Bullying is a problem that affects the academic, social, and emotional well-being of scores of children and youths daily in U.S. schools. Understanding how to influence the environment in which the bullying occurs is essential to creating safe schools. Whole-school intervention programs train teachers, school staff, and administrators to model and…

Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a promising practice for communities to engage in self-determination through the efforts residents invest in identifying community assets, framing and documenting the issues communities face, and taking action to advance quality of life. The ABCD literature does not report on the application of ABCD…

This article describes Aspire, a new motivational interviewing (MI) early intervention program designed to prevent dropout among students repeating the ninth grade, and then examines the feasibility and acceptability of this program through a mixed-methods approach. The Aspire program is a nine-lesson curriculum grounded in MI with an emphasis on…

Chronic school absenteeism among elementary school-age students is gaining attention from researchers and policymakers because of its relationship to long-term negative educational outcomes. Current literature on effective interventions, however, is limited in terms of the number of studies that have found even marginally effective interventions,…

For more than a century, social workers have been a life force within the education system. Throughout recent history school social workers have had an array of responsibilities within the school community. They have served as counselors, mediators, and advocates. Traditionally, school social workers have been primary facilitators of communication…

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between disability, victims, perpetrators, and so-called "bully-victims" (someone reporting being both a victim and a perpetrator) of traditional, cyber, or combined victimization or perpetration and psychosomatic health among adolescents. Authors analyzed cross-sectional data…

Bullying is prevalent in our culture and can be recognizable through a competitive, capitalistic economy and a dominance hierarchy. Based on dominance, bullying continues to be a problem in our public schools as witnessed through nationally televised stories in Colorado (Columbine), Vermont (Ryan Halligan), and Missouri (Megan Meier), to name a…

Educational policies require the use of data and progress monitoring frameworks to guide instruction and intervention in schools. As a result, different problem-solving models such as multitiered systems of supports (MTSS) have emerged that use these frameworks to improve student outcomes. However, problem-focused models emphasize negative…

This article examines friend support and behavior, assessing for interdependent relationships with adolescent behavior and well-being. Keeping with an ecological framework, relationships were examined in the context of other risk and protective factors in youths' homes, neighborhoods, and schools. Using data from the School Success Profile,…

This national study reports the prevalence of cyberbullying among youths in Canada according to demographic characteristics, its impact, and its relationship to six forms of victimization and perpetration. Cross-sectional data were obtained from a national household panel of families living in all Canadian provinces. The sample included 1,001…

The authors present a case history of the growth and development of school social work services between 2000 and 2012 in the San Francisco Unified School District. Responding to a gap in the literature describing growth of school social work services in local educational contexts, this case history reveals, consistent with prior research, that…

Childhood trauma affects many youths across the United States and has a devastating impact on their functioning, well-being, and overall academic and vocational outcomes. Experiences of psychological trauma can impede cognitive, social, and emotional development in childhood, which can impair youth academic achievement, behavior, interpersonal…

This article describes a study that investigated whether child welfare-involved youths' school engagement affected delinquency after controlling for peer deviance, caregiver closeness, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study used data from 461 11- to 17-year-olds who had substantiated child maltreatment investigations and…

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15 to 19 years, with male adolescents four times more likely to die than their female peers. This study used Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model to examine micro- and macrosystems as predictors of suicidal behaviors through responses by male adolescents (N = 9,910) to a statewide…

Schools face increasing demands to support the mental health needs of students and families; some estimate that 80 percent of students receive mental health services at school. Thus, schools face two daunting challenges: (1) to provide effective mental health support to students and (2) to address how mental health needs affect other students,…