School Partnerships Research Articles

Partnering with Schools to Adapt a Team Science Intervention: Processes and Challenges

AbstractPublic schools are a major provider of mental health services for children in the US. Mental and behavioral health services range from universal programming to individualized clinical supports to address student needs. These services in schools are delivered by various professionals including non-teaching and teaching school personnel, school-employed clinicians, and/or contracted community mental health partners. Provision of mental health services requires complex coordination of providers across disciplines, although few professionals have training in multidisciplinary collaboration strategies. Attention to team processes, such as delineating team members' roles, improving communication, and identifying collaboration strategies, may impact the effectiveness of evidence-based mental health service provision in real world settings. One intervention, Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been used in healthcare with positive outcomes and has been adapted to educational settings. The current paper describes the community-partnered subsequent adaptation of TeamSTEPPS for schools. Needs assessment interviews identified challenges, successes, and goals for student mental health. Overarching themes extracted from interviews include limited resources at multiple levels (e.g., financial support, time, and personnel), communication challenges, and poor role clarity. A community advisory board provided guidance during the adaptation and implementation planning process. Adaptations to the intervention included tailoring the intervention to the school context and the development of flexible training plans. In addition, individualized implementation plans were developed with each school partner to mitigate foreseeable barriers to rolling-out TeamSTEPPS. Our team is currently piloting the adapted TeamSTEPPS intervention and implementation strategies in partnership with three school districts.

Building a Successful Research-Driven COVID-19 Testing Program: Results From an Academic–School Partnership

Building a Successful Research-Driven COVID-19 Testing Program: Results From an Academic–School Partnership

PBL and PjBL Model Training for Muhammadiyah-Aisyiyah Teachers in Malang City

Background: To improve the quality of learning, especially in elementary school education units, various efforts can be made, one of which is the application of innovative learning models (PBL and PjBL). Research on elementary school students has found that elementary school student's ability to think critically and creatively is still lacking. The workshop aims to implement PBL and PjBLto create learning that encourages students to think critically and creatively. Method: This activity involves collaboration with partner schools. Two hundred teachers in Malang Raya will be training participants. The process for implementing this activity is training workshops, mentoring, and implementing BPL and PjBL learning in the classroom. In disseminating this learning model, the team will accompany and make observations. Results: This model has a significant impact on student learning outcomes. Conclusion: Teachers can carry out learning that leads to constructivism, building students' knowledge, fostering independence and discipline.

Pemberdayaan Orangtua dan Guru dalam Meningkatkan Atensi Anak Autis Spectrume Disorder di Sekolah Autis Mitra Ananda Padang

Developmental disorders of joint attention or attention are the main characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Therefore, it is essential to develop these skills in early intervention efforts. Empowering parents and teachers is essential for success in increasing the attention of children with ASD; parents and teachers play an essential role in programs for treating children with ASD. This service explores techniques for empowering parents and teachers to increase attention to children with ASD. Establishing communication and cooperation between parents and teachers is carried out by the management of the Ananda Padang Autistic Partner School. The methods used in this community service activity include lecture, question and answer, discussion, and practice methods. The aim is to provide education to increase the understanding of parents and teachers in increasing the attention of children with ASD. The activity was carried out from 13 and 14 October 2023 with nine parents and nine teachers. There was an increase in scores on the post-test after clients were given education about increasing attention in children with ASD, namely from an average of 2.78 to 4.80. Parents and teachers also felt satisfied with the activities carried out, with an average score for material quality of 6.05, media of 5.60, and benefits of activities of 5.20. The output of this activity is an increase in the knowledge of parents and teachers after receiving education, namely an increase in the average post-test score. The activity info link can be seen at https://forumsumbar.com/berita/38383/tim-pkm-mercubaktijaya-berdayakanorangtua-and-teachers-in-improving-children's-attention-asd/

Adolescents’ and teachers’ experience of shared education: a small-scale qualitative study in Northern Ireland

ABSTRACT This article explores adolescents’ and teachers’ interpretations of shared education through interviews with participating teachers and pupils in one school partnership in Northern Ireland. As an initiative explicitly designed to bring pupils from Catholic and majority Protestant schools together, shared education offers potential for building intergroup relations in Northern Ireland where, despite a peace agreement in 1998, life continues to be characterised by deep political and cultural division. Drawing on the qualitative data from the two participating schools, the research reveals the complexities of contact amongst adolescents in divided contexts so that, although some students frame shared education experiences in positive terms, others are discomfited by the process and report negative experiences. It argues that as adolescents’ tendency towards self-consciousness and social unease may be intensified in shared education programmes, more attention might be placed on their unique characteristics when designing and planning shared classes.

Peningkatan Pemahaman tentang Pendidikan bagi Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus (ABK) “Studi Kasus di SLB Negeri 1 Jayapura”

This service activity aims to provide awareness or increase understanding for teachers in the SLB Negeri 1 Jayapura environment about the importance of education for children with special needs. The method used in this service uses qualitative descriptive research. The results of this research show that the implementation of education in Special Schools does not always run smoothly. There are various problems, both internal and external, as happened at SLB Negeri 1 Jayapura. Seeing situations like this, researchers provide solutions in the form of counseling and assistance. Schools as educational institutions in society greatly determine the dynamics of students' personal development as learners. The teachers as class managers have made such efforts in designing learning and providing encouragement. Teachers become innovators and encouragers. The existence of schools is not only important for normal children, but is also useful for children with special needs (ABK) who have limitations and deficiencies when it comes to interacting with other people. In reality, there are sociocultural obstacles, as happened at SLB Negeri 1 Jayapura. The output achieved through this PKM is increasing the knowledge of teachers in partner schools to improve professionalism and quality of learning through better strategies and teacher roles.

Between & Betwixt: Considerations of Cross-Organizational Readiness in University/Public School Partnership

University partnerships with public schools are an innovative opportunity to marry research and practice. One such endeavor was the Heinz Fellows Program at the Center for Urban Education in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. The Heinz Fellows Program existed at the intersection of community engagement, public school praxis, and university collaboration, with a pursuit of equity and justice. Yet, despite four years of programming, significant investment from philanthropy, and deep commitment from the university and public-school partners, much of the services and activities were not sustained beyond the conclusion of the program. What has remained, though, are salient lessons about the preparatory work each organization must engage in prior to collaboration. A public school is an inherently complex organization, while a university is also complex, but in substantially different ways. Thus, to bridge the chasm, both organizations must participate in self-reflection about their readiness, resources, and right constituents to implement, evaluate, and sustain the collaboration. The article offers a robust framework to consider cross-organizational collaborative readiness and to guide future university/public school partnerships into sustainability.

Partnering with Educators to Iteratively Co-create Tools to Support Teachers’ Use of Equity-Focused Positive Behavioral Supports

In the Maximize Project, we are engaging in a research-practice partnership to co-create implementation strategies to facilitate elementary school teachers’ use of equity-focused positive behavior supports (EF-PBS). In this paper, we describe the processes used to build an interactive, technology-based platform to enhance teachers’ use of EF-PBS via self-reflection, self-assessment, goal setting, and goal review. We describe how we established a multi-disciplinary, multi-state community advisory board to collaborate on Version 1 of platform (Phase 1). We explain how we obtained quantitative and qualitative feedback about the platform from educators in three partnering schools, and how we used those data to produce Version 2 of the platform (Phase 2). Platform use data suggested high utilization in Quarter 1 (August–October) of the school year, when there was protected time to complete activities. However, platform use was moderate in Quarter 2 (October–December) and low in Quarters 3 and 4 (January–May). Educator feedback revealed moderate acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness of the platform and highlighted ways to improve the user experience (e.g., streamlining steps in goal setting, making resources about strategy implementation easier to find). We discuss lessons learned to inform school mental health co-creation endeavors, including strategies for supporting diverse perspectives, for enhancing advisory board members’ voices and confidence, and for creating practical and feasible methods for teachers to benefit from co-created technology-based implementation strategies. Our processes offer guidance for others engaging in research-practice partnerships, developing education technologies and/or supporting teachers’ use of equity-focused practices to improve daily school experiences for all students.

예비 음악교사의 학교현장 실습에 대한 만족도 조사 연구

Field training for pre-service teachers is an important process that helps future teachers understand the school environment and gain expertise in teaching the subject. This study aims to investigate the differences in satisfaction levels of pre-service teachers who have undergone two types of field training in schools, namely, the existing four-week training and semester-based training. For this purpose, this study surveyed pre-service teachers who participated in either four-week or 15-week field training programs to examine the overall content of the training, including class demonstrations, class observations, guidance, and classroom management, and investigated the subjects’ satisfaction factors to draw implications. The survey results showed that pre-service teachers who participated in the semester-based program had high satisfaction levels as well as a strong interest in school life and teachers’ work. In particular, the semester-based practice provided concrete and realistic experiences of teaching required in the actual field through creative activities, a student orchestra, the free-semester system, and music clubs, which were unavailable in the existing four-week program. The result implies that to further enhance the quality of the field training of pre-service music teachers, an organic linkage among schools, the Office of Education, and teacher training institutions is critical to enable the stable operation of semester-based training. To ensure the effectiveness of field training for teachers who will play a significant role in future education, the in-field teaching of major subjects should be considered, and the curricula of teacher training institutions and their continuous connections with partner schools should be systematically restructured.

Communication Training Within Partners in School: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Usability

ABSTRACT Partners in School is a consultation model adapted from Conjoint Behavioral Consultation where parents and teachers identify a mutual concern for children with Autism and then implement the same evidence-based practices (EBPs) across home and school. Adding parent-teacher communication training (School Talk) may bolster the effects of this consultation approach. The purpose of this study was to explore parents’ and teachers’ experiences with School Talk, as well as examine the clinical outcomes of Partners in School plus School Talk. Participants were 21 parents and 21 teachers (n = 21 dyads, N = 42 participants) of preschool to first-grade children with Autism. Results indicated that parents and teachers both rated School Talk as feasible and acceptable, but parents rated it as more usable. There was preliminary evidence that Partners in School with School Talk may be associated with improvements in parent-teacher communication, as well as reductions in the frequency of child concerns.

Exploring the multi-level impacts of a youth-led comprehensive sexuality education model in Madagascar using Human-centered Design methods.

Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is recognized as a critical tool for addressing sexuality and reproductive health challenges among adolescents. However, little is known about the broader impacts of CSE on populations beyond adolescents, such as schools, families, and communities. This study explores multi-level impacts of an innovative CSE program in Madagascar, which employs young adult CSE educators to teach a three-year curriculum in government middle schools across the country. The two-phased study embraced a participatory approach and qualitative Human-centered Design (HCD) methods. In phase 1, 90 school principals and administrators representing 45 schools participated in HCD workshops, which were held in six regional cities. Phase 2 took place one year later, which included 50 principals from partner schools, and focused on expanding and validating findings from phase 1. From the perspective of school principals and administrators, the results indicate several areas in which CSE programming is having spill-over effects, beyond direct adolescent student sexuality knowledge and behaviors. In the case of this youth-led model in Madagascar, the program has impacted the lives of students (e.g., increased academic motivation and confidence), their parents (e.g., strengthened family relationships and increased parental involvement in schools), their schools (e.g., increased perceived value of schools and teacher effectiveness), their communities (e.g., increased community connections), and impacted broader structural issues (e.g., improved equity and access to resources such as menstrual pads). While not all impacts of the CSE program were perceived as positive, the findings uncovered opportunities for targeting investments and refining CSE programming to maximize positive impacts at family, school, and community levels.

Building technology integration at an urban school through a PDS partnership

PurposeIn 2022, the Baltimore professional development school (PDS) partner schools, John Ruhruh Elementary/Middle School (JREMS) and Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) received funds through a Maryland Educational Emergency Revitalization (MEER) grant to determine (a) to what extent additional resources and professional development would increase JREMS teachers’ efficacy in technology integration and (b) to what extent NDMU professional development in the form of workshops and self-paced computer science modules would result in greater use of technology in the JREMS K-8 classrooms. Results indicated a statistically significant improvement in both teacher comfort with technology and integrated use of technology in instruction.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected on teacher-stated comfort with technology before and after grant implementation. Teachers’ use of technology was also measured by unannounced classroom visits by administration before and after the grant implementation and through artifacts teachers submitted during NDMU professional development modules.FindingsResults showing significant increases in self-efficacy with technology along with teacher integration of technology exemplify the benefits of a PDS partnership.Originality/valueThis initiative was original in its approach to teacher development by replacing required teacher professional development with an invitation to participate and an incentive for participation (a personal MacBook) that met the stated needs of teachers. Teacher motivation was strong because teammates in a strong PDS partnership provided the necessary supports to induce changes in teacher self-efficacy.

Teacher Role and Domain of Expertise in the 21st Century: Evidence from Preservice Biology Teacher

This research focuses on biology education students' perspectives regarding teacher roles and domains of expertise in the 21st century identified from micro teaching courses. The aimed of this study was to describe the types of teacher roles that emerge in teaching practice in micro teaching courses and identify domains of expertise based on the perceptions of prospective biology teacher students while attending micro teaching courses. This research method is a qualitative based on the lesson study framework. The research instruments used questionnaires, interviews, and the observation of the learning process. The research results show that there are weaknesses in the domain of expertise needed in the 21st century, which consists of mastery of content/material, technology and pedagogy. Suggestions for further research are that good cooperation between universities and partners in schools is needed by forming the lesson study for learning communities (LSLC). This LSLC can develop the competencies of prospective biology teacher students, especially those related to pedagogical, technological, and concept mastery competencies on an ongoing basis

Motivation-Building to Continue Studies for Junior High School Students through Training and Campus Visit Facilitating a First-Hand Experience

This community service programme was conducted to raise awareness of the students of SMP Negeri 2 Purwosari Gunungkidul, the school partner, on the importance of pursuing higher education for their future. This programme was designed and conducted in response to the needs analysis suggesting that the students at the school had a low learning motivation and many of them did not have any plan to pursue education even to high school. The programme was conducted in the form of two consecutive motivation-building activities. The first was conducted in the form of a session with the school partner. The session aimed to provide a venue for the students to share their actual dreams and to make them realise that achieving those dreams was not an impossibility. The second activity was a campus visit where the students of SMPN 2 Purwosari visited Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana and joined fun learning sessions. It was aimed to give them a first-hand experience of the learning atmosphere at university so that they could be motivated to pursue their study even at the university level. They were also facilitated to realise the many scholarship opportunities available allowing them to study at university even if they came from financially struggling families. More such community service programmes should be conducted in other contexts bearing similar characteristics of students to allow for the younger generation to dream high and fight for it

Community-Based School Management Model Development in The Digital Era

This research is research that aims to develop a Community-Based School Management Model in the Digital Age. This study aims to develop a community participation model in education involving people or groups both at the implementation planning, evaluation, utilization of results, accountability and development in the education sector. In management science, the term participation is defined as a process of mental and emotional involvement in an activity. This study used research and development method to develop a well-adapted model to be integrated in primary schools for Indonesian context. A special model is needed in community-based school management to face challenges in the digital era. This model answers the gaps that occur related to school needs and community involvement in it as an effort to improve the quality of education, focusing on social demands to education output and outcome. Previously, it can be inferred from some studies that community-based management were not integrated optimally while stakeholders perceived school as a formal institutions rather than an important institution for culture, economics, knowledge to be developed. The newest model of school management was integrated on SDS Plus Al-Qodiri. It resulted on the Community-Based School Management Model in the Digital Age can be used as a guide for schools, not only partner schools but other schools with the same focus, to continue to adapt and respond to current challenges, especially in involving the community in the advancement of education.

Implementation of Field Experience Practices 1 Pre-Service PPG Batch 2 Year 2023 at SMA Negeri 8 Pontianak

This article discusses the professional education program for teachers as educators and teaching staff in order to improve the quality of education and the efforts made to increase this professionalism. This article aims to present the results of the evaluation in the implementation of practical field experience (PPL) 1 for prospective teachers in the 2nd batch of Pre-service PPG students in 2023 at SMA Negeri 8 Pontianak which focuses on the experiences, challenges and results of these activities. This research uses a descriptive method qualitative with observation, interviews and documentation instruments. The findings from this research show that the implementation of PPL 1 for Pre-Service PPG students, batch 2 in 2023 at SMA Negeri 8 Pontianak went well and resulted in a variety of experiences for prospective teachers. PPL 1 activities at SMA Negeri 8 Pontianak will be held from January 15 2024 to March 5 2024. These activities include orientation, observation, teaching assistance, guided learning practices. The results found from this activity were the challenges faced including coordination between educational institutions and partner schools, as well as adaptation obstacles experienced by PPG Pre-service students to the new environment. However, the evaluation results show that the majority of prospective teachers felt a positive impact from this experience and increased their understanding of the professional world as a teacher. In conclusion, the implementation of PPL 1 for PPG Pre-service students in batch 2 in 2023 at SMA Negeri 8 Pontianak made a positive contribution in preparation prospective teachers to face their future duties so that continuous efforts are needed to improve the effectiveness of PPL1 implementation to ensure that prospective teachers are truly prepared to face the demands of their profession.

A Qualitative Exploration of Research-School Partnerships During COVID: How to Better Serve Our Community Partners During Times of Crisis

ABSTRACT Most youth access mental health care through their school. As such, research has targeted schools as ideal service settings to reduce disparities in service use among adolescents. The COVID shutdowns were associated with elevated stress and depression across caregivers, teachers, and students, and increased rates of suicide amongst youth. In the virtual space, schools had difficulty maintaining needed supports. Negative impacts were disproportionately experienced by Black communities and urban school settings. The shutdown also disrupted most research efforts occurring in school settings, leaving schools with even fewer supports when most in need. Thus, the current qualitative study aimed to obtain feedback from personnel in an urban high school system on how research-community partnerships could better support schools generally and especially during times of crisis. Our sample consisted of 17 teachers and school-based mental health providers who participated in virtual qualitative interviews or focus groups. Four key themes emerged, calling for reform in how research partners interact with school partners: 1) embed the researcher in the community, 2) utilize the researcher as an allied communicator, 3) empower the researcher to adapt in response to shifting demands, 4) establish the researcher as a long-term partner. Findings call for reform in how community-based research is funded to better allow researchers to develop long-standing, culturally responsive, and mutually beneficial partnerships, particularly in times of crisis.

Realizing and Imagining Schools as Sites of Community Care: Lessons from Children Playing During a Pandemic

This paper is the result of an action research project that aimed to understand how families were playing during the COVID-19 pandemic and what action might support them. Schools were revealed as important yet taken-for-granted providers of community care for children through their offerings as spaces where children create friendships, move, engage in the arts, feel a sense of belonging, contribute, and play. This paper takes a strength-based approach to learn from children and families playing during the pandemic to explore such realizations of schools as sites of community care while also inviting and offerings imaginings of schools in partnership in care-offering alongside the community and children. Keywords: COVID-19, play, community care, aesthetics of play, schools, children and public space

Putting social and emotional learning into practice: Best practices in developing and implementing an SEL program through a university-1st-8th grade partnership

When successfully implemented, social and emotional learning programs can promote a number of positive social, emotional, health, and academic outcomes for youth over time (Bierman et al., 2010; Durlak, 2022; Taylor et al., 2017). Critical to SEL programming in elementary and middle schools is planning and implementation, which involves a number of resources and stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, families, and students (Shoesmith et al., 2021). This paper contributes to SEL implementation in practice for culturally diverse communities. We 1) discuss the SEL curriculum and steps to integrate it into existing curriculum with 1st-8th grade staff, (2) describe development and continuation of university-elementary/middle school partnerships, including planning with teachers and school administrators, as well as district administrators and parents, 3) outline training sessions with university students to become SEL mentors and coordinators, 4) discuss partnership and shifts since the COVID-19 pandemic, and 5) identify implications of this work for practices to be implemented in other schools, especially best practices of SEL delivery to disadvantaged youth, and methods to address diversity and inclusion in working with youth. Through a university-elementary/middle school partnership, students can receive holistic support and growth in critical social and emotional learning skills to address a number of academic, social, and mental health issues. At the same time, such programming integrating university students can create an environment and pathways that allow them to be future leaders in social and emotional learning.

Developing and Implementing a Tier 1 Reading Program Within an RTI Framework: A University–School Partnership

Response to intervention (RTI) is a valuable framework for providing effective and equitable educational opportunities to all students; however, recent research indicates that RTI programs are not achieving their potential for promoting student learning. As schools develop, implement, and sustain RTI systems, they would benefit from the addition of collaborative support provided by professionals knowledgeable about the RTI framework, including specific elements of this model such as evidence-based practices and progress monitoring assessments. We describe the process and outcomes of a university–school partnership aimed at developing and implementing an RTI program for reading at the Tier 1 level.