No abstract

Children who have experienced early adversities are at risk for behavioral problems and trauma symptoms. Using a two-group, pre–post intervention design, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of an online parent training for Trust-Based Relational Intervention, a trauma-informed, attachment-based intervention, in reducing behavioral problems and trauma symptoms in at-risk adopted children. Children of parents in the treatment group (n = 48) demonstrated significant decreases in behavioral problems and trauma symptoms after intervention. Scores for children in a matched-sample control group did not change. Findings suggest this intervention can effectively reduce behavioral problems and trauma symptoms in children with histories of adversities.

Children and youth who have experienced foster care or orphanage-rearing have often experienced complex developmental trauma, demonstrating an interactive set of psychological and behavioral issues. Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is a therapeutic model that trains caregivers to provide effective support and treatment for at-risk children. TBRI has been applied in orphanages, courts, residential treatment facilities, group homes, foster and adoptive homes, churches, and schools. It has been used effectively with children and youth of all ages and all risk levels. This article provides the research base for TBRI and examples of how it is applied.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of the most widely used literacy instructional approaches on the reading comprehension of Grade 2–6 students. Participants (N = 660) were enrolled in 4 districts in the United States; 53% were male (n = 348) and 47% were female (n = 312); 51% were Caucasian (n = 338), 23% were African American (n = 149), 21% were Hispanic (n = 138), and 5% represented other ethnic backgrounds (n = 35). Sixty-two percent came from low to low-middle socioeconomic status schools, and 38% came from middle to high socioeconomic status schools. The study was a quantified experimental versus controlled group comparison. Analyses of variance were used to determine the differences between literacy scores. Two-level hierarchical linear modeling analyses were used to examine the effects of school variables on academic achievement. The highest comprehension scores for all populations occurred through three approaches. When struggling readers received 20 min of instruction with 1 of these 3 approaches, their literacy growth was equal to or greater than that of their peers. Implications are that treatments using classroom books produced significantly higher comprehension scores than workbook practice or extending basal treatments.

No abstract

This article discusses a study to determine whether primary grade students can learn comprehension processes via hand motions to portray these mental processes. Comprehension Process Motions (CPMs) were designed to provide students with a way to make abstract comprehension processes more consciously accessible and also to give teachers a way to observe what students have (or have not) comprehended. Results were based on a 12‐week study of 257 experimental and 256 control students in grades K–5. Comprehension scores on standardized, criterion‐referenced, and norm‐referenced tests were significantly higher for experimental students than for those who were not exposed to CPM instruction. These data provide evidence that even the youngest readers are capable of internalizing comprehension processes and knowing how to elicit them at specific points in a text when they are needed.

This study examines the implementation of Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) in a secondary charter school located at a residential facility for at-risk youth. This intervention has been used successfully with individual families, group homes, summer camps, and more recently, school environments. Through TBRI, school staff created conditions to help children succeed behaviorally with strategies grouped into three evidenced-based principles: (a) empowering, (b) connecting, and (c) correcting. After implementation, results showed that students were more likely to discuss their problematic issues with counselors, used less profanity, were less likely to complain and had fewer behavioral incidents (i.e., physical and verbal aggression, disruptive behavior). In addition, school staff reported improved school culture including an overall more positive mood and countenance among staff and students.

The purpose of the study described in this article was to identify the qualities of teaching expertise that correlate with highly effective literacy instruction in grades 6 through 12. Findings draw on survey responses of secondary literacy supervisors at the local school district or state department of education level in every U.S. state. From these responses, 397 characteristics of teaching expertise were analyzed and collapsed into 38 categorical behaviors. After interrater reliabilities were computed, researchers returned to analyze and consolidate the data. This process yielded the following eight domains of secondary literacy teaching expertise: Approaches to teaching (pedagogy) Addressing diverse needs Personal characteristics Knowledge base Approaches to teaching (activities) Professional development Appropriate relationships with students Classroom management Applications of these data for research, policy, and practice are discussed.