An extensive literature establishing the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their destructive impact over the lifespan has motivated recent efforts to fundamentally alter the educational milieu. One such initiative, entitled BCompassionate Schools,^involves the training of educators in trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive practices, in the hopes of creating scholastic environments more conducive to widespread resilience. Despite encouraging initial reports, few studies have empirically evaluated the impact of Compassionate Schools training on attendees. The current investigation reports the results of two studies. In Study 1, participants completed a questionnaire 6 months after their Compassionate Schools trainings, including items relevant to mindset and behavior change. In Study 2, participants completed the Attitudes Relevant to Trauma Informed Care (ARTIC) scale before and after a Compassionate Schools training. The majority of participants in Study 1 reported enduring changes in mindset and behavior as a result of their trainings, and described those changes in terms consistent with the Compassionate Schools model. ARTIC responses in Study 2 suggested marked trauma-informed attitudinal improvements between pre-and post-training assessments. These data, although preliminary, are consistent with the Compassionate Schools paradigm, and empirically support its promise as a ACEs-informed intervention for educators.

We aimed to develop a cost-free and sustainable program to influence healthier eating decisions during elementary school lunch. Baseline food and beverage choices were assessed for 9 days during lunch service at two racially and economically diverse elementary schools in Spartanburg County, SC, USA. After being informed that the labeled items on the daily lunch menu represented the healthiest choice, students were allowed to ring a call bell in the cafeteria for public recognition when they chose all of the identified healthiest food and beverage items during lunch service. Using menus matched to the baseline phase, food and beverage choices were measured during a 9-day intervention phase. After 30 days, food and beverage choices were reassessed during a 3-day follow-up phase. Healthiest food & beverage choices increased 49% with >60% of students choosing non-flavored milk over flavored milk during the intervention phase. There was no difference in the success of the program between the two schools. The program continued and healthy eating decisions were significantly sustained at a 30-day follow-up assessment. Public recognition through bell ringing appears to be an effective practice to sustain increases in healthy eating decisions during elementary school lunch and warrants expansion to larger scale, longitudinal trials.

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This article argues the significance of ethnic resource mobilization to certain corporate restructuring and growth trends in the U.S. mainstream economy with the expansion of franchising and the importance of branding in giant corporate America. While the field of ethnic economies continues to debate how ethnic social structures function in the mainstream economy, it has overlooked this important part of the economy. “Bounded solidarity” helps explain how particular Asian Indian business communities have been integral to the changing franchisor-franchisee relationship, franchise operation procedures, and consumer marketing strategies, and has worked to counterbalance the industry’s heightening demands. In this way, ethnic social structures are integral to corporate growth strategies and norms of efficiency.

As part of the 175th anniversary celebration of Spartanburg, South Carolina, three local foundations and the United Way agreed to fund a youth leadership project. A University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) faculty member with expertise in youth development and the coordinator of the Spartanburg Youth Council agreed to develop the project and serve as the project directors. We developed a youth philanthropy project with expected outcomes of positive development, increased awareness of community issues, and greater civic engagement for the youth. A group of eighteen teens participated in the yearlong project. Interactive workshops on topics such as community goals, grant writing, writing the request for proposals and reviewing grants were conducted. At the culmination of the project, the young philanthropists awarded grants totaling $12,000 to eight youth serving organizations. The teens reported many positive developmental experiences and greater awareness of community needs and increased responsibility to their community.

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BackgroundImproving child and adolescent mental health requires states and jurisdictions to invest in school mental health efforts. In recent years, there has been notable expansion and improvement in school mental health services in the state of South Carolina related to a number of investments that are cumulatively promoting capacity building.MethodsThis narrative overview examines the history of the school mental health movement in one southern state and details efforts by multiple key stakeholders that have coalesced to form a strong system for advancing school mental health.ResultsResting on a strong university–community partnership, five separate initiatives are described that together provide enhanced workforce training and support and expansion of school mental health services. Themes of this work are identified with a goal of supporting and advancing the development of school mental health systems in the United States.ConclusionStrong collaborations and communication efforts both within the university setting and between partners in education and community settings, along with engaged funders keen to enhance well‐being of children, youth, and families statewide have set the stage for the growth and expansion of school mental health services.

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