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Research building relationships between schools, Latino families

April Stortvedt, a Lincoln, Nebraska elementary school teacher, gives her fifth grade class directions for their upcoming book presentations. Stortvedt participated in the TAPP Latino study along with one of her students.

April Stortvedt addresses her fifth-grade students as they prepare for upcoming book presentations. Behind her, a laminated poster outlines her four classroom rules: Be respectful, be honest, be responsible and follow directions the first time.

According to Stortvedt, a CYFS research study has helped one of her students better abide by these classroom rules. Through the study, Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP) for Latino Families, Stortvedt collaborated with her student’s parent to improve behavior at home and school. Full Article

Tippens explores well-being among older refugees

Julie Tippens

Like many large cities, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a patchwork of coexisting prosperity and poverty. Nebraska researcher Julie Tippens is navigating this city’s urban divide in search of refugee families from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Tippens is investigating how Congolese refugees, particularly older refugees, are faring in Tanzania’s urban environments. Six of 10 refugees now live in cities — many lacking legal documentation — and the majority still live in countries of first asylum where they initially arrived after fleeing violence and unrest in their home countries. Full Article

Research article named best of 2017 by Journal of School Psychology

From left, Susan Sheridan, CYFS director; Amanda Witte, CYFS project manager; and Shannon Holmes, postdoctoral affiliate at the University of Missouri, accept the award for Best Article of 2017.

A peer-reviewed research paper highlighting the success of a research-based program designed by CYFS has been named the 2017 Article of the Year by the Journal of School Psychology.

The article, “A randomized trial examining the effects of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation in rural schools: Student outcomes and the mediating role of the teacher-parent relationship,” appeared in the April 2017 issue of the Journal of School Psychology. It was one of two separate articles published about the outcomes of research using Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC), a program now known as Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP). Full Article

CYFS researchers evaluate rural Nebraska after-school programs

CYFS evaluators (from right) Michelle Howell Smith, Susan Pense and Leslie Hawley provide feedback to teachers and school personnel participating in the ELO Design Challenge. The project is supporting five rural Nebraska school districts as they develop after-school and summer programs.

Brainstorm, develop, implement, modify — and repeat. As rural Nebraska school districts use this adaptable approach to create after-school programs, a CYFS research team is taking similar steps to evaluate their progress.

The team is joining a 30-month project, Expanded Learning Opportunity Design Challenge, which involves Auburn, Beatrice, Boone Central, Centura and Grand Island school districts. Teachers and administrators from each district are developing after-school and summer programs for K-12 students, with a focus on integrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Full Article

New database enhances early childhood research collaboration

180202-Cati-portrait-CYFSA new faculty database has streamlined the process of identifying collaboration opportunities among University of Nebraska early childhood researchers.

The Nebraska Academy for Early Childhood Research has released the Find a Researcher database, an online directory of early childhood researchers. The database enables faculty to identify potential research partners from across the University of Nebraska system. Searches can be customized by researchers’ specific content areas, populations of interest, preferred research approach, research tools and methods. Full Article