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IES Grant

Title: Conjoint Behavioral Consultation for Middle School Students With or at Risk for Serious Emotional Disturbance: A Career Development and Research Plan
Center: NCSER Year: 2016
Principal Investigator: Garbacz, Andy Awardee: University of Wisconsin, Madison
Program: Early Career Development and Mentoring      [Program Details]
Award Period: 4 years (7/1/2016 – 6/30/2020) Award Amount: $400,000
Type: Training Award Number: R324B160043
Description:

Previous Award Number: R324B160026
Previous Awardee: University of Oregon

Mentors: Elizabeth Stormshak, Randy Kamphaus, and John Seeley

Purpose: The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving outcomes for adolescents with or at risk for serious emotional disturbance (ED) while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to adolescent development, measurement and assessment, research methodology (e.g., multilevel modeling, qualitative data analysis), and grant writing. The PI intends to iteratively develop and test the feasibility and promise of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) for middle school students with or at risk for serious ED. CBC is an existing indirect service delivery model that partners parents, educators, and other key stakeholders in data-driven collaborative problem solving and cross-system implementation of evidence-based interventions to address problem behaviors associated with serious ED. Despite evidence suggesting that school-family partnerships are important for supporting adolescent learning and behavior, there have been few efforts to implement and evaluate CBC for middle school youth with disruptive, externalizing behaviors who have or are at risk for ED.

Research Plan: The proposed research will take place in two phases. In Phase 1, CBC procedures and behavioral strategies will be iteratively developed and refined for middle school students with or at risk for serious ED. Focus groups will be held with administrators, parents, and teachers and interviews will be conducted with students to obtain feedback on the needs of middle school students, barriers and supports to implementation, technical assistance needs, and sustainability. CBC will be revised on the basis of stakeholder feedback, extant research, and recommended procedures for middle school students. To test the usability of the revised CBC, three students and their parents and teachers will participate in CBC and then provide feedback about its utility. CBC will then be refined further on the basis of the usability test. In Phase 2, the feasibility and promise of the modified CBC will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial. Middle school students with disruptive, externalizing behaviors who have or are at risk for serious ED will participate, along with their parents and teachers. Data from focus groups and interviews, direct behavior ratings, and questionnaires will be used to determine the feasibility and promise of CBC for improving students' behavioral, social, and academic outcomes for students. Analyses will also examine whether parent and teacher practices and parent-teacher relationships mediate the effect of CBC on student outcomes.

Career Plan: Through a career development plan, the PI intends to (1) extend his program of research to adolescence, (2) increase the efficiency and effectiveness of measurement and assessment plans, (3) refine his expertise in methodology and evaluation, and (4) develop an IES Goal 3 efficacy and replication proposal. To accomplish these goals, the PI will engage in monthly meetings with mentors; directed readings; participation in workshops, courses, and an intensive summer course in advanced statistical techniques; and grant-writing workshops.

Products and Publications

Book chapter

Garbacz, S. A., Witte, A. L., & Houck, S. (in press). Family engagement foundations: Supporting children and families. In M. D. Weist, S. A. Garbacz, K. L. Lane, & D. Kincaid (Eds.), Aligning and integrating family engagement in positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS): Concepts and strategies for families and schools in key contexts. Eugene, OR: University of Oregon.

Weist, M. D., Garbacz, S. A., Lane, K. L., & Kincaid, D. (in press). Enhancing progress for meaningful family engagement in all aspects of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) and multi-tiered systems of support. In M. D. Weist, S. A. Garbacz, K. L. Lane, & D. Kincaid (Eds.), Aligning and integrating family engagement in positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS): Concepts and strategies for families and schools in key contexts. Eugene, OR: University of Oregon.


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