Kane Carlock’s research while affiliated with Indiana University Bloomington and other places

This study investigated special education teachers' experiences during the Covid‐19 pandemic. Through qualitative, semi‐structured interviews, 15 educators shared detailed reports of how efforts to reach students strained their mental health. They felt stressed due to frequently changing expectations and pressure to comply with federal special education regulations. The result was burnout and emotional exhaustion. Participants correctly predicted that students would develop behavioral and emotional problems post‐pandemic, and called for intensifying school‐based mental health services. The mental health challenges that they described resulted in teacher attrition and nationwide concerns about worsening student behavior problems.

Most gratitude interventions for adolescents focus on private experiences of gratitude (e.g., gratitude journaling), dyadic expressions of gratitude (e.g., writing a gratitude letter to another person), or group-based psychoeducation about gratitude. By contrast, group interventions that emphasize gratitude social processes (GSPs)—interpersonal or group processes that involve or are directly triggered by the disclosure or expression of gratitude to other group members—provide an ideal forum for adolescents to reap the full benefits of gratitude experiences. In this perspective article, we propose a typology of five GSPs—disclosing, expressing, receiving, responding to, and witnessing gratitude in relation to other group members—that operate synergistically to produce positive effects for adolescents. In turn, we theorize that these GSPs likely produce superior outcomes, as compared to other gratitude interventions, through five psychosocial mechanisms of change: observational learning, group cohesion, vicarious gratitude, group-based gratitude, and collective gratitude. Overall, we encourage researchers and practitioners to incorporate GSPs in their gratitude interventions with adolescents.

Research has consistently demonstrated the benefits of school mental health (SMH) services on the well-being of students. Administrators play an important role in the implementation and sustainability of SMH services within a school. However, school principals’ perspectives regarding their role in SMH implementation are underrepresented in research examining the implementation of SMH services. The present study utilized a semi-structured interview format to examine principals’ perceptions of their role regarding the implementation of SMH services in one Midwestern state. Four themes developed: (1) principals perceive SMH services to be beneficial due to increasing mental health needs; (2) principal involvement in SMH implementation varies; (3) critical staff promote SMH; and (4) systemic complexities exist related to SMH implementation and sustainability. Implications for practice, future research, and limitations are discussed.

Social justice has become a common goal in school psychology, including in practice guidelines. However, there is a paucity of research reflecting a representative sample of US practitioners providing input on key social justice competency areas and how frequently they employ these competencies. Utilizing a national sample of 145 practitioners, this study addresses this gap. Framed around the National Association of School Psychologists’ Practice Model, respondents indicated a wide range of competency areas as important to the role of school psychologist, as well as widespread efforts to utilize these strategies, particularly actions that were more individualistic and under their direct control. Implications for practice and future research are provided.

Schools have become primary providers of mental health services for children and adolescents (Kern et al. in School Mental Health 9:205–217, 2017). Within schools, school principals play a significant role in the implementation of school-based mental health (SBMH; Langley et al. in School Mental Health 2:105–113, 2010). This multimethod study aimed to investigate school principals’ perceptions of SBMH, specifically in how they view SBMH and what barriers and facilitators they identify to successful implementation. School principals from 244 public schools in the United States completed a survey, and 19 principals also participated in semi-structured interviews. Data from a quantitative measure based on Normalization Process Theory (NPT; Finch et al. in BMC Med Res Methodol 18(1):1–13, 2018) indicated that while principals strongly believe SBMH will become a normal part of their work in the future, their responses to whether they are familiar with SBMH and see it as a normal part of the current work were less robust. Results from a framework analysis of the qualitative results identified barriers and facilitators to the implementation of SBMH within and outside of schools, thus aligning with implementation science frameworks such as the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS; Moullin et al. in Implement Sci 14:1–1, 10.1186/s13012-018-0842-6, 2019) framework. The findings may inform SBMH policy in light of the increasing number of children and adolescents with mental health needs (Hoover and Bostic in Psychiatr Serv 72(1):37–48, 2021).

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disrupted how educators provided supports and services for students with autism spectrum disorder. School closures and related pivoting between learning modalities were difficult for all students, but especially for students with autism, who rely on routine and often require individualized instruction. There has been limited opportunity for teachers to share their experiences of rapidly changing educational circumstances. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate how special educators and school-based specialists adapted practices for such students in response to pandemic conditions. One hundred and six educators from 40 school districts completed a written survey inquiring about the modifications they made to Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and their efforts to implement evidence-based practices. Participants reported adding individualized contingency learning plans to Individualized Education Programs, adjusting service minutes, and sometimes eliminating social goals. A thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) of educators’ written reflections identified four themes, highlighting a renewed importance on collaboration with parents, who helped deliver intervention and monitor progress in the home setting. While students with more intense needs struggled, others actually preferred virtual instruction. This raises concerns for what will happen in the future, when social expectations resume. Despite the overwhelming challenges posed by COVID-19, participants demonstrated remarkable resiliency and innovation. Lay abstract The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disrupted how special educators provided supports and services for students with autism spectrum disorder. School closures and the related pivoting between learning modalities (i.e. virtual, hybrid, and face-to-face) were difficult for all students, but especially for students with autism, who rely on routine and require individualized instruction. In this study, we surveyed 106 special education teachers, behavior specialists, and speech pathologists who work with autistic students to learn about how they adapted instruction to comply with the complex social distancing rules and changing expectations of the pandemic. Participants reported “making the best out of a bad situation” and “constantly using ‘trial & error’ to find the best way for our students to eLearn.” They emphasized the importance of collaboration with parents, who helped deliver intervention and monitor progress across settings. They made alterations to Individualized Education Programs, by adding individualized contingency learning plans, adjusting service minutes, and sometimes eliminating social goals. Participants were surprised that while students with more intense needs struggled, others actually preferred virtual instruction. This raises concerns for what will happen in the future, when social expectations resume. Despite the overwhelming challenges posed by COVID-19, participants demonstrated remarkable resiliency and an innovative ability to adapt instruction.

Social justice is a term that has grown in prominence in school psychology over the past several years. This increased emphasis on social justice heightens the need for empirical research that speaks to the application of social justice principles to school psychology practice. In this study, nine school psychologists across three states were interviewed regarding their views and experiences as related to social justice. Key findings include an emphasis on equity both at the individual and systemic levels. Participants indicated a personal commitment to social justice, but indicated mixed success in translating this practice to their work, noting several barriers both in terms of their own knowledge and skills as well as institutional barriers. Results highlighted: (a) the importance of taking personal responsibility for bringing social justice principles into practice, (b) modeling what one preaches, (c) educating others, (d) navigating political structures within schools, and (e) a call for greater professional development opportunities oriented towards social justice, beginning with graduate studies. Impact Statement This is the first known multistate study of what bringing social justice principles into practice might look like from the perspective of school psychology practitioners. This study contributes both to further developing the conceptual underpinnings of social justice in school psychology, as well as articulating applied numerous action steps, such as diversifying the field, a commitment to self-growth, educating others, modeling what one preaches, and using one’s professional toolbox and political savvy to navigate school structures.