Developing School Leaders: Findings From a Randomized Control Trial Study of the Executive Development Program and Paired Coaching

2021 ◽  
pp. 016237372110472
Author(s):  
Benjamin K. Master ◽  
Heather Schwartz ◽  
Fatih Unlu ◽  
Jonathan Schweig ◽  
Louis T. Mariano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Executive Development ◽  
School Based ◽  
Language Arts Achievement ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Positive Effect

Principals are the second-largest school-based contributor to K–12 students’ academic progress. However, there is little research evaluating whether efforts to develop principals’ skills improve school effectiveness. We conducted randomized controlled trial studies of the impacts of a professional development program called the Executive Development Program (EDP) and of the incremental effects of coaching to help principals implement the EDP curriculum. We find that the EDP alone influenced principals’ practices, but not student achievement, within 3 years. Coaching had a small positive effect on students’ English Language Arts achievement, but no effect on math achievement or on principals’ practices. Coaching had the largest effects in disadvantaged schools. We hypothesize that coaching enhanced the quality of implementation of recommended practices.

scholarly journals Anorectal Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanober Nusrat ◽  
Elsie Gulick ◽  
David Levinthal ◽  
Klaus Bielefeldt
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Fecal Incontinence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Neuromuscular Diseases ◽  
Anorectal Dysfunction ◽  
Pubmed Database ◽  
Marginal Improvement

Constipation and fecal incontinence are common in patients with neuromuscular diseases. Despite their high prevalence and potential impact on overall quality of life, few studies have addressed anorectal dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The goal of this paper is to define the prevalence, pathophysiology, impact, and potential treatment of constipation and incontinence in MS patients. Methods. The PubMed database was searched for English language publications between January 1973 and December 2011. Articles were reviewed to assess the definition of the study population, duration, type and severity of MS, sex distribution, prevalence, impact, results of physiologic testing, and treatments. Results. The reported prevalence of constipation and fecal incontinence ranged around 40%. Anorectal dysfunction significantly affected patients with nearly 1 in 6 patients limiting social activities or even quitting work due to symptoms. Caregivers listed toileting as a common and significant burden. The only randomized controlled trial showed a marginal improvement of constipation with abdominal massage. All other reports lacked control interventions and only demonstrated improvement in individuals with milder symptoms. Conclusion. Anorectal dysfunction is a common manifestation in MS that significantly affects quality of life. Therapies are at best moderately effective and often cumbersome, highlighting the need for simple and more helpful interventions.

scholarly journals Efficacy of a Web-Enabled, School-Based, Preventative Intervention to Reduce Bullying and Improve Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Covadonga M. Díaz-Caneja ◽  
Javier Martín-Babarro ◽  
Renzo Abregú-Crespo ◽  
Miguel Á. Huete-Diego ◽  
Marta Giménez-Dasí ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Study Protocol ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
School Based ◽  
Cluster Randomized

Introduction: Bullying is a major preventable risk factor for mental disorders. Available evidence suggests school-based interventions reduce bullying prevalence rates. This study aims to test the efficacy of a web-enabled, school-based, multicomponent anti-bullying intervention to prevent school bullying and to assess its effects on mental health and quality of life.Methods and analysis: Cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 20 publicly funded primary and secondary schools in Madrid, Spain. Schools are randomly allocated to either the intervention arm (n = 10) or conventional practices arm (n = 10). The web-enabled intervention (LINKlusive) lasts ~12 weeks and consists of three main components: (i) an online training program for teachers and parents, (ii) a web-guided educational program for students, focusing on promoting respect for diversity, empathy, and social skill development, and (iii) a web-guided, teacher-delivered, targeted intervention program for bullying situations identified based on peer-support strategies and individual intervention for those involved (i.e., bullying victims and perpetrators). The primary objective is to compare differences between peer-reported bullying victimization in the intervention and control arms at the end of the intervention. Secondary outcome measures are additional measures of bullying victimization and perpetration, mental health symptoms, self-esteem, and quality of life. A follow-up assessment is conducted 1 year after the end of the intervention. Treatment effects will be tested using multilevel mixed models, adjusting for school-, classroom-, and student-related covariates. Considering the increased bullying rates in children with special educational needs, a specific subgroup analysis will test the efficacy of the intervention on bullying prevalence, mental health, and quality of life in this particularly vulnerable population.Ethics and Dissemination: The Deontology Commission of the School of Psychology, Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain reviewed the study protocol and granted ethical approval on 21st January 2019. The results of the trial will be disseminated in relevant peer-reviewed journals and at conferences in the field.Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN15719015.

scholarly journals What works to promote walking at the population level? A systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (12) ◽  
pp. 807-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlie Foster ◽  
Paul Kelly ◽  
Hamish A B Reid ◽  
Nia Roberts ◽  
Elaine M Murtagh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
English Language ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Community Initiatives ◽  
School Based ◽  
Randomised Controlled

ObjectiveInterventions to promote walking have focused on individual or group-based approaches, often via the randomised controlled trial design. Walking can also be promoted using population health approaches. We systematically reviewed the effectiveness of population approaches to promote walking among individuals and populations.DesignA systematic review.Data sources10 electronic databases searched from January 1990 to March 2017.Eligibility criteriaEligibility criteria include pre-experimental and postexperimental studies of the effects of population interventions to change walking, and the effects must have been compared with a ‘no intervention’, or comparison group/area/population, or variation in exposure; duration of ≥12 months of follow up; participants in free-living populations; and English-language articles.Results12 studies were identified from mostly urban high-income countries (one focusing on using tax, incentivising the loss of parking spaces; and one using policy only, permitting off-leash dogs in city parks). Five studies used mass media with either environment (n=2) or community (n=3) approaches. Four studies used environmental changes that were combined with policies. One study had scaled up school-based approaches to promote safe routes to schools. We found mass media, community initiatives and environmental change approaches increased walking (range from 9 to 75 min/week).

scholarly journals Varieties of Knowledge and Skill-Based Pay Design

2003 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Anthony Milanowski
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Expectancy Theory ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Pay Systems ◽  
Graduate Degrees ◽  
School Based ◽  
Teacher Skills ◽  
K 12

This article describes the design of knowledge and skill-based pay systems for K-12 teachers in six U.S. school districts and one charter school. Based on a theory of action that relates knowledge and skill- based pay systems to improvements in instruction, and the expectancy theory of motivation, seven dimensions for comparison are identified and the systems are compared based on these dimensions. While there were a variety of reasons for designing new pay systems, similarities included that teachers were involved in the design processes, and that the knowledge and skills rewarded are more closely related to instruction than in the traditional salary schedule (though none of the systems placed heavy emphasis on content-specific pedagogy). Most systems made use of existing standards or definitions of good teaching, such as the Framework for Teaching (Danielson, 1996). While most of the systems involved performance-based assessments of teacher skills, in no case were seniority and graduate degrees eliminated as a basis for pay progression. Few of the programs had developed a coordinated professional development program specifically linked to the knowledge and skills rewarded by the new pay system. Implications for policy makers and system designers are drawn.

The Connection Project: Changing the peer environment to improve outcomes for marginalized adolescents

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Allen ◽  
Rachel K. Narr ◽  
Alison G. Nagel ◽  
Meghan A. Costello ◽  
Karen Guskin
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
School Context ◽  
Program Completion ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
School Based ◽  
Marginalized Groups

Abstract This study evaluated a school-based intervention to enhance adolescent peer relationships and improve functional outcomes, building upon Ed Zigler’s seminal contribution in recognizing the potential of academic contexts to enhance social and emotional development. Adolescents (N = 610) primarily from economically or racially/ethnically marginalized groups were assessed preintervention, postintervention, and at 4-month follow-up in a randomized controlled trial. At program completion, intervention participants reported significantly increased quality of peer relationships; by 4-month follow-up, this increased quality was also observable by peers outside of the program, and program participants also displayed higher levels of academic engagement and lower levels of depressive symptoms. These latter effects appear to have potentially been mediated via participants’ increased use of social support. The potential of the Connection Project intervention specifically, and of broader efforts to activate adolescent peer relationships as potent sources of social support and growth more generally within the secondary school context, is discussed.

scholarly journals Therapeutic Atmosphere in Psychotherapy Sessions

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 4105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marte L. Siegel ◽  
Eva M. Gullestad Binder ◽  
Hanne Sofie J. Dahl ◽  
Nikolai O. Czajkowski ◽  
Kenneth L. Critchfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multilevel Modeling ◽  
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Therapist Variable ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect

There is uncertainty concerning what the active ingredients in psychotherapy are. The First Experimental Study of Transference interpretations (FEST) was a randomized controlled trial of the effects of transference work (TW) in psychodynamic psychotherapy. Women with low quality of object relations (QOR) showed a large positive effect of transference work, while men with high QOR showed a slight negative effect. The present study aimed to expand the knowledge from the FEST by investigating the therapeutic atmosphere with Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB). Two-way ANOVAs were conducted to investigate differences between SASB cluster scores between subgroups. The therapeutic atmosphere was characterized by Protect–Trust, Affirm–Disclose and Control–Submit. Multilevel modeling was used to assess the relationship between a therapist variable and outcomes for men and women. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences in therapeutic atmosphere between subgroups (with or without TW in women with low QOR and men with high QOR) were observed using the process measure SASB.

scholarly journals Has the reporting quality of published randomised controlled trial protocols improved since the SPIRIT statement? A methodological study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e038283
Author(s):  
Zet Wei Tan ◽  
Aidan Christopher Tan ◽  
Tom Li ◽  
Ian Harris ◽  
Justine M Naylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
English Language ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Methodological Study ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Significant Deterioration ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Randomised Controlled

ObjectivesTo determine the reporting quality of published randomised controlled trial (RCT) protocols before and after the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) statement (2013), and any association with author, trial or journal factors.DesignMethodological study.Data sourcesMEDLINE, Embase and CENTRAL were electronically searched using optimised search strategies.Eligibility criteriaProtocols written for an RCT of living humans, published in full text in a peer-reviewed journal and published in the English language.Main outcomePrimary outcome was the overall proportion of checklist items which were adequately reported in RCT protocols published before and after the SPIRIT statement.Results300 RCT protocols were retrieved; 150 from the period immediately before the SPIRIT statement (9 July 2012 to 28 December 2012) and 150 from a recent period after the SPIRIT statement (25 January 2019 to 20 March 2019). 47.9% (95% CI, 46.5% to 49.3%) of checklist items were adequately reported in RCT protocols before the SPIRIT statement and 56.7% (95% CI, 54.9% to 58.5%) after the SPIRIT statement. This represents an 8.8% (95% CI, 6.6% to 11.1%; p<0.0001) mean improvement in the overall proportion of checklist items adequately reported since the SPIRIT statement. While 40% of individual checklist items had a significant improvement in adequate reporting after the SPIRIT statement, 11.3% had a significant deterioration and there were no RCT protocols in which all individual checklist items were complete. The factors associated with higher reporting quality of RCT protocols in multiple regression analysis were author expertise or experience in epidemiology or statistics, multicentre trials, longer protocol word length and publicly reported journal policy of compliance with the SPIRIT statement.ConclusionThe overall reporting quality of RCT protocols has significantly improved since the SPIRIT statement, although a substantial proportion of individual checklist items remain poorly reported. Continued and concerted efforts are required by journals, editors, reviewers and investigators to improve the completeness and transparency of RCT protocols.

The Potential of Coaching as a Strategy to Improve the Effectiveness of School-Based Substance Use Prevention Curricula

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 696-710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Ringwalt ◽  
Melinda M. Pankratz ◽  
William B. Hansen ◽  
Linda Dusenbury ◽  
Julia Jackson-Newsom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
Substance Use Prevention ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
School Based ◽  
Prevention Curriculum ◽  
Expert Coaching ◽  
And Control ◽  
Positive Effect

Research-based substance use prevention curricula typically yield small effects when implemented by school teachers under real-world conditions. Using a randomized controlled trial, the authors examined whether expert coaching improves the effectiveness of the All Stars prevention curriculum. Although a positive effect on students' cigarette use was noted, this finding may be attributed to marked baseline differences on this variable across the intervention and control groups. No effects were found on students' alcohol or marijuana use or on any of several variables thought to mediate curriculum effects. The effects of coaching on teachers may not become evident until future years, when they have moved beyond an initial mechanical delivery of the curriculum.

scholarly journals The Impact of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) on Loneliness in Primary School Children: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial in England

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Hennessey ◽  
Pamela Qualter ◽  
Neil Humphrey
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Emotional Learning ◽  
School Intervention ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
School Based ◽  
Thinking Strategies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect

Research suggests that loneliness during childhood is associated with poor well-being and mental ill-health. There is a growing social and educational imperative to explore how school-based interventions can support young children’s social development. The Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) curriculum is a universal school intervention focused on social and emotional learning, and it has a significant evidence based supporting its positive impact on children’s social-emotional and mental health outcomes. Yet the impact on children’s reported loneliness has not been explored. This paper presents the first large scale analyses of the impact of PATHS on reducing children’s loneliness in England. A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two arms: intervention (PATHS—23 schools) and control (usual practice—22 schools) assessed the impact of PATHS on children’s loneliness from baseline to 2-year follow-up. Two-level (school, child) multi-nomial regression models were used to assess “intention-to-treat” effects, controlling for important demographic co-variates such as gender, age, free school meal eligibility, ethnicity, and special educational needs. These analyses revealed a significant positive effect of PATHS on children’s loneliness. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses, treating loneliness as a dichotomous variable and using different cut-offs for loneliness, revealed the positive effect of PATHS was maintained and, thus, robust. This is the first RCT to demonstrate that a school-based universal social-emotional learning intervention such as PATHS can reduce loneliness in children.

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