Tara Stevens

The National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce) aids in the recruitment of undergraduate students completing a STEM degree with teacher certification. As little is known how Noyce has influenced current career experiences of their alumni, this study, guided by descriptive phenomenology and self‐determination theory (SDT), explored the lived experiences of five alumni Noyce scholars who were retained as mathematics educators via semi‐structured interviews. Phenomenological essences were reported for each participant, and data were categorized into SDT's motivational constructs. Alumni shared key factors to their retainment: (1) access to a support network; (2) recognition or mentorship from professors and peers; and (3) supporting mathematics learners in high needs areas influenced career choices. Within the SDT analysis, perceived competency and relatedness were factors that aided their resiliency in remaining a mathematics educator. Alumni also described teacher leadership opportunities that they would like to participate in with current Noyce scholars, implying Noyce programs could collaborate with former participants to support current scholars.

School resource officers’ (SROs) presence (e.g., engagement in patrol, carrying firearms, etc.) and prevention (e.g., mentoring, teaching) roles have not been distinguished in investigations of SROs’ association with student outcomes. A model predicting nonviolent incidents and serious violent incidents reported to police from SRO presence and prevention roles while controlling for limits in mental health availability, teacher training, and school problems was fit to an archival dataset of 1529 school administrators’ responses to the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSCOS). SRO prevention significantly predicted lower numbers of nonviolent incidents reported to police (β = −.28) and SRO presence significantly predicted higher numbers of nonviolent (β = .51) and serious violent (β = .24) incidents reported to police in the high school sample. SRO presence and SRO prevention were not significantly associated with either nonviolent or serious violent incidents reported to police in the middle level sample. Greater acknowledgement of limitations in mental health service availability was associated with reports of school problems across samples, and school problems were significantly associated with higher numbers of nonviolent and serious violent incidents reported to police. Results suggest that investment in the SRO prevention role over presence is needed. In high schools employing school resource officers (SROs), law enforcement SRO presence was associated with higher levels of nonviolent and serious violent incidents reported to police, whereas the SRO prevention role was associated with lower levels of nonviolent and serious violent incidents reported to police. Only mental health availability had a significant influence on reducing school problem behavior across middle and high schools. Investment in the SRO prevention role over presence is needed, and collaboration with other mental health professionals to support the SRO preventative role is suggested.

The purpose of the present study was first to investigate whether both teacher‐reported classroom aggression (ATT) and teachers’ interaction with school shooting media (ISSM) are predictors of teachers’ secondary trauma related to school shootings (STSS) and to second, consider how participation in lockdown drills may moderate these relationships. Two measures were created to understand the levels of aggression teachers report occurs in their classrooms and to understand how teachers interact with media related to school shootings. Both ISSM and ATT were associated with higher levels of STSS. Lockdown drills did not appear to interact with these relationships to either strengthen or weaken them. Considering the importance of teachers’ well‐being and how it influences their ability to be effective teachers, continued investigation is warranted.

Objectives Family-centered care has been associated with positive outcomes for children with special health care needs. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship of family-centered care as associated with care coordination with schools and school absences (e.g., missed days) as reported by parents of children with special health care needs. Methods The current study utilized data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs 2009-201 (N = 40,242) to achieve this purpose. The National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs may be considered a nationally-representative and community-based sample of parent responses for children with special health care needs across the United States. Results Results from the current study indicate that family-centered care is associated with fewer absences and improved care coordination with schools when applicable. The variables of functional difficulties, poverty level, and the number of conditions were statistically controlled. Conclusions We suggest that the positive influence of family-centered care when practiced extends beyond the family and interacts with educational outcomes. We also suggest that the role of schools appears to be under-studied given the role that schools can play in family-centered care.