Supporting Latinx Student Success via Family–School Partnerships: Preliminary Effects of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation on Student and Parent Outcomes

ABSTRACT

Latinx students are the largest ethnic minority school-age population, yet they have some of the lowest reading proficiency levels and highest rates of school dropout and experience significant unmet behavioral health needs. School-based interventions addressing behavioral challenges and parent engagement are recommended to support Latinx students. Conjoint behavioral consultation is an evidence-based intervention that supports behavioral improvements and home–school partnerships for students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of CBC for a subsample of Latinx students enrolled in two large-scale randomized efficacy trials. ANCOVA and t-test analyses revealed generally positive effects for CBC on Latinx student and parent outcomes and parent-teacher relationships. These findings suggest CBC may be a promising school-based intervention addressing gaps in educational and behavioral health services for Latinx students. Given the small sample size, further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of CBC for Latinx students and their families.

Funding

The research reported herein was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant Numbers #R324A100115 and #R305F050284 and Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research Funds awarded to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

Notes

¹ The SSiS was released as an updated version of the SSRS after the first randomized trial.

Additional information

Funding

The research reported herein was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant Numbers #R324A100115 and #R305F050284 and Tobacco Settlement Biomedical Research Funds awarded to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

Notes on contributors

Brandy L. Clarke

Brandy L. Clarke, PhD, is an assistant professor and licensed psychologist in the Department of Psychology at the Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Her research is focused on home-school partnerships, early childhood development, education and intervention, and integrated health care. Clarke has co-authored several chapters and peer-reviewed articles on these topics and has conducted local, national, and international trainings in these areas.

Lorey A. Wheeler

Lorey A. Wheeler, PhD, is a research assistant professor in the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She received her doctorate in Family and Human Development with an emphasis in Quantitative Methodology from Arizona State University. Her major research interests include risk and protective processes and contextual influences on educational, psychosocial and physical health outcomes for Latino youth and families.

Susan M. Sheridan

Susan M. Sheridan, PhD, is director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, and a George Holmes University Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her research is focused on the development of meaningful home-school partnerships, early childhood education and interventions, and social-behavioral interventions. Sheridan received the American Psychological Association’s Division 16 (School Psychology) Lightner Witmer Award (1993) for early career accomplishments and Senior Scientist Award (2015) for distinguished career-long scholarship; the 2005 Presidential Award from the National Association of School Psychologists; and the 2014 University of Nebraska’s Outstanding Research and Creativity Award.

Amanda L. Witte

Amanda L. Witte, PhD, is a research project manager at the Nebraska Center for Research on Children. Her research is focused on rural education, home-school partnerships, early childhood education, and social-behavioral interventions. Witte delivers workshops on family-school partnerships to educators and service providers, serves as a Rural Futures Institute fellow, and collaborates with school districts to create mutually beneficial research partnerships.

Mackenzie S. Sommerhalder

Mackenzie S. Sommerhalder, MA, is a School Psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her research is focused on high school education and interventions, the development of healthy habits in early childhood, and multiculturally sensitive interventions. Sommerhalder received the Nebraska School Psychology Association’s Outstanding Student of the Year from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2016).

Elizabeth A. Svoboda

Elizabeth A. Svoboda, BA, is a doctoral student in the Quantitative, Qualitative, and Psychometric Methods Program in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She currently serves as a quantitative consultant in the Nebraska Evaluation and Research Center. Elizabeth’s research interests include measurement invariance and multilevel modeling.

Note: The authors report that, to the best of their knowledge, neither they nor their affiliated institutions have financial or personal relationships or affiliations that could influence or bias the opinions, decisions, or work presented in this article.