School Crisis Research Articles

Thematic review on counseling crisis and intervention in school

Crisis counseling and intervention in schools play a crucial role in addressing students' psychological needs during crisis, yet there is limited comprehensive literature reviewing their application and effectiveness.This thematic review synthesizes research on crisis counseling and intervention in schools, descriptions, and evaluations. A systematic search was conducted using the Scopus and Web of Science databases to identify relevant studies published between 2019 and 2023. A total of 25 studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria and were analyzed to extract key themes related to crisis counseling and intervention in schools. Three primary themes emerged from the analysis: (1) the roles of school counselors, (2) crisis preparedness, and (3) crisis intervention strategies. These themes were explored in relation to various methodologies used in the studies, highlighting multiple approaches counselors use to integrate crisis counseling knowledge for prevention and intervention within school settings. The review underscores the importance of school counselors' roles in crisis preparedness and intervention. However, further empirical research is needed to support and expand upon current recommendations, ensuring more effective crisis counseling practices in schools.

School-Home Crisis Communication During the First Wave of COVID-19

ABSTRACT In early 2020, UNESCO acknowledged that the scale of educational disruption associated with COVID-19 was unparalleled. Schools were forced to react swiftly. However, while remote learning has received considerable attention, less is understood of how educational leaders communicated during the COVID crisis. The study of school leaders’ initial crisis communications in response to government-mandated school closures is thus warranted. Accordingly, this study analyses a cross-section of seventeen Australian schools for the period late February through early April 2020 (i.e. term 1), with a focus on the emergency stage of schools’ crisis response, rather than the later remote learning continuity planning phase. A mixed-method research approach was adopted. Phase one involved quantitative content analysis of e-mail frequency, words per-sentence, readability (as measured by Flesch), and grade-level communication pitched at (as measured by Flesch-Kinkaid). Surprisingly, parents required university education to effectively comprehend the e-mails. Phase two confirmed that schools performed well in the first four of Smith & Riley’s (2012) five-step school crisis response model (getting the facts, implementing contingency plans, being decisive, showing concern), but were less effective at facilitating two-way communication. An additional (sixth) insight emerged in the form of school community.

Examining school crisis plan components using the comprehensive crisis plan checklist—Second edition

AbstractCreating a plan for crisis prevention, intervention, and postvention procedures allows schools to prepare for the traumatic consequences when a crisis inevitably occurs. The comprehensive crisis plan checklist—second edition (CCPC‐2; McCleary & Aspiranti, 2020) is a 102‐item tool created for evaluating individual school and district crisis plans. The current study examined existing crisis plans from school districts across the United States to determine the amount and type of CCPC‐2 items that are present within school crisis plans. The number of CCPC‐2 items represented on the 73 plans evaluated ranged from 0 to 67 with a mean of 22.29 items. The average number of plans that included a single item on the CCPC‐2 was 16. There were no significant differences in the number of CCPC‐2 items represented across different geographic locations, urbanicity (urban, suburban, rural), or district/school‐level plan type. Discussion focuses on how crisis teams within the schools can use the CCPC‐2 when creating, reviewing, or revising their district‐ or school‐level crisis plan.

The Teenage Pregnancy Crisis in South Africa Among High School Students, Causes, Implications and Possible Solutions: A Literature Review

The objective of this paper was to examine the causes, implications, and possible solutions to the teenage pregnancy crisis in South African high schools. The paper employed a qualitative literature review using secondary data in order to answer the objective of this paper. The paper employed the Ecological Systems The theory proposed explanation for the high rate of teen pregnancy among south African high school students. The paper found that there may be a variety of ramifications from the rising incidence of teenage pregnancy among South African high school pupils. They are interrupted from progressing with their education; they may also experience health- and psychological-related risks and social distress. The paper suggested that making contraceptives more accessible should also involve providing thorough contraception counselling for young high school girls, allowing them to make informed choices. Finally, the Department of Education should consider revising subject policies to accommodate the necessary changes, such as comprehensive sex education in schools.

The politics of distraction in planning English-medium education policy in schools

ABSTRACT This article presents the findings of a critical ethnography focused on the English-medium instruction (EMI) policy in Nepal’s public schools. Through the analysis of policy documents and interviews with policymakers, the study reveals that policymakers view the EMI policy as a solution to the crisis in public schools by enhancing their competitiveness with private English-medium schools. However, this approach is identified as a ‘politics of distraction’, as it diverts attention from broader issues such as implicit privatization, funding cuts, and accountability deficits for implementing multilingual education policy. By framing EMI as a public policy doctrine using discursive strategies (e.g. neoliberal rationalization and justification) and suggesting that the crisis can be resolved through school privatization, which in turn promotes commodified languages like English and the national dominant language, Nepali, over local/Indigenous languages, policymakers largely disregard inequalities, structural conditions, and reinforce the existing unequal power relations. By diverting attention from critical issues, policymakers perpetuate historical marginalization, colonial agendas and ideologies, and unequal power asymmetries, failing to address systemic challenges. The research underscores the necessity of scrutinizing the motivations and agendas underlying the promotion of EMI in mainstream schools in multilingual contexts.

일반학교의 정서행동 위기학생을 위한 긍정적행동지원 참여자의 인식과 경험, 지원 요구: 포커스그룹인터뷰*

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions, experiences, and support needs of participants in Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) implemented to support students with emotional and behavioral crises in general schools. Focus Group Interviews (FGIs) involved five homeroom teachers directly implementing PBS in general schools and four members who supported them. Analysis of the interviews, conducted in two rounds, yielded 9 categories and 26 meaning units across three domains. First, exploring the status of life guidance and perceptions of PBS in general schools unveiled the unique significance and importance of PBS over existing life guidance policies. Second, exploring the experience of implementing PBS in general schools revealed possibilities for expansion, despite differences and constraints varying by school level. Third, exploring the support needs for establishing PBS in general schools confirmed demands at the levels of students, teachers, schools, school districts, and the government. The results of this study could serve as foundational data useful for expanding the PBS in general schools.

Teach the Crisis: arguments for teaching the Cartoon Crisis in primary school

ABSTRACT The proposal to turn the so-called Cartoon Crisis into the obligatory history curriculum of the primary school system has been debated publicly over the years. Pros and cons regarding its integration into a teaching environment have been put forward. Since 2021, the proposal has also been formally debated as a bill and put to vote in the Danish parliament two times – each time voted down by the current government. Despite the bill’s defeat, I present here a number of principled arguments for making the so-called Cartoon Crisis (including the actual drawings) an obligatory teaching subject in the Danish school system. The arguments can be summed up as an encouragement to ‘Teach the Crisis’. Choosing not to include the Crisis and its primary sources in the teaching will only instal the proverbial elephant in the classroom and is probably a short-term solution for the cultural, social, and political challenges that Denmark will meet in the future.

Leadership Agility of Indonesian School Leaders During a Crisis: A Grounded Theory Approach

This study investigated how school leaders engaged in agility practices during crisis. The study outcome is hoped to help generate an in-depth understanding, rich description, and new proposition of leadership agility in school leaders. Using grounded theory approach, this study presents findings from semi-structured interviews with 28 participants. By using the qualitative software tool NVivo 12, the study builds on theme constructs of resources readiness, crisis strains, leaders’ agile capabilities, and crisis solutions. Key findings elaborated from the themes include the staff digital competence, school infrastructure, learning loss, lack of personal connection, leaders’ agile capabilities, support of school community, and school leaders’ ability to build the culture of collaboration during crisis. The findings presented deeper insights on how the school leaders led their organizations during a crisis and how their agile capabilities which are represented by their ability to adapt, being flexible, active learner, being a role model, and having future – oriented mindset is crucial for use during periods of novel crisis in schools. The identification of how the agile school leaders led their schools during a crisis could help fill the existing gaps in agile school leadership under the context of COVID-19. 
 
 Received: 8 September 2023 / Accepted: 20 December 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024

Grappling with Life After Loss as Educator Leaders: An Invitation to Transformational Educator Grief Healing Work

When a student dies, educators must cope with their own grief while supporting the grief of their surviving students. Educators have navigated student death for centuries, but today’s educators face new circumstances—gun-related violence, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasingly-common natural disasters—and persistent reminders of student death via 24-hour news cycles and social media feeds. Such experiences occur in the context of a Western propensity to dismiss grief as a distraction from production. Having few or no cultural habits to depend on, school leaders may lack the ability to effectively care for educators in the wake of a student’s death. Outlined herein is the School Crisis Recovery and Renewal project. Described in detail is the Life After Loss Tables: Educators Edition program, a set of practices that aim to rehumanize the educator grief healing process by hosting educators in a co-created supportive and regenerative space. Practical recommendations are outlined.

EVIDENCE-BASED SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK AND INCREASING PSYCHOSOCIAL RESILIENCE IN PUPILS

School social work has a long history internationally, being the oldest subspecialisation in the field, and for over 20 years, emphasis has been placed on evidence-based practice. The recent events humanity has faced highlight the necessity for students to be prepared for major traumatic situations. In many countries, efforts have been made to facilitate practitioners' access to the latest research to enhance intervention effectiveness. The main purpose of this work is to highlight the most effective evidence-based intervention methods that school social workers need to use when working with students dealing with depression, age-specific anxieties, phobias, frustration intolerance, the parents' divorce, homelessness, anger, aggression, suicidal thoughts, or attempts. We present the PREPaRE Model, an effective response to school crisis situations, and an effective way to enhance psychosocial resilience in students, The Window of Empowerment and Resilience (Șoitu, 2012). Evidence-based school social work is founded on the proven-effective research for addressing emotional management, stress, and anger in (pre)adolescent students.

Effect of a School Counselor Training on Self-Efficacy in Crisis Handling

We presented a 4-hour training program designed to enhance school counselors’ self-efficacy in handling school crises, with a specific focus on school shootings. Employing a pretest-posttest research design using the School Counselor Response to Violent Crisis Questionnaire, we found that the training was effective in improving the self-efficacy of participants (<em>n</em> = 35) in crisis handling. We discovered, in our pilot study, that crisis training specifically tailored to school counselors can be effective in enhancing their self-efficacy in crisis handling. We discuss our study’s implications for school counselors, workshop leaders, school leaders, and researchers.

Relationship Between the Obstacles of Educational Counseling and Counseling Skills in Dealing with Crises in the Suburbs of Jerusalem’s Schools

This study aims to identify the relationship between the obstacles to educational counseling and counseling skills in dealing with crises in the suburbs of Jerusalem’s schools. The study sample consisted of (71) counselors, males and females. The study results revealed an inverse relationship between the obstacles to educational counseling and counseling skills in dealing with crises in schools in the suburbs of Jerusalem. The findings of the study showed that there were no differences in the average degree of educational counseling obstacles in the suburbs of Jerusalem’s schools due to the variable of gender, except for those of the counselor himself, where the differences were in favor of males. The findings also revealed no differences for the variables of years of experience and specialization. In addition, the findings showed no differences in the level of counseling skills in dealing with crises due to gender, years of experience, and specialization variables, except for the field of counseling (interventional) skills to deal with crises in favor of counselors specializing in psychology.

Adolescent psychological adjustment and social supports during pandemic-onset remote learning: A national multi-wave daily-diary study.

In spring 2020, U.S. schools universally transitioned to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic's onset, thus creating a natural experiment for examining adolescents' risk and resilience during an ongoing school crisis response. This longitudinal study used a daily-diary approach to investigate the role of social support in the link between remote learning and psychological well-being across 64 days among a national sample of adolescents (n = 744; 42% Black, 36% White, 22% Other ethnicity/race; 41% boys; 72% eligible for free/reduced-priced lunch; Mage=14.60, SDage=1.71, age-range = 12-17 years). On days when youth attended remote learning, they reported lower daily positive affect, more daily stress, and higher parent social support. There were no significant differences in the effect of remote learning on affect or stress by race or economic status. On days when youth experienced more parent support, they reported lower daily stress and negative affect and higher daily positive affect. On days when youth experienced more peer support, they reported higher daily positive affect. Overall, the study highlights the impact of pandemic-onset remote learning on adolescents' psychological well-being and emphasizes the need for future research on school crisis contingency planning to address these challenges.

The reality of school crises management in public schools in capital city of sana'a, Republic of Yemen

هدفت الدراسة للتعرف على واقع إدارة الأزمات المدرسية بمدارس التعليم العام بأمانة العاصمة صنعاء بالجمهورية اليمنية، ولتحقيق ذلك استخدمت الباحثة المنهج الوصفي المسحي، كما تم تصميم استبانة طبقت على عينة قوامها (650) مديرا ووكيلا ومعلما، وتوصلت نتائج الدراسة إلى أن واقع إدارة الأزمات المدرسية بمدارس التعليم العام بأمانة العاصمة – صنعاء بالجمهوية اليمنية جاء بدرجة عالية، وعلى مستوى كل مجال حيث كانت على التوالي (فاعلية إدارة الأزمات المدرسية، استعادة النشاط، مجابهة الأزمة، التعليم والتقييم، والإنذار المبكر، والاستعداد والوقاية)، كما كشفت النتائج عن وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية عند مستوى (0.05 ≥ α) في استجابات أفراد العينة لواقع إدارة الأزمات المدرسية في مدارس التعليم العام بأمانة العاصمة صنعاء بالجمهورية اليمنية تُعزى لمتغير (النوع الاجتماعي) لصالح الذكور، وفي متغير المسمى الوظيفي لصالح المديرين، ولا توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية لمتغيري المنطقة التعليمية، وعدد مرات المشاركة، وفي ضوء تلك النتائج أوصت الباحثة بضرورة اهتمام القيادات الإدارية العليا في وزارة التربية والتعليم بمراحل إدارة الأزمة وخصوصاً مرحلة الإنذار إذ من خلالها تستطيع القيادات الإدارية التنبؤ بالمتغيرات التي في إدارة التعليم مستقبلاً.

Digital cognitive behavioural psychoeducation as a free, mass intervention that can involve all school psychologists offi ces in Poland

The article presents the possibility of implementation of digital cognitive behavioural psychoeducation as a mass, free intervention in Polish schools. The author describes the iFightDepression tool which was implemented as part of the EAAD-Best.eu project, funded by the European Commission. This tool can involve a lot of users, increase access to treatment and reach people who are reluctant to use traditional mental health services. iFightDepression is based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and has been clinically tested to show positive antidepressant effects. The author draws attention to the possibility of using the tool as an element of prevention in school psychological and pedagogical offices, which may contribute to reducing mental health crises in Polish schools.

Utilisation of ICT Tools for School Governance amid COVID-19 Crisis in South Africa

Teaching and learning activities in South African schools are a focus of several research on the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) resources during the COVID-19 crisis. However, more studies are required to examine how the school principals and the parent-members of the School Governing Bodies (SGBs) used the ICT tools to undertake communication on school governance activities during the COVID-19 lockdown. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis in South African schools, this study examined the use of ICT technologies for decision-making communications relating to issues of school governance between the principals and the SGBs. Utilising a quantitative research methodology, information was gathered from 126 school principals who were chosen at random from the Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) in East London, South Africa. The data analysis method employed was descriptive statistics. The findings showed that the majority of SGB parent members had basic ICT skills, could read and write, used ICT tools like smartphones, voice calls, and SMS messaging, which enabled them to interact with school principals and take part in decision-making related to school governance activities during the COVID-19 crisis. The participants described some of the difficulties associated with their choice of ICT tools, including broken smart phones, a lack of expertise with WhatsApp and Telegram, and slow message answers. The study concludes that the SGBs need to align their school policies with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and adopt more ICT platforms for effective communications, governance, teaching, and learning activities in the new normal. It also recommends that, school principals and other SGB members still need to be trained and retrained for the use of ICT tools for efficient virtual or online participation in meetings; and there is also a need to equip SGB members with digital devices such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, and internet data subscriptions to encourage their participation in meetings from homes, offices or any other locations outside of school premises.

Stanley Cavell on the “Disgusting Child”: Ordinary Aesthetics and the Mental Health Crisis in Schools

AbstractThis article explores Stanley Cavell’s ordinary aesthetics through a close reading of one passage inThe Claim of Reason. This close reading leads to the suggestion that educating our aesthetic sense and responsiveness has ethical implications, especially as these relate to the mental health crisis in schools. The article draws implications for individuals in caring relationships with young people, suggesting that Cavell’s thinking on ordinary aesthetics is a powerful tool in our time.

Maryland universities receive $2.5 million in funds for MH training

Four Maryland universities will receive more than $2.5 million in federal funding to beef up the number of mental health professionals available to schools, National Public Radio reported on May 16. The University of Maryland, Baltimore; Johns Hopkins University; Bowie State University and Loyola University Maryland each will receive federal grants from the U.S. Education Department ranging from $377,000 for Loyola to $825,000 for UMD‐Baltimore. The funds stem from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, legislation signed into law nearly a year ago. The five‐year program gives out funds to tackle mental health crises in schools and has already awarded $286 million across 48 states and territories. “Disruption in schools due to COVID‐19, economic anxiety, job losses, and learning challenges have exacer‐bated pre‐existing mental health challenges,” said House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D‐Conn.). “Our youth need help, and this is a burden that teachers, administrators, and parents cannot alleviate on their own. These grants will expand the program's reach, helping to move us closer to my goal of ensuring every child goes to a school that has a qualified mental health professional on staff.”

Myśl Janusza Korczaka/ Henryka Goldszmita w kontekście debat obywatelskich o edukacji w Polsce oraz dyskusji nad realizacją demokratycznych praw dziecka w edukacji

The article shows the conclusions of the debates on education that took place in Poland in 2017–2019, as a result of the crisis of the Polish school that citizens wanted to heal. The crisis in education continues, and it is not becoming more democratic as it has been further weakened by the trauma of the pandemic, economic and political control, and the effects of the war in Ukraine, which have exposed the collapse of the system even more. Conclusions from the debates, confronted with the universality of what Janusz Korczak/ Henryk Goldszmit wrote, show how extremely contemporary, after a turbulent five years, is the recognition of the school as a place of education to democracy and a place for students to experience democracy. Korczak also lived in difficult times leading to war, but despite the current affairs, he always emphasised the need to change in us – adults. He wrote about the changes necessary for the realisation of children’s rights and about the shortcomings of education provided by their guardians. For him, democracy meant partnership with the child in building social reality in which the process of learning democracy should not take place without the active participation of children, but on the contrary, with their active contribution. His thought is still an element of hope for change. Both civic debates and Korczak’s reflections show the need to return to the values of upbringing, supporting the development and partner dialogue in learning, in spite of, or rather because of the weaknesses of school as the institution with the aim of socialisation, in which democracy seems to be an unnecessary addition, despite declarations.

Responsible School Leadership: Exploring Role Expansion in Crisis and Beyond

Crisis events external to schools can present challenges for teaching and learning, and the ways that school leaders respond to these challenges both immediately and over time can have implications that extend beyond the crisis itself. Drawing on responsible leadership theory (Maak, 2007; Maak & Pless, 2006; Pless, 2007; Pless & Maak, 2011), our qualitative interview study with 26 elementary school principals in 14 states explores how school leaders facilitate learning in a time of crisis. We find that leaders who built and sustained relationships both within their immediate community of stakeholders and beyond with the local district and networks of principal peers ultimately addressed the immediate needs of students as well as created the conditions to support these needs over time. These positive changes impacted all students, but specifically benefitted the schools’ most vulnerable learners, including students receiving special education and English language service. These findings draw attention to the importance of understanding the role that responsible leadership plays in school crisis leadership, specifically the necessity of weaving and brokering relationships that help leaders achieve not only their school-level goals but societal goals, including more equitable learning outcomes, while highlighting the implications of what we identify as role expansion for school leaders.