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Scholars have shown that educational experiences within the classroom may marginalize students of color which may result in psychological distress. However, the utilization of culturally responsive educational practices (CRE) can create environments in which marginalized students can thrive not only academically, but psychologically. The authors provide a qualitative case study examining the culturally responsive practices of one teacher through a relational cultural theory (RCT) lens. The findings suggest that CRE practices may serve as psychological interventions that are associated with decreased psychological distress and increased psychological well-being amongst students of color. Specifically, students demonstrated behaviors depicting a number of RCT’s five good things , including zest, empowerment, connection, clarity, and self-worth, that improve psychological well-being according to RCT.

Systemically trained counselors have a distinctive set of skills that make them well suited to prepare teachers to work with students’ families. In this article, we discuss our experiences as family counselors in developing and teaching a required course in family–school collaboration to elementary teachers in training. We first describe the teacher dispositions that need to be developed to support such family–school relationships and the skills possessed by family systems counselors for promoting these dispositions. We then describe the course goals, instructional methods, and course activities, and report the impact of this course experience on our students and ourselves.

There is a growing literature revealing the complexity of family–school relationships and the significant power imbalances and mismatches between the role expectations of caregivers and teachers who differ by class and race. This study investigates a course at a large research university in the Southeastern United States designed to influence the attitudes of preservice teachers (PSTs) about how they might work with low-income and/or ethnic minority families. Study results on 138 PSTs demonstrate that, after completing the course, their attitudes were less stereotypic, they were more confident about using family-centric involvement practices, and conceptualized student’s problems in less blaming terms.

Culturally responsive educational practices have arisen as effective means of increasing culturally diverse students’ academic achievement and psychological well-being; however, the relational processes involved are not well understood. Using grounded theory, this study examines the relational processes of one culturally responsive teacher and her fifth grade African American students. A dimension that emerged from the data was emotional connectedness. It includes the connective interactions between the teacher and student, the connective interactions between the teacher and the whole class, and teacher transparency and joining. Rich descriptions of each theme are provided as well as implications for teacher practice and preparation.

This article introduces marriage and family therapists (MFT) to some of the common issues faced by families that have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). First, autism is defined and common myths surrounding it are discussed. Next, relational challenges are presented that families report experiencing during early childhood through the elementary school years, adolescence and the transition into adulthood, and the later years of the family life cycle. Real-life stories are included to illustrate the potential contributions that MFTs can make to families that have a child with ASD.

This short paper points to some paradigm issues in the field of school development (leadership, effectiveness, improvement) and their relationship to social justice. It contextualises the dominant School Effectiveness and School Improvement models within neo-liberal marketisation, paying attention to their transformation through a ‘marriage of convenience’ in the early 1990s. It contrasts these with other models of school change based upon the desire for curricular or political reform. It proposes a shift of emphasis from the competitive school as the key entity to a close examination of the symbolic exchanges between school and the neighbourhood, particularly in areas of poverty, and the sense which teachers and students are able to make of each others’ lives and cultural reference points. In addition to Bourdieu’s concept of capitals, it will draw on Goffman as a theorist who combines symbolic interactionism with an understanding of institutional norms.

A multiple family discussion group program was implemented and evaluated by school counselors working with families of young children referred by their teachers for aggression and attention problems. The logic guiding construction of the program and the program’s unique aspects are described. Outcome data revealed that the program was effective in reducing the children’s hyperactive, defiant, and aggressive behavior and improving the parents’ management skills. The advantages of school counselors conducting this program are discussed.

Elementary school counselors are often expected to intervene when students are disruptive. This article describes four evidence-based programs that have been shown to be highly effective in changing children’s disruptive behavior. The success of these programs rests on the involvement of both parents and teachers in developing a collaborative approach to managing children’s behavior. These four programs were evaluated in terms of their feasibility of implementation by school counselors and other school personnel, their substantiated effectiveness with diverse populations, and their accessibility and ease of use.

A newly developing mode of brief, problem-focused intervention, known as brief strategic intervention, has begun to be used by special services practitioners to resolve persistent student problems. In this article, the brief strategic intervention approach is described and illustrated by means of a case involving a third grader who avoided doing his classwork.

School counselors bring special skills to the effort of educating low-income children. A review of literature on poverty and social class as correlates of student success, teacher expectations, and parent involvement provides a rationale for school counselors expanding their leadership roles in high-poverty schools by (a) serving as cultural broker among students, their families, and school staff; (b) partnering with staff to design more culturally responsive instruction; and (c) developing a more family-centric school environment.

This article presents an overview of a research-informed family resilience framework, developed as a conceptual map to guide school counselors’ preventive and interventive efforts with students and their families. Key processes that characterize children's and families’ resilience are outlined along with recommendations for how school counselors might apply this family resilience framework in their work.

Two College of Education faculty members describe theirjourneys as “professors in residence” immersed in schoolwidechange efforts at two different partnership schools. Collaborationwith school staff, students’ families, and community agenciesled to the formation of significant alliances that contributed tothe process of school improvement and change. Implicationsfor collaboration among stakeholders, engaged scholarship,and lessons learned are discussed.

This qualitative study utilized a grounded theory methodology to assess the conceptions about the school counselor role held by 26 administrators employed in public elementary, middle, or high schools. The study was designed to build a deeper understanding of how school administrators conceptualized the school counselor role. Four distinctive role sets were found. They were differentiated in terms of primary work activities valued, extent of counselor-staff work role coordination, and type of specialized knowledge required. Findings suggest that there is a need for a more conscious development of counselor leadership skills and role expectations by counselors themselves and by counselor preparation programs.