Although all states in the United States require school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies, relatively little research explores the content of bullying policies. A content analysis of anti-bullying policies from 76 school districts across the State of Louisiana was conducted. A 63-item coding scheme was developed to guide the analysis. The overall compliance to the coding framework by the Louisiana school districts considered in this study was 64%, with many policies covering logistical aspects of bullying response such as definitions, reporting, investigating, monitoring, disseminating policies, and consequences for perpetrators. While many school districts addressed evidenced-based practices and mental health support for victims and perpetrators, few school district policies addressed the use of personally owned technology, mental health support for witnesses, evaluating programs, or enumeration of vulnerable groups. There was also a noticeable gap in policies that were culturally responsive in nature. Implications are discussed for educators, policy-makers, and researchers.

Background Teachers are important gatekeepers in suicide prevention for children and youth, yet little is known about factors that contribute to suicide prevention training effectiveness and the influence of student suicidality on teachers’ role as gatekeepers. Objective This study examined teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy in suicide prevention including an examination of suicide prevention training and exposure to student suicidality. Researchers examined incremental prediction of the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and outcome values following prevention training. Methods Participants included teachers in PreK-12th grade schools in the United States ( N = 505). Researchers used non-parametric statistics to examine group level differences and a structural equation model (SEM) to test the proposed theoretical model. Results Teachers who experienced a student death by suicide reported significantly higher levels of gatekeeper reluctance than teachers who had not experienced a student death by suicide ( p < 0.01). Similarly, teachers who encountered students with suicidal thoughts reported greater levels of gatekeeper reluctance ( p < 0.01) and higher self-efficacy to engage in suicide prevention (p < 0.05) compared to teachers who had not had this exposure. Results of the SEM indicated an adequate goodness of fit and fit statistics [χ 2 (87) = 194.420, p = 0.000; CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.05]. The model remained in-tact when exposure to student suicide was added. Conclusions Findings support the importance of supporting teachers continued engagement in youth suicide prevention and prevention training that targets specific outcomes in teachers’ attitudes and efficacy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10566-022-09699-5.

More and more faculty who teach online are facing incivility in their classroom. These disruptions impede learners’ development and wellbeing and can negatively impact faculty and institutions of higher education. In this article, we review the consequences of online academic incivility and the situational factors that contribute to these disruptions. In addition, we present promising practices and strategies for faculty, including (a) functional communication, (b) empathy, (c) timely feedback, (d) active listening, and (e) clear and consistent expectations. Faculty members implementing these strategies in their online classes may be useful in reducing the challenges of academic incivilities. Future research directions and practical implications for promoting civil communications are considered.

Abstract. Background: Teachers play a critical role in youth suicide prevention, yet few psychometrically sound instruments exist to measure teachers' expectations and values regarding suicide prevention. Aims: This study examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Teacher Expectations and Values for Suicide Prevention (TEVSP) Scale. Method: The TEVSP was administered to 500 teachers in the United States. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure and bivariate correlations were used to investigate convergent and discriminant validity. Mann–Whitney U tests investigated group differences in TEVSP scores between participants who had received suicide training and those who had not. Results: Results support a three-factor hierarchical model with strong internal consistency and evidence of validity. Significant differences were found in TEVSP scores between groups. Limitations: There is a need to further explore the psychometric properties of the scale across samples and face-to-face methods. Conclusion: The TEVSP is a sound instrument that can be used to measure teachers' expectations and values for suicide prevention.

Reading in upper-elementary grades includes comprehending complex texts and learning disciplinary-specific vocabulary. This study aims to determine the effects of a computer-adaptive supplementary reading program on fifth-grade students’ reading achievement. Using propensity score matching to create equivalent groups of 450 students for both control and intervention groups (N = 900), a quasi-experimental design was employed to examine changes in fifth-grade students’ overall, comprehension, vocabulary, reading achievement scores who used this program as compared to those who did not. Students from eight school districts and 108 schools in a Southeastern state were matched based on demographics and initial reading ability, and the Title I status of their schools. Students in the intervention group received at least 30 min per week of supplemental computer-adaptive reading instruction between the months of September and May. Mean differences between pre- and post-test scores identified that students in the intervention group utilizing a computer adaptive reading curriculum had statistically significant higher gains than students in the control group on their overall reading, vocabulary, and reading comprehension scores with small effect sizes. The findings support the use of a supplemental computer adaptive reading program for improving overall reading and reading comprehension outcomes among these fifth-grade students.