Project Activities
In Years 1â3 of the study, 90 Kâ3 teachers will be recruited into three cohorts and randomly assigned to the CBC intervention condition or business-as-usual comparison condition. Within participating classrooms, approximately 270 Latino students identified as at risk for EBD will participate along with their parents or primary caregiver. Data collection will be completed prior to CBC implementation, immediately after the intervention, and at two follow-up points the following academic year to examine student behavioral and academic outcomes, parent/teacher beliefs and practices, and the family-school relationship. Researchers will also examine key variables that may moderate or mediate intervention effects and long-term impacts of CBC.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The research will occur in elementary schools with high Latino student populations across school districts in Nebraska.
Sample
A total of 90 K-3 teachers will participate in the study. Approximately 270 students (2â3 students per classroom) identified through a teacher screening as at risk for EBD, along with their parents or primary caregivers, will participate.
Intervention
CBC is an 8-week intervention that focuses on improving student behaviors through structured problem solving and collaborative, consistent implementation of evidence-based interventions across home and school settings. In CBC, parents and teachers serve as joint consultees, and the consultation process is conducted with parents and teachers as partners in addressing student behavior problems that interfere with learning. Problems are identified, defined, analyzed, and treated through mutual and collaborative interactions between parents and teachers with the guidance and assistance of a consultant. In this project, consultants will implement the CBC intervention through a sequence of interviews and activities during pre-consultation and four formal stages: (1) conjoint problem identification, (2) conjoint problem analysis and behavior plan development, (3) behavior plan implementation and fidelity support, and (4) behavior plan evaluation.
Research design and methods
This study will use a three-cohort cluster randomized controlled trial with repeated measures design in which teachers (30 per cohort) serve as the unit of randomization, with teachers nested within schools. Within participating classrooms, teachers will screen students to identify 2â3 Latino students per classroom identified as at risk for EBD. The immediate and long-term (i.e., the following fall semester and following spring semester) impact of CBC on student outcomes will be evaluated. Researchers will also examine key variables that may moderate (e.g., school climate, family and child risk such as family socioeconomic status and acculturation factors) or mediate (e.g., parent-teacher relationship, parent and teacher problem-solving competencies, beliefs about parent involvement in education) intervention effects and long-term impacts of CBC.
Control condition
In the control condition, teachers and their students will receive business-as-usual instruction, services, and professional development.
Key measures
The Behavioral and Emotional Screening System will be used to identify students at risk for EBD. Student academic achievement will be assessed with the Woodcock Johnson-IV, or if Spanish is the student's primary language, the Woodcock-Munoz (Spanish adaptation) and student report card grades. Student behaviors will be assessed with teacher and parent reports using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2nd edition and the Social Skills Improvement System. Researchers will also conduct classroom observations and review behavioral records (e.g., disciplinary referrals). A variety of measures will be used to examine key moderators, such as Positive Perceptions about School to assess school climate, reports on family poverty status, and the Multidimensional Acculturation Scale to assess cultural identity, language, and cultural competency. Similarly, a variety of measures will be used to assess key mediators, such as the Parent-Teacher Relationship Scale to measure cohesion and communication between parents and teachers, the Competence in Problem Solving Scale, and the Parent Role Construction Scale to assess parents' roles and beliefs about involvement in their child's education. The Behavior Intervention Rating Scale will also be used to examine the acceptability of CBC to parents and teachers.
Data analytic strategy
Latent growth modeling with repeated measures nested within children, children nested within classrooms, and classrooms nested within consultants, will be used to analyze differences between the growth rates of treatment and control students' behavioral and academic functioning. In addition, the researchers will investigate potential mediators and moderators of intervention effects.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: This project will produce evidence of the efficacy of CBC for Latino students, peer-reviewed publications, and presentations.
Related projects
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigators: Brandy Clarke (University of Nebraska Medical Center)
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.