A Primer on College Student Substance Use Disorders Screening,Assessment, and Treatment Planning

Significant numbers of college students experience negative consequences due to their misuse of alcohol and other drugs. For far too many, some of these effects are ruinous of their lives, and for well more than a thousand each year, life ending. This article first provides an overview of the scope of this problem. It then covers both assessment and intervention starting with brief and standard assessment inventories followed by a perspective on comprehensive focused counseling that incorporates an assessment of multiple life areas. A case is made that many students have substance use disorders issues either as primary problems or auxiliary to other concerns. Treatment planning based on a comprehensive approach to change, and the role of ongoing utilization of change measures, is then discussed. A basic premise of the article is that due to a lack of education, training, and exposure, many college mental health practitioners underdiagnose and underattend to the presence of substance use disorders problems. Many clinical staff members have never taken an academic course focused on this treatment issue or have done little by way of continuing education on this topic, so they may lack the knowledge, skills, and aptitudes related to the provision of helpful comprehensive care and consequently make the error of focusing exclusively on the substance use disorders related behaviors.     

The impact of tier 1 reading instruction on reading outcomes for students in Grades 4–12: A meta-analysis

Understanding the efficacy of evidence-based reading practices delivered in the Tier 1 (i.e. general classroom) setting is critical to successful implementation of multi-tiered systems, meeting a diverse range of student learning needs, and providing high quality reading instruction across content areas. This meta-analysis presents evidence on the effects of Tier 1 reading instruction on the reading outcomes of students in Grades 4–12, and a synthesis of effects for students identified as struggling readers. Results from this meta-analysis of 37 publications conducted between 2000 and 2015 reveal significant, positive effects for Tier 1 reading instruction on comprehension and vocabulary outcomes. A synthesis of the results for struggling readers indicates that they maintained or improved reading comprehension over struggling readers receiving typical instruction.     

Literatura Multicultural en Español: ¿Abriendo Ventanas O Reforzando Estereotipos?

La resiente afluencia de literatura infantil en español representa una excelente oportunidad para los que los programas bilingües generen enseñanza auténtica de la lectoescritura en español, pero, ¿podrían estos textos estar representando una sola historia de la población hispana en los Estados Unidos? ¿Se perpetúa, a través de estos textos, el estereotipo del inmigrante hispano con baja escolaridad y baja condición socioeconómica? ¿Cómo pueden otros estudiantes bilingües de origen anglosajón o provenientes de familias con alta escolaridad y solvencia económica identificarse con los personajes de estos textos? En el presente estudio analizamos 45 textos infantiles multiculturales escritos o traducidos y 155 publicados en español en los Estados Unidos, para identificar los patrones culturales que representan. Los resultados indican una sobrerrepresentación de un solo origen cultural y una clase social, principalmente mexicano de bajo nivel socioeconómico. El estudio refuerza la necesidad de mantener estos textos en los salones de clase porque generan una fuente de identidad cultural y de inspiración a la superación para muchos miembros de la comunidad educativa, pero advierte sobre la necesidad de tener presente que la experiencia bilingüe y bicultural puede significar conceptos completamente diferentes según el origen de cada uno de nuestros estudiantes.     

“I Like English Better”: Latino Dual Language Students’ Investment in Spanish,English, and Bilingualism

This mixed-methodology study surveys 63 fifth graders in a one-way dual language school. Findings alarmingly indicate that although these students are native Spanish speakers in a school that delivers 50% of their instruction in Spanish, they prefer English both academically and socially. Subsequent interviews with 10 sample students of the larger study generate deeper understandings about how these students view their languages. If dual language programs are going to be maximally successful, then they must foster an environment that encourages students’ attitudes and investments toward both of their languages, taking particular care to protect and promote the minority language.     

The Initial Impact of the Anatomical Society Gross Anatomy Core Syllabus for Medicine in the United Kingdom: Student and Teacher Perspectives

“What do students studying medicine need to know” is an important question for curriculum planners, anatomy educators and students. The Core Regional Anatomy Syllabus (CRAS), published by the Anatomical Society in 2016, contains 156 learning outcomes (LOs) and has informed “what needs to be known.” This project explored how CRAS had impacted undergraduate anatomy and anatomists in the United Kingdom. A cross-sectional study was designed in two phases. Phase 1, involved a survey of students in clinical years (N = 164). Phase 2 included a survey of anatomist’s views (n = 50) and focus groups of anatomy educators (N = 16). The students’ perspective showed that specific regions of CRAS are deemed less relevant. These were also the body areas where students perceived their anatomical knowledge to be more deficient. Only 46% (n = 75) of students estimated that they knew over 50% (n = 78) of the LOs. Phase two revealed that all anatomists were aware of the syllabus and 48% (n = 24) had checked the CRAS against their own institutional LOs. Anatomists had shared CRAS with colleagues 64% (n = 32) and students at 34% (n = 17), respectively. Forty-six percent (n = 23) of anatomists reported having changed their teaching in some way because of CRAS. The focus groups generated four key themes: “support for CRAS,” “standardization and validation,” “professional identity,” and “limitations and leverage.” Overall CRAS has been well received and is establishing itself within the anatomical community as the new standard for anatomy teaching for medical students.     

Sports and the deaf child

The increasingly sedentary American lifestyle has resulted in a growing number of overweight and out-of-shape school-age children. Deaf children are not exempt from this trend, yet there is little evidence that public school programs for these children are doing anything to counter it. Much can be done to assist deaf students, not only in becoming more active movers but in gaining knowledge of opportunities and benefits associated with Deaf sport. The authors provide an argument for schools that expose deaf children to the role of sports in the Deaf community and for designing programs that will enable these children to become active participants in Deaf sport activities as athletes and organizers, or, later in life, when they no longer have the inclination or ability to compete, as spectators, with all the socialization benefits that form of involvement provides.     

Online learning: a strategy for social responsibility in educational access

Socially responsible educational development issues include examination of whether students in diverse situations have access to educational programs. Within a global society that supports equal opportunities for individuals, issues of access to educational content have merit at both individual and societal levels. A framework for thinking about social responsibility in educational access three primary areas is examined. These include (a) meeting the needs of underserved populations, (b) preparing for and capitalizing on diversity, and (c) using access to build society. Online learning offers one viable strategy for social responsibility by providing significant benefits in the areas of educational access for underserved populations, exposure to and experience with diversity, and building social communities through shared electronic communication.     

An integrated framework to guide educational psychologist practice

This paper describes a five-phase practice approach that further develops Monsen et al.'s problem-analysis framework, which was originally designed for use by educational psychologists in training. The five-phase approach aims to provide a user-friendly conceptual framework for use by experienced educational psychologists. Action points, completed summary proformae, and a multi-faceted assessment and intervention example are provided to support the implementation of this approach within practice-based work.