Alcohol use is widespread among college students. Previous studies have shown that stress and mental health conditions are common risk factors for college student alcohol use, while social support and self-efficacy have demonstrated a protective effect against college student alcohol use. Research has also demonstrated that alcohol use can have a…

Social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) functioning within schools has historically been considered in the context of educational impact. Currently, traditional models in education do not readily take into account changing ecological considerations for students, as they experience heightened population-wide academic and SEB concerns, increasing…

Statement of the Problem: This study aimed to understand the impact of exposure to ACEs in childhood on college attainment in adulthood and if safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) in childhood mitigate the risks of exposure to trauma through a contextual lens by exploring results by race/ethnicity and gender. Research: Exposure to…

Adjustment to college has been demonstrated to be a multifaceted process with several developmental challenges for young adults entering higher education. As colleges and universities in the United States increase in racial and ethnocultural diversity and as LGBTQ students become more visible on campus, it has become crucial to cater support…

The prevalence of substance use among adolescents warrants considerable concern since it often has detrimental effects on an individual's physical and mental health, and correlates with worsened social, physical, and employment outcomes. Research shows that adolescents with disabilities are especially susceptible to the development of substance…

In the three essays in this thesis, I explore the effect of school discipline policies on the suspension of public-school students, in an urban setting. In the first essay, using aggregate data, I investigate the effect of zero-tolerance disciplinary polices on secondary-school students. Capitalizing on a natural experiment, I used a…

Chapter 1: School Cellphone Bans and Student Substance Abuse: Evidence From California Public High Schools: Following high profile school shootings and the September 11th terrorist attacks, public concern over school emergency preparedness prompted the California State Legislature in 2003 to overturn a statewide ban against student possession of…

While most new teachers make teaching their first career after college, recent studies show that there is a substantial group of teachers who start to teach after having had one or more careers outside of education. This group of career-changers or "mid-career entrants to teaching" are perceived to be a desirable source of teaching…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between school climate and student outcome variables. The secondary purpose was to examine the relationship between the use of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and the same student outcome variables. Variables depicting student perceptions of school climate,…

Research suggests youth anxiety increases the chance of risky behaviors and academic difficulties, whereas spirituality moderates. To confirm these findings, this research investigated the nature of spirituality and trait anxiety on at-risk factors in high school youth. The Intrinsic Spirituality Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the…

Children with learning disabilities (LD) makeup 50.5% of all children identified for special services in the schools. Research has found that children with LD have difficulties in areas of functioning related to social competence. This study is based on a risk and resilience model to explore external protective factors (friendships and social…

Assessments of knowledge and perceptions about influenza were developed for high school students, and used to determine how knowledge, perceptions, and demographic variables relate to students taking precautions and their odds of getting sick. Assessments were piloted with 205 students and validated using the Rasch model. Data were then collected…

This investigation examined the impact combinations of at-risk factors had on 10,373 high school students in an urban school district from the school years 2000-2001 to 2006-2007. Students were categorized as high school graduates or dropouts. At-risk factors were associated with each student record. Hypothetical structural models were created for…

Federally funded Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI) programs provide marriage education as well as other services to low-income diverse individuals and couples at many points along the marital continuum with improving children's well-being as the overarching purpose. These programs need appropriate measures of healthy marriage for couples with…