Most of the…