In this article, we conduct a systematic review of the extant literature on the risk and protective factors that impact the healthy resettlement of refugee children around the world. We identify acculturative stress as a main risk factor to consider for assessment and intervention given that is often overlooked in the literature for refugee children, but has been found to strongly impact their socio-emotional development. In addition, we discuss ecologically framed/culturally responsive interventions and assessment practices that could aid in the successful resettlement of refugee children. We also discuss the limitations of the extant research on refugee children and make recommendations for future research directions.

Recent meta-analyses confirm that social–emotional learning (SEL) interventions are effective in increasing academic, social, and emotional outcomes via direct skills instruction. With skill development serving as a primary mechanism of change in SEL interventions, we argue for the accurate measurement of skills as an important component of SEL research. Using the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) model, we evaluate 111 studies included in a recent meta-analysis to determine the match between constructs targeted in interventions and SEL skill competency, as well as the measurement of skills and instruments used to evaluate programs. Findings indicate a general trend in the measurement of broad outcomes, rather than skills taught in programs, and limited measurement across CASEL five-competency model. Utility of measuring outcomes specific to competencies taught in intervention across SEL domains are discussed.

Civil war in Syria has resulted in the largest refugee group and the newest wave of refugees resettling in countries worldwide. Although they have experienced war, migration, and great trauma, resettlement introduces a new set of obstacles including cultural adjustment, language learning, and the development of a new social network. This paper is a qualitative analysis of the acculturation, mental health, and academic experience of Syrian refugee adolescents in the United States. The study is unique in its use of an ecological framework to organize emerging themes, and integrates responses from parents and adolescents to provide a comprehensive understanding of this experience. Moreover, the researchers focus on an important setting for support and intervention: the school system. Implications and recommendations for assessment, intervention, and programming are provided.

Children of color are disproportionately referred for discipline in schools and subsequently receive harsher punishments than their peers. Teachers’ implicit bias has been identified as a possible source of these disparities, particularly for Black boys. However, teachers’ social–emotional competence (SEC) may mitigate biased responses to Black students’ behavior and make them likely to interpret concerning or disruptive behavior as a need for counseling rather than discipline referral. This study examined the effect of teachers’ SEC (rated high, medium, or low) on the likelihood of referring a student for counseling, given a student’s race, with a sample of 164 teachers. Results showed that teachers may have racial bias regardless of their level of SEC, although it manifests differently depending on the type of student behavior. The article concludes with the discussion of the importance of a culturally responsive, trauma-informed approach to evaluation of student behavior, and implications for school social workers’ practice.

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