Recently Published Articles & Research

MINDSETS, ESSENTIAL SKILLS, & HABITS (MESH) HIGHLIGHTS

Mindfulness for Children
The New York Times – David Gelles, October 2017

Lawmakers Requiring More Recess in Schools
District Administration – Steven Wyman-Blackburn, October 25, 2017
 
How Teachers Can Find the Time for Social-Emotional Learning
Education Week – Hunter Gehlbach, October 24, 2017


MESH IN PRACTICE

Response: Using Social-Emotional Learning to Challenge ‘Systems of Oppression’
Education Week – Larry Ferlazzo, October 28, 2017
 
Program Looks to Fight Bullying by Teaching Kids to Resolve Conflict Themselves
Boston Herald – Kathleen McKiernan, October 27, 2017
 
How a High School Transformed Its School Culture
Education Week – Alexandra Brown, October 26, 2017
 
At Austin Schools, It’s Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and, Om, Yoga?
KUT – Claire McInerny, October 26, 2016
 
The Importance of Academic Courage
Edutopia – Ron Berger, October 25, 2017
 
Why Every Student Should Have a Mentor
Education Week – Lauren Faggella, October 25, 2017
 
Teachers Aid Struggling Test Takers with Real-Time Alerts
EdTech – Meghan Bogardus Cortez, October 24, 2017
 
How to Improve Brain Function and Reverse Poverty’s Impact on Student Learning
EdSurge – Eric Jensen, October 24, 2017
 
Developing Students’ Ability to Give and Take Effective Feedback
KQED News – Katrina Schwartz, October 15, 2017


MESH IN EDUCATION POLICY

Half a Worm: Why Education Policy Needs High Evidence Standards
Huffington Post – Robert Slavin, October 26, 2017
 
Do State ESSA Plans Have Strong Connections to Higher Education?
Education Week – Andrew Ujifusa, October 25, 2017

Baltimore School Suspensions Fell Last Year
The Baltimore Sun – Talia Richman, October 24, 2017


MESH IN RESEARCH & MEASUREMENT 

The Arts and Socioemotional Development: Evaluating a New Mandate for Arts Education
Arts Evaluation and Assessment – Steven J. Holochwost, Dennie Palmer Wolf, Kelly R. Fisher, Kerry O’Grady, and Kristen M. Gagnier, October 26, 2017
Abstract: In this chapter, we present the results of an evaluation that assesses whether an education in the arts may contribute to the development of socioemotional skills. To address this question, data were collected from N = 892 students (77.3% of color) participating in one of 11 programs in visual arts, music, theater, or dance. While our analyses revealed trend-level effects for programs on growth mindset and artistic goal orientation for the sample as a whole, significant effects were observed among younger students for growth mindset and for school engagement among students with high levels of engagement prior to program participation. We discussed the implications of these findings, which, given the composition of our sample, can be generalized to low-income students of color.
 
Preschool Intervention Can Promote Sustained Growth in the Executive-Function Skills of Children Exhibiting Early Deficits
Psychological Science – Tyler R. Sasser, Karen L. Bierman, Brenda Heinrichs, and Robert L. Nix, October 24, 2017
Abstract: This study examined the effects of the Head Start Research-Based, Developmentally Informed (REDI) preschool intervention on growth in children’s executive-function (EF) skills from preschool through third grade. Across 25 Head Start centers, each of 44 classrooms was randomly assigned either to an intervention group, which received enhanced social-emotional and language-literacy components, or to a “usual-practice” control group. Four-year-old children (N = 356; 25% African American, 17% Latino, 58% European American; 54% girls) were followed for 5 years, and EF skills were assessed annually. Latent-class growth analysis identified high, moderate, and low developmental EF trajectories. For children with low EF trajectories, the intervention improved EF scores in third grade significantly more (d = 0.58) than in the control group. Children who received the intervention also demonstrated better academic outcomes in third grade than children who did not. Poverty often delays EF development; enriching the Head Start program with an evidence-based curriculum and teaching strategies can reduce early deficits and thereby facilitate school success.
 
Effectiveness of Mindfulness Interventions for Mental Health in Schools: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis
Mindfulness – Dana Carsley, Bassam Khoury, and Nancy L. Heath, October 23, 2017
Abstract: Mindfulness interventions have increasingly been incorporated in elementary and high school classrooms to support students’ mental health and well-being; however, there is little research examining the specific factors contributing to the effectiveness of the interventions. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the specific effects of and moderators contributing to school-based mindfulness interventions for mental health in youth. A systematic review of studies published in PsycINFO, ERIC, Social Work Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and CINAHL was conducted. A total of 24 studies (n = 3977) were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, mindfulness interventions were found to be helpful, with small to moderate significant pre-post intervention compared to control groups (Hedges’ g = 0.24, p < .001); however, interventions that were delivered during late adolescence (15-18) and that consisted of combinations of various mindfulness activities had the largest effects on mental health and well-being outcomes. Furthermore, the effects on specific mindfulness and mental health outcomes differed according to whether the intervention was delivered by an outside facilitator compared to trained educators/teachers. These results suggest that individual differences and program characteristics can impact receptivity and effectiveness of mindfulness training. These findings represent a significant contribution as they can be used to inform future designs and applications of mindfulness interventions in the school setting.
 
Development of the Grit Scale for Children and Adults and Its Relation to Student Efficacy, Test Anxiety, and Academic Performance
Science Direct – Edward D. Sturman and Kerri Zappala-Piemme, October 18, 2017
Abstract: We sought to develop a new measure of grit, which would be suitable (i.e. readable) for both schoolchildren and adults. An initial pool of 14 items was administered to a student/community sample in Study 1 and 12 items were selected for the Grit Scale for Children and Adults (GSCA) based on factor loadings. In Study 2, the GSCA was administered to 249 students in grades 3–12. Participants also completed measures of self-efficacy, test anxiety, the Grit-O scale, and standardized tests in ELA, Math and Science. The GSCA demonstrated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Construct validity was supported by significant correlations with efficacy, anxiety, and other measures of grit. Scores on the GSCA predicted achievement on the ELA and Science standardized tests, over and above an existing grit scale (the Grit-O). The study found initial evidence for the psychometric properties of the GSCA and its use in school-children.
 
Do Rewards Reinforce the Growth Mindset?: Joint Effects of the Growth Mindset and Incentive Schemes in a Field Intervention
Journal of Experimental Psychology – Melody Manchi Chao, Sujata Visaria, Anirban Mukhopadhyay, and Rajeev Dehejia, October 2017
Abstract: The current study draws on the motivational model of achievement which has been guiding research on the growth mindset intervention (Dweck & Leggett, 1988) and examines how this intervention interacts with incentive systems to differentially influence performance for high- and low-achieving students in Indian schools that serve low-SES communities. Although, as expected, the growth mindset intervention did interact with incentive systems and prior achievement to influence subsequent academic performance, the existing growth mindset framework cannot fully account for the observed effects. Specifically, we found that the growth mindset intervention did facilitate performance through persistence, but only when the incentive system imparted individuals with a sense of autonomy. Such a facilitation effect was only found among those students who had high prior achievement, but not among those who had underperformed. When the incentive did not impart a sense of autonomy, the growth mindset intervention undermined the performance of those who had high initial achievement. To reconcile these discrepancies and to advance understanding of the impacts of psychological interventions on achievement outcomes, we discuss how the existing theory can be extended and integrated with an identity-based motivation framework (Oyserman & Destin, 2010). We also discuss the implications of our work for future research and practice. 
 
Considering Core Competencies: Social and Emotional Learning in British Columbia’s Redesigned Curriculum
Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education – Meaghan Storey, 2017
Abstract: The development of the redesigned BC curriculum marks a shift to a more integrated holistic approach to learning that includes focused attention on social and emotional learning (SEL). This article examines the development of the redesigned BC curriculum through the lens of SEL identifying challenges encountered and strengths upon which to build. Available materials, reports, and informing documents used in the planning, consultation, and development process are examined to establish an overview of the rationale, objectives, theoretical foundations, and intentions of the redesigned curriculum with respect to SEL. Investigation revealed considerable early emphasis on SEL, particularly through the Core Competencies envisioned as a reorientation towards skills-based, 21st century learning. However, a recent return to content-focused language in both planning and assessment are noted. Implications and directions for future research are suggested.