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FEATURED ARTICLES
Use of the Monarch Room as an Alternative to Suspension in Addressing School Discipline Issues Among Court-Involved Youth
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Baroni, B.A., Day, A.G., Somers, C.L., *Crosby, S., & Pennefather, M. (2016). The adoption of the Monarch Room as an alternative to suspension and expulsion in addressing school discipline issues among court-involved youth. Urban Education.
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Suspension is commonly used in schools, yet these practices can adversely affect students’ education well-being and do not improve student behavior. This study assesses the use of the Monarch Room (MR) intervention, a trauma-informed alternative to school discipline suspension policies, among 620 court-involved girls placed in residential care and enrolled in an urban located public charter school. Teachers readily utilized the intervention as a first response to dealing with problematic behavior, and as a result, MR use significantly decreased reliance on suspension practices. Multiple stays in residential treatment and race were significant predictors of MR use.
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Predictors and Outcomes of School Attachment and School Involvement in a Sample of Girls in Residential Treatment
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Nicole M. Weber, Cheryl L. Somers, Angelique Day & Beverly A. Baroni (2016): Predictors and Outcomes of School Attachment and School Involvement in a Sample of Girls in Residential Treatment, Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, DOI: 10.1080/0886571X.2016.1188034
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Children currently in our foster care system often experience compromising situations, including neglect, domestic violence, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. A stable placement that offers psychosocial support critical to adolescent development may not be available. There is often a history of persistent maltreatment or failure of caregivers to provide appropriate needs (Chernoff, Combs-Orme, Risley-Curtiss, & Heisler, 1994). Those with a history of childhood maltreatment are at increased risk of several psychiatric disorders in adulthood (Sugaya et al., 2012). Social support systems offered within a school may benefit these children, as it may be the most consistent force in their lives. Because school-aged children spend a majority of their day in school, this source of social support is important to explore...The current study is important for both boys and girls, and the researchers recognize that there are patterns that are indeed different between the sexes; however, in residential treatment, they often naturally separate girls and boys. In the current study, the researchers have chosen to focus on girls.
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Working with Traumatized Students: A Preliminary Study of Measures to Assess School Staff Perceptions, Awareness, and Instructional ResponsesShantel D. Crosby, LMSW, Cheryl L. Somers, Ph.D., Angelique G. Day, MSW, Ph.D., and Beverly A. Baroni, LMSW, Ph.D. JTSP Journal of Therapeutic Schools & Programs
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Physical health impacts educational well being, as youth who are sick are often out of school.
This preliminary research focuses on the perceptions of academic staff working in residential settings with youth who have experienced psychological trauma. The article provides the psychometric properties of three instruments that assess academic staff perceptions of student behavior (TPSB), awareness of trauma (TTS), and responses to student behavior (TRSB). These measures can be used to assess academic staff readiness in working with traumatized students. Measurement validity/ reliability were established using a sample of 26 academic staff whose school was affiliated with a publicly funded residential treatment center. Factor analyses indicated that scales were comprised of questions that were adequately correlated; each scale reliably measured its own individual construct (i.e., staff perceptions, awareness, responses). Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient demonstrated that scales were reliable for measuring each construct, where the TPSB resulted in α = 0.83 for its “acting out” and “shutting down” subscales, the TTS had α = 0.91, the TRSB resulted in α = 0.79 for the “acting out” subscale, and α = 0.81 for the “shutting down” subscale. These instruments may be useful for teachers and academic staff working with traumatized students, particularly in residential treatment settings. |
Using Cross-system Communication to Promote Educational Well-being of Foster Children:
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This study captures the voices of school-based behavioral specialists employed across the state of Michigan to share how well schools and child welfare agencies communicate and collaborate to address the educational well-being of foster care children on their caseloads. This includes knowledge of federal policies and how they support and hinder communication across systems. Participants included a total of 249 K–12 employed school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Survey methodology was used, and both inferential and narrative analyses revealed that these school practitioners were highly unaware of how to identify the foster care children in their schools and what supports they need. The three groups of school-based professionals were similarly unaware, they have minimal communication with outside agencies, and they largely do not take initiative in reaching out to communicate and collaborate with community-based agencies outside the school. Despite that, collectively, the work of child welfare and education professionals could have a substantial impact on retention and the overall student performance of children who are living in out-of-home care. Implications of this lack of communication and awareness are discussed, and recommendations to guide a national research agenda for advocacy and policy efforts are identified.
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JOURNAL ARTICLES
Adolescents in Residential Treatment: Caregiver and Peer Predictors of Risk Behavior and Academic PerformanceSomers, C., Day, A., Chambers, M., Wendler, K., Culp, H., & Baroni, B.
CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY [(1-11) 2015] |
The purpose of this research was to better understand the substance use and sexual risk taking behavior among high-risk adolescent populations placed in residential treatment facilities, including those in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. The primary predictors considered in this study included caregiver support, caregiver closeness, other adult support, adolescent self-disclosure/communication with caregiver, caregiver expectations about sexual behavior, and peer influence regards to drugs/alcohol and sexual behavior. Participants included 120 adolescent females in grades 7 to 12 (median grade=10; mean age 15.7 years), primarily African American (57.2 %) and White (29 %), in a residential treatment setting in a large urban area in the Midwest. Caregiver support and self-disclosure/communication with caregivers predicted condom use at most recent intercourse, but variables related to substance use were most consistently predictive of sexuality variables including onset and frequency of behavior. None of these support variables significantly predicted onset and frequency of substance use. Caregiver support was the contributing variable in predicting academic achievement.
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School Staff Perspectives on the Challenges and Solutions to Working with Court-Involved Students |
BACKGROUND: Court-involved students, such as those in foster care and the juvenile justice system, generally experience high incidences of both acute and chronic trauma, adversely impacting their educational well-being and overall academic trajectory. Utilizing perceptions of teachers and other school staff, this study explores the challenges and needs of school personnel working with this student population.
METHODS: Participants were school personnel employed at a Midwest, urban, public charter school during the 2012-2013 academic year. Focus groups explored the perceptions of school staff members working with court-involved students to develop a staff training curriculum. Focus groups also were conducted after the training intervention to get feedback from participants and identify remaining challenges. Focus group data were analyzed and results were member-checked with study participants. RESULTS: Findings included 7 major themes (14 sub-themes) regarding student behaviors that were challenging for school staff to manage. Themes included trauma-related behaviors, attachment-related behaviors, staff pre-intervention needs, intervention feedback, and staff post-intervention needs. CONCLUSIONS: Teachers and school staff can play a role in the educational well-being of court-involved youth. However, they need trauma-specific knowledge and resources to be effective. |
Foster care youth share stories of trauma before, during, and after placement: Youth Voices for Building Trauma-Informed Systems of Care Riebschleger, J., Day, A., & Damashek, A
.JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, MALTREATMENT, AND TRAUMA [24 (4). 2015] |
Many research studies address child trauma experiences that take place before foster care placement. However, few studies focus on the types and patterns of trauma experiences that reportedly take place during and after foster care placement; that is, after entry into adult living. This study examined the testimony of 43 foster care youth who spoke to a listening panel comprised of state legislators, child welfare professionals, and university educators. Qualitative analyses of transcribed text data revealed 3 main themes. First, the youth reported experiencing trauma before, during, and after placement. Second, the youth described trauma events and situations that were chronic (i.e., intense, composite, or cumulative). Third, youth offered suggestions for reducing traumatic experiences for foster care youth. They recommended earlier family interventions, access to people who listen and care, improved parenting skills for foster parents, continuity of relationships, and opportunities for leadership for foster youth. Foster youth voices offer important suggestions for building, strengthening, and evaluating trauma-informed systems of care.
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Evaluation of a Trauma-Informed School Intervention with Girls in a Residential Facility School: Student Perceptions of School Environment
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In response to the high nationwide prevalence of psychological trauma among court-involved youth who have been exposed to abuse and neglect and the associated far-reaching adverse consequences, there are calls to develop a trauma-informed workforce across the various systems (child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and education) designed to serve this population. We describe a pilot test of a modified version of the Heart of Teaching and Learning (HTL) curriculum, an intervention designed to increase trauma-informed practices in education settings. This program was implemented in a public charter school that exclusively serves court- involved youth placed in residential treatment. The intervention was associated with decreases in trauma symptoms experienced by youth. Because student perceptions of teachers were high both before and after implementation of the curriculum, no statistically significant changes were observed. The article concludes with a discussion of the ways in which the curriculum can be used to help prepare a national education workforce capable of implementing trauma-informed evidence-based practices in school settings.
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Student Perspectives on how Trauma Experiences Manifest in the Classroom: Engaging Court- Involved Youth in the Development of a Trauma- Informed Teaching CurriculumWest, S. D., Day, A. G., Somers, C. L., & Baroni, B.A.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW (2014) |
This study explores how the lived experience of court-involved youth impacts learning and school culture, and solicits youth voice in creating a trauma-informed intervention to improve student educational well-being. Thirty-nine female students, with ages 14 to 18, participated in focus groups to describe externalizing behaviors that they have both witnessed and personally struggled with in the classroom, discuss the perceived causes of these behaviors, and their suggestions for improving school culture to reduce these behavior manifestations in the classroom. Two major categories of behavior were identified, including: “anger emotions” and “aggressive actions.” Students described the causes of behavior as, “environmental influences” and “triggers.” The most common solutions that students gave to reduce externalizing behaviors in school settings included “encouraging respect of others” and “improving behavior management to enhance student engagement.” An additional solution suggested by the students included the “monarch room as support.” The Monarch Room is an alternative intervention to traditional suspension/expulsion polices that provides students in need of specific emotional support an opportunity to redirect/de-escalate externalizing behavior or mood in the school setting. This study highlights the need for trauma-informed approaches in school settings, and the importance of the inclusion of a youth voice in developing and implementing these intervention models
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When Does Confidentiality Become an Impediment Rather than a Pathway to Meeting the Educational Needs of Students in the Foster Care System?Day, A., Edwards, H., Pickover, S., & Leever, M.
JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND ETHICS (2013) |
The benefits of public, child welfare and education collaborations are numerous. However, different privacy laws that dictate professional practice within each respective system may cause tensions to surface across service agencies in the interpretation and implementation of these policies. A new perspective on the interpretation of these confidentiality policies is offered to guide the child welfare and education workforce in cross-disciplinary decision-making that maximizes the educational well-being of children in care.
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An Analysis of Foster Care Placement History and Post-Secondary Graduation RatesDay, A., Dworsky, A., & Feng, W.
RESEARCH IN HIGHER EDUCATION JOURNAL (2013) |
Prior research has document significant disparities in post-secondary educational attainment between young adults who had been in foster care and their peers in the general population. This study uses survival analysis to compare the four-year college graduation rate of students who had been in foster care to the graduation rate of first generation, low-income students at the same university. Estimates from discrete time hazard models indicate that former foster care students graduated at a slower rate than their non-foster care peers even after controlling for gender and race. In addition, although students in poor academic standing (cumulative GPA below 2.0) graduated at the same rate regardless of whether they had been in foster care, having been in foster care had a negative effect on the graduation rate of students in good academic standing (cumulative GPA’s at or above 2.0). The implications of these findings for increasing post-secondary educational attainment among college students who had been in foster care are discussed.
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Maximizing Educational Opportunities for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care:
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This study examines the challenges faced by youth in foster care who are making the transition from high school to college. Forty-three high school and college students from across the state of Michigan who are or were in foster care spoke before panels of policymakers at two public forums. Transcripts from their testimony were analyzed. Eight main barriers to high school completion and college access were identified. The most frequently cited was a lack of supportive relationships with caring adults. This research demonstrates how the voice of youth in foster care can have an impact on the policies that affect their lives.
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An Examination of Post-Secondary Retention and Graduation among Foster Care Youth Enrolled in a Four- Year UniversityDay, A., Dworsky, A., Fogarty, K., & Damashek, A.
CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW (2011) |
This study uses administrative data from Michigan State University to examine whether students who are former foster youth are more likely to drop out of college than low-income, first generation students who had not been in foster care. Former foster youth were significantly more likely to drop out before the end of their first year (21% vs. 13%) and prior to degree completion (34% vs. 18%) than their non-foster care peers. This difference remained significant even after controlling for gender and race.
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Increasing College Access for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care:
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Young people who transition from the foster care system face many challenges including lack of support and other educational barriers. They are less likely to graduate from high school than their counterparts and go on to college yet despite challenges, many succeed and take advantage of higher education programs. In Michigan, a state with one of the highest percentage of youth in foster care, Michigan State University developed a small scale, targeted intervention to help transitioning foster youth achieve their goals of pursuing higher education. Led by the School of Social Work in collaboration with other colleges and disciplines, it was demonstrated that a campus based learning program for transitioning foster youth can help contribute toward a perceived increase in knowledge and information about college life, funding and admissions procedures. The educational process involved peer support, role modeling, mentoring and active learning sessions led by the faculty and students who were often foster care alumni themselves. Leaders and speakers came from a range of disciplines, institutions and organizations. This approach and curriculum contributed to perceptions of the camp as enhancing life skills, self-concept, empowerment and sense of purpose. Consequently, this program contributed to the resilience of those who attended and potentially helped build steps from care to higher education.
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Best Practices: Foster Youth Alumni Services Program: Promoting Pathways to College Access and Retention of Youth who have Aged Out of CareDay, A.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION CHILD MALTREATMENT NEWSLETTER (2011) |
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How Does Michigan Fare in the Fight to Improve Outcomes for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care?
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Background and History
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one-half-million children are in foster care at any given time, some of whom are over the age of 16. Every year, typically at the age of 18, approximately 20,000 of these children will age out of the foster care system. Many of these youths find themselves making an abrupt transition to adulthood and independence with little or no assistance from their caregivers, biological families, or the child welfare system. Unlike their same-age peers in the general population, they have no safety net if they fail to succeed at navigating the adult world. Eyster and Oldmixon (2007) note that in the general population, approximately half of the youth ages 18-24 continue to live at home. At the same time, some form of parental support is provided for young adults in their early 20s whether they live at home or not. |
The following articles are not available for immediate download
Does College Enrollment Constitute Success?
Measuring Post-secondary Access and Success of Michigan’s Foster Care Youth.
Day, A.
NASW- MI CONNECTIONS NEWSLETTER (JUNE 2011)
NASW- MI CONNECTIONS NEWSLETTER (JUNE 2011)
Graduation for all?
Educators could play significant roles to ensure successful transitions to adulthood for youth aging out of the foster care system.
Day, A.
MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LEADERS (MASA) LEADER (MAY 2010).
MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL LEADERS (MASA) LEADER (MAY 2010).
The power of informal support:
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Part of a special issue on talent hunts with troubled youth. Mentoring can act as a social buffering technique to reduce the negative psychological effects associated with child maltreatment. Research indicates that mentors can provide children with a sense of safety, dedication, and nurturance; teach social skills, model behavior, give positive or negative reinforcement, introduce young people to diverse social interactions and contexts, and provide advice, emotional support, companionship, and opportunities for socialization that at-risk youth cannot find at home; and help youth develop a positive self image, promoting resiliency by introducing warmth, nurturance, empathy, stability, and a sense of belonging. Details of how mentoring has benefited the writer at several different developmental stages of her life are provided.
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BOOK CHAPTERS
Growing Up in the Care of Strangers:
The Experiences, Insights and Recommendations of Eleven Former Foster Kids
Brown, W. & Seita, J. (eds.), 2009
Coming Full Circle: From Child Victim to Child Care Professional.
Day, A. pp. 41-53
Day, A. pp. 41-53
The Degree of Caring.
Echols, D. pp 53-58
Echols, D. pp 53-58
