Supporting Students with Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Prevention and Intervention Strategies

by
Lee Kern, Ph.D.
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Michael P. George, Ed.D.
Centennial School of Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Mark D. Weist, Ph.D.
University of South Carolina
Baltimore • London • Sydney

About the Authors

Michael P. George, Ed.D.

Michael P. George, Ed.D., received his doctorate in special education from the University of Missouri–Columbia and is presently Director of Centennial School of Lehigh University. For nearly 30 years, Dr. George has been an administrator of programs for children and youth with the most severe social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties. He has served as a director of day school programs in St. Louis County, Missouri; Eugene, Oregon; and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His work on behalf of students and families has received numerous accolades over the years, including recognition by the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Institutes for Research, CNN, and ABC’s Nightline.

Mark D. Weist, Ph.D.

Mark D. Weist, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 1991 and is currently the director of the clinical community program and professor of school psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina. He was on the faculty of the University of Maryland for 19 years, where he helped to found and direct the Center for School Mental Health, one of two national centers providing leadership in the advancement of school mental health policies and programs in the United States. He has edited nine books and has published and presented widely in school mental health and in the areas of positive behavioral interventions and supports, interconnecting school mental health and positive behavioral interventions and supports, trauma, violence and youth.

Enhancing Student Connectedness to School

The Importance of Student Connectedness

In one of the largest studies on student health, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Resnick et al., 1997), more than 36,000 students from 7th through 12th grades were surveyed on risk, protective, and personal adjustment factors. A range of individual, family, and school factors were found to be associated with positive student adjustment including school connectedness, family–child connectedness, high expectations among parents for school achievement, and student involvement in religious activities. Notably, student connectedness to school was found to be the most powerful factor in protecting male and female students from substance use, early sexual involvement, excessive school absences, and exposure to injury and violence (Resnick et al., 1997).

General Themes in Promoting Student Connectedness

Strategies described are based on the presumption that 1) the school is committed to enhancing student connectedness and 2) there is a team of interdisciplinary staff that is meeting regularly to guide implementation and ongoing quality improvement of student support, prevention, and intervention in Tiers 1, 2, and 3. This team should be operating with up-to-date literature and strategies to promote student connectedness to school. The CDC identified four critical themes to enhance student connectedness:

1. Support offered to students by adults
2. Student belongingness to a positive peer group
3. Student commitment to education
4. A positive school environment

Tier 1 Strategies to Increase Student Connectedness

The Wingspread Declaration on School Connectedness identified 60 strategies to promote student connectedness. These strategies include clear and inclusive opportunities for decision making for students and staff, mechanisms for families to provide guidance to schools, and adequate professional development for staff to enable skills in responding to diverse needs of students.

Parent or Family Involvement in School

In general, the more parents and family members are involved in school and their child’s education, the better the outcomes are for individual students. The engagement of school staff with families should be respectful and collaborative, avoiding blame and working toward building rapport.

Enhancing Protective Factors

Enhancing student connectedness to school relates to a long history of important research on protective factors for positive youth development. Some specific protective factors include:

• Supportive and caring teachers
• Consistently high but achievable school expectations
• Orderly and safe school environments
• Clear school-wide expectations for student behavior

Improving Classroom Environments

The classroom environment has an important influence on students’ feelings of connectedness. Creating safe, affirming, and productive classroom spaces is critical for increasing academic engagement.

Enhancing Student Aspirations

The Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations focuses on increasing engagement in school by enabling students to pursue their aspirations. This includes promoting a sense of belonging, support from peers and adults, recognition of achievements, and encouraging leadership and responsibility.

Tier 2 Strategies to Increase Student Connectedness

In addition to Tier 1 strategies, specific Tier 2 strategies can be used for students showing early signs of challenges, including mentoring programs and reducing conflict through school programs focused on emotional and behavioral support.

Tier 3 Strategies to Increase Student Connectedness

For students with more serious emotional and behavioral issues, schools should implement comprehensive support plans, engaging students and families as partners in care and focusing on collaborative relationships to enhance outcomes.

Increasing Relationships Among Schools and Other Youth-Serving Systems

Schools often operate in isolation from systems like juvenile justice and health care, making collaboration essential to meeting the needs of youth experiencing trauma and other challenges. The Interconnected Systems Framework outlines how schools can become anchoring points for multisystem collaboration.

Summary

Student connectedness to school is a powerful protective factor that promotes success in school and beyond. Enhancements can be made through positive relationships, mentoring programs, and improved connections with other youth-serving systems.