Case Study: Using a University-School Partnership to Identify Teacher Training Needs

• In Event: The Role of Teachers in Identifying and Supporting Students With Mental Health Problems

Abstract

Overview
A number of programs have been developed to train teachers in identifying the mental health needs of their students. As a result, school leaders need to make determinations about how to select among those programs and how to best support their teachers in facilitating mental health services and supports for students. In this talk, we will present the results of a collaboration between university researchers and a school district to identify and support the mental health needs of students. Teachers completed a vignette-based survey (described earlier) and provided information about their collaboration with mental health services providers in their schools.

Method
Elementary, middle and high school teachers (n = 194) in one school district completed an anonymous online survey (response rates ranged from 88-100% for each school). Teachers read two fictional vignette case studies and indicated their concern for students and the likelihood that they would provide each of a series of 14 mental health supports.

Results
Teachers indicated greater concern about a student presenting with internalizing than externalizing problems. In a factor analysis, the 14 mental health supports rated by teachers loaded onto three factors reflecting basic classroom-based supports (e.g., break long-term assignments into smaller chunks), more intensive supports (e.g., take data or document behavior), and reduction in expectations (e.g., reduce grading standards). Teachers indicated they were less likely to provide classroom-based supports for students with internalizing problems (B=-0.44, p<.05). High school teachers indicated that they were less likely to provide classroom-based supports than elementary and middle school teachers (B=-1.06, p<.05). Half of teachers (55%) indicated that they were satisfied with social-emotional supports provided at their school and 52% reported that they were clear about the process for referring students for social-emotional supports within their school. Furthermore, half of teachers (52%) reported that they had the knowledge to meet the social-emotional needs of their students and less than half (46%) indicated that they had the skills to meet the social-emotional needs of their students.

Significance
These results have led to productive conversation within the school district about the training needs of teachers, how teachers might use classroom-based supports to provide early supports to students, and how the referral process can be streamlined. In particular, identifying differences across the four schools in the district provided an opportunity to tailor interventions to the needs of particular groups of teachers. Benefits and challenges of university-school partnerships will be discussed.

Authors

• James Michael LaBillois, Norwell Public Schools

• Javier Guzman, Boston University

• Jennifer Greif Green, Boston University