Although several studies have focused on why school climate is important, the timing of the collection of climate measures should be considered. This is of particular interest to schools that gauge school improvement efforts within a school year and are interested in how climate changes from the beginning to the end of the academic year. We show…

In this brief, we outline the five components of the ISLA model, as well as steps that school and district teams can take to begin implementing these practices within their positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework. Key Takeaways: (1) The ISLA model was created to support teachers, staff, and students by focusing on…

Critical theorists contend that power distributed within social institutions (e.g., schools, school districts) is inequitable, favoring those in dominant social groups. The oppression experienced by minoritized or marginalized youth impacts students' experience in school and their educational outcomes (Proctor, 2016). To disrupt this oppression,…

The present study reports findings from a school-level randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the Double Check cultural responsivity and student engagement model. Consistent with the focus of this special issue on the conceptual and methodological advances for understanding contextual, identity, and cultural effects in intervention research, we…

We present outcomes from a study testing the effect of professional development (PD) focused on integrating restorative practices into multi-tiered student support systems on how high school staff, students, and parents perceive their school's discipline practices. A total of 16 high schools enrolled in the 2-year study during which COVID-related…

Ample scientific research has documented that exclusionary discipline practices are both ineffective for reducing unwanted behaviors and harmful to the long-term social and academic outcomes of students. Further, exclusionary discipline practices are especially harmful given their disproportionate use with students of color, students with…

Limited research has explored mothers' perceptions of teachers' pedagogical practices that may or may not support the learning and development of their child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mothers of children with ASD were asked to describe their perspective regarding three questions: (1) How do teachers structure the classroom environment…

This special issue of "School Psychology Review," entitled "Closing in on Discipline Disproportionality" examined promising approaches and critical issues related to the challenge of closing racial and ethnic gaps in schools' use of exclusionary and punitive discipline practices. In this introductory paper, we briefly reviewed…

Exclusionary discipline practices have a direct negative impact on individual students, schools, and society at large. To improve equity and cultural responsivity, active efforts to assess the contextual fit of effective strategies are necessary. The following study describes the Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach (ISLA), an intervention…

Excessive use of exclusionary school discipline with Black students is a persistent, systemic problem in U.S. schools with potential to affect students' perceptions of their school. For example, students may notice racial differences in out-of-school suspensions, which may relate to how academically engaged they feel and the extent to which they…

National data have shown for decades that Black students experience more frequent and severe disciplinary actions that remove them from school (e.g., suspension), compared to their White peers. Despite extensive research documenting the sequelae associated with suspension (e.g., school drop-out and delinquency), there has been relatively scant…

Schools have a considerable influence on children's development, both through proximal factors such as teachers and curriculum, but also through indirect effects of school policies. While some policies and programs have the potential to increase stress and burden on students, educators, as well as the broader educational context, several programs…