Student Achievement through an Interdisciplinary Lens Valerie R. Gue University of Illinois, Chicago SPED 595

Personal Goals To understand the connections between research and community service To learn about and be involved in various data collection methods To gain an understanding of the interdisciplinary approach to supporting student learning

UIC Institute for Juvenile Research Research, Training, & Service for Children’s Mental Health: Mental health service provider for children, adolescents and their families Clinical training site for child psychiatry and child psychology Prevention and intervention researchers (

Links to Learning: Background Info. School-based mental health service model focused on enhancing students’ learning Comparison of school-based service with clinic- based services Based in high poverty urban schools, with K-4 th grade students with disruptive behavior disorders (ODD, CD, ADHD) (Atkins et al, )

Links to Learning: Project Goals Unite key adults in children’s lives around the goal of learning Respond to the need for accessible, effective, & sustainable mental health services in impoverished & under-served communities Compare a classroom-based model focused on children’s learning with mental health services as usual (Atkins et al, )

Links to Learning: Service Model (Atkins et al, ) Mental Health Providers Teachers Effective Instruction Classroom Management Family Outreach Parents Communication Home Routines Academic Support Leader Teachers Family Advocates Academic Performance School Behavior Home Behavior

Links to Learning: My Mission Focus on strategies that teachers used: to improve academic performance, to improve student behavior & to reach out to families Interview teachers on the extent to which they used the following classroom strategies or variations of them Peer Assisted Learning Strategies Good Behavior Game Good News Note Daily Report Card

Review the literature (articles, research studies, textbook chapters, training manuals) Attend on-site & off-site meetings Visit treatment schools Engage in one-on-one conversations with project staff 1: Building a Knowledge Base

Input pre-measure data on DatStat Communicate with research participants through & telephone Conduct interviews at a site convenient for research participants (schools, coffee shops, summer employment sites) Problem solve with project staff members strategies to accurately & efficiently collect data 2: Collecting Data

Install digital recorder software Sync interview data to computer Transcribe interview data Identify trends/themes among data Report findings (at a later date with project staff) 3: Reviewing Data

Focus on student achievement through interdisciplinary lenses Bonding & therapeutic nature of the teacher interviews Meaningful research that leaves a lasting & potentially generative effect on school & family communities Reflections

“Emphasize indigenous resources Develop capacity in families and schools to sustain positive change Plan for services that can be implemented with existing funding sources” (Atkins et al, 2003) Social Validity

References Institute for Juvenile Research Website: Atkins, M. S., Graczyk, P. A., Frazier, S. L., & Abdul-Adil, J. (2003). Toward a new model for promoting urban children’s mental health: Accessible, effective, and sustainable school-based mental health services. School Psychology Review: 32(4), Atkins, M., Cappella, E., Frazier, S., Marinez-Lora, A., Shernoff, E., Watling-Neal, J. ( ). Project Team Documents. UIC Institute for Juvenile Research.