The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how high school marching band instructors described extra-musical life skills teaching strategies in Northern California within the Western Band Association (WBA) organizational circuit. Theoretical foundations of this study were social emotional learning (SEL) based on the seminal…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events occurring in the household or community that hold painful or distressing outcomes for children immediately and in their future (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). School counselors work with children and young adolescents suffering from negative mental health…

Self-care skills, especially food preparation skills, are essential for independence as young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition to adulthood. This practice brief reviews the impact of a six-week course designed to teach cooking skills to college students with ASD. The goal was to increase confidence in cooking and frequency of…

In today's healthcare, managing chronic disease education has presented challenges for healthcare providers. Current research has indicated that the use of evidence-based practice educational tools used in conjunction with technology resources may improve patient outcomes. However the site did not have this in practice. Therefore, the purpose of…

This research project explores the communication opportunities for individuals in a community-based transition program in the Bay Area. The study focuses on the opportunities that are made available by a program that is founded on neurodiversity and trauma-informed principles. The research questions examined how a neurodiverse framework allows for…

The purpose of this study was to assess the health impact of professional quality of life and self-care on student services professionals. Results of an online survey indicate that health-related quality of life was negatively associated with compassion fatigue (secondary traumatic stress and burnout) and positively associated with mindful…

The population of adults on the autism spectrum continues to increase, and vocational outcomes are particularly poor. Longitudinal studies of adults with autism spectrum and without intellectual disability have shown consistent and persistent deficits across cognitive, social, and vocational domains, indicating a need for effective treatments of…

This study examined growth trajectories of teacher-reported adaptive behavior in a diverse sample of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. The participants were 244 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 21 years who were assessed at up to four time points across two and a half years of high school. Demographic variables (age, sex, race,…

The purpose of this research study was to determine how Community Based Instruction (CBI) affects the social skills of middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities. Community Based Instruction is instruction that takes place outside of the school campus and provides students with real life experiences that can help them become more…

Cairns and cares: they sound nearly alike, and at Tommie Kunst Junior High School (Santa Maria, CA), the two words are synonymous. Kim Cairns is a "Pitsco Education" Life Skills lab facilitator who cares deeply about her students--what they do, what they say, how they act, what they learn, and everything in between. Cairns has taken…

In the 2012 essay, "The Girls from Compton Go to College," the authors analyzed how growing up in Compton, California, impacted their identity development as scholars, teachers, and activists. In this article, the authors build on their previous work, utilizing a similar reflexive process to delve more deeply into how cultural capital…

The transition from middle school to high school can be difficult for many students due to increases in school size, the structure of an academic schedule, and the complexity of social interactions in high school. However, Black boys face unique challenges during this transition period due to racism and structural inequalities. In response to…

Background: Inclusive STEM (traditionally known to stand for "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math") high schools are emerging across the country as a mechanism for improving STEM education and getting more and diverse students into STEM majors and careers. However, there is no consensus on what these schools are or should be,…

The "Supportive Housing for Homeless Families: Foster Care Outcomes and Best Practices" report describes the outcome evaluation of Cottage Housing Incorporated's Serna Village program in Sacramento, California. Serna Village is a supportive housing program serving homeless families. Outcomes from the program illustrate that it is…

Every community has individuals or groups who manage to find better solutions to problems than their peers, although everyone has access to the same resources and challenges. Those are the positive deviants.