Michael D. Lyons

The current study seeks to explore the reciprocal associations between mentor–mentee relationship strength and relationships with parents and peers across 2 years of mentoring. It is a secondary analysis of data collected by a national mentoring organization from youth ( N = 1368; M age = 11.5 years; 59% female; White [ n = 629], 30% Black [ n = 410], 16% Hispanic [ n = 219], and 8% multiracial or other racial identities [ n = 110]) participating at program sites across a Midwestern state. Random‐intercept cross‐lagged panel models test associations and control for between‐person variability. No significant cross‐lag associations were observed between mentoring relationship strength and relationships with parents (βs = .03 to 19, p > .05) or peers ( β = –.25 to .09, p > .5) over 2 years of mentoring. However, youth reports of dynamic changes within mentoring relationships were observed, with effects becoming stronger over time ( β = .22, p < .05). Findings suggest that long‐term mentoring relationships may not directly influence parent or peer relationships alone but demonstrate meaningful growth over multiyear periods. Results underscore the potential of mentoring relationships to dynamically grow as an end unto themselves.

In‐service training for school staff, generally referred to as professional development (PD), may bolster a school's capacity for implementing school mental health (SMH) services. However, not all PD results in knowledge or behavior change. In one model of PD, Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO), participants collaborate with each other and a panel of SMH experts on case consultation and didactics. Although ECHO has shown to have positive effects on school staff's knowledge and self‐efficacy to implement SMH, the effects of ECHO may differ depending on participants' professional background or prior experiences. To test this hypothesis, the current study explored whether role, years of experience, and pre‐test levels of school mental health professional (SMHP) skills predicted key SMH competencies (i.e., clinical self‐efficacy, supervisory self‐efficacy, multicultural skills and knowledge, knowledge of evidence‐based practices, and interprofessional collaboration) at post‐test among SMHPs ( N = 47) who participated in ECHO‐based PD. The results indicated that school counselors reported greater clinical self‐efficacy and multicultural skills post‐ECHO compared to other SMHPs, controlling for baseline scores. Knowledge of evidence‐based practices was greater for school psychologists post‐ECHO compared to school counselors, controlling for baseline scores. Years of experience did not significantly predict any outcome measures. The findings suggest that SMHPs may benefit differently from ECHO training based on role. Researchers and educational leaders may wish to consider further developing ECHO to be accessible and relevant to various school‐based professions.

Youth mentoring is a popular means for preventing negative psychosocial outcomes (e.g., high-risk behaviors, school dropout) and promoting positive ones (e.g., matriculation, goal setting). Mentors matched with youth through formal programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, are uniquely positioned to promote the development of the mentee’s positive educational attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors (EABBs; e.g., academic engagement, grit, growth mindset). While school staff, such as school psychologists, are often unable to directly serve all students in need of support due to lack of time or large caseloads, youth mentoring may be a means to target EABB development. However, a critical precursor to leveraging mentoring for this purpose is understanding whether and how mentoring relationships influence youth EABBs. Despite extensive research on youth mentoring, relatively little work has examined mentoring outcomes specifically in relation to EABBs. This study addresses this gap by examining how young people benefit from mentoring relationships in relation to EABBs. A scoping review was conducted to determine the effects of program-sponsored mentoring relationships on EABBs, as well as which factors influence these effects. Results from 17 studies indicate small to moderate positive effects of youth mentoring on EABB development. Several factors, such as the relational context, the ecological context, and mentoring processes, appear to impact these effects. We highlight practical implications for how school personnel may use this information to partner with community-based mentoring programs to promote EABBs.

Youth mentoring programs are an increasingly popular intervention and prevention strategy to promote positive youth development and to address a range of youth needs. Past research shows positive, albeit moderate, effects of mentoring across multiple domains, but there is evidence that suggests heterogeneity in treatment outcomes. Several studies have examined the role of risk factors in mentoring outcomes, but less is known about the role of protective factors. This study examines the extent to which ecological factors outside of the mentoring relationship, specifically, youth risk factors and existing social support, play a role in the effectiveness of mentoring in promoting adaptive coping outcomes, as measured by academic achievement, self-efficacy, and expectations. Using a person-centered approach, we examined (1) whether there were distinct profiles of youth participating in mentoring using mentee risk factors and existing social support as indicators; (2) associations between profiles and youth race/ethnicity and gender; and (3) whether profiles differed in post-program adaptive coping outcomes. Two classes of youth were identified. One class reported higher risk factor presence and higher social support and was more likely to be youth of color. The second class reported lower risk factor presence and lower social support. Classes did not differ in their adaptive coping outcomes. The implications of these findings for mentoring programs and further research are discussed.

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of Psychology in the Schools ( PITS ), the second‐longest‐running journal in the field of school psychology. Since its founding in 1964, PITS has served as a central outlet for research and practice focused on the intersection of psychology and education, with an emphasis on advancing the practice of school psychology. The paper highlights the enduring legacy of PITS in advancing school psychology practice, including the journal's origins, editorial leadership, and evolving scope, including contributions from editors William A. Hunt, B. Claude Mathis, Gerald B. Fuller, LeAdelle Phelps, David E. McIntosh, and the incoming editor Shane R. Jimerson. A decade‐by‐decade analysis illustrates the major themes represented in the journal, including role definition and assessment in the 1960s, consultation and behavior change in the 1970s, mainstreaming and intervention research in the 1980s, data‐based decision‐making and discipline in the 1990s, workforce issues and Response to Intervention (RTI) in the 2000s, equity and prevention science in the 2010s, and mental health, crisis readiness, and Multi‐Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in the 2020s. The article also highlights the contemporary emphasis of PITS in advancing the practice of school psychology internationally. Representative articles from each decade are cited and summarized, demonstrating how PITS has consistently bridged research and practice to support students, educators, and the profession of school psychology. The article also describes the vision of the leadership team, emphasizing three intertwined priorities: strengthening the quality and timeliness of the peer review process, advancing rigorous scholarship that directly informs practice, and expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion across the journal's leadership, contributors, and published research.

As researchers identify methods for addressing schools’ capacity for implementing school mental health (SMH) services, there arises a need for psychometrically sound assessments of teacher self-efficacy for implementing SMH services. The current study provides validity evidence regarding the internal structure of the School Mental Health Self-Efficacy Teacher Survey (SMH-SETS) in the context of middle schools preparing to implement the Early Identification System (EIS), a universal mental and behavioral health screening checklist. We also explored convergent associations between the SMH-SETS and three EIS intervention reaction measures (i.e., perceptions of acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility). Middle school teachers ( N = 411) from southern and midwestern US districts participated in the study. Theoretically driven unidimensional, two-factor, and five-factor structures of the SMH-SETS were assessed. A five-factor structure was determined to yield the best fit to the data and factor scores were extracted for subsequent analyses. A “Support” factor relating to school-family collaboration and mental health promotion was significantly and positively associated with participants’ feelings that the EIS was acceptable (β = .46), appropriate (β = .39), and feasible (β = .42). A “Crisis” factor relating to mental health crisis response was significantly and negatively associated with participants’ acceptability (β = −.32) of the EIS. The multifactor structure supports a more nuanced view of SMH self-efficacy and may allow for greater ability to measure specific facets of SMH self-efficacy. Furthermore, the relationship between certain factors and intervention reaction measures may be of interest as researchers develop and assess practices to support SMH implementation.

The coordination of school- and community-based mental health services is a promising strategy to respond to the rising mental health needs of youth. Out-of-school time (OST) programs are an under-utilized community-based resource that may be leveraged to help meet this need. We conducted a scoping review to (a) identify practices that facilitate the coordination of care between schools and OST programs and (b) examine whether such practices align with those used in existing models of expanded school mental health (ESMH). EBSCOhost, PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, ERIC Scopus, MedLine, ScienceDirect, and national organization websites were used to identify articles, including peer-reviewed (n = 2) and grey literature (n = 7) published from 2004 to 2024 that were written in English and described U.S.-based schools and programs. Coordination practices were coded inductively and categorized as a school/program, district/community, or state-level practice. Practices within the vision/mission alignment, coordinating daily operations, training, and resource/information sharing domains were identified at the highest frequency. Many of the strategies identified are included in existing models of ESMH. Thus, expanding coordination models to include OST may be a feasible direction for increasing the capacity of communities to meet the mental health needs of youth. Given the paucity of research in this area, further empirical research is needed.