This scoping review provides clarity on the landscape of evidence-based and High-Leverage Practices that have been shown to be effective with students with disabilities and have the potential to meet the needs of marginalized students across lines of difference. Of 672 articles screened, 85 met eligibility criteria, including 46 studies, 11 systematic reviews, and 28 conceptual papers. Among included articles, instruction practices were the most frequently reported High-Leverage Practice category (89.4%), followed by social, emotional, and behavioral practices (37.6%), and assessment practices (25.8%). A wide variety of specific evidence-based practices were identified in the literature. Marginalized student identities represented included English language learners, students with disabilities, neurodivergent students, racially or ethnically marginalized students, students with health disabilities, and students with behavioral or emotional difficulties. Future research should consider further examining the effectiveness of different practices to inform data-driven decision-making to improve educational outcomes for marginalized students.

After‐school youth development programs support social‐emotional functioning which leads to better academic and behavioral outcomes. This article examines three common predictors of social‐emotional functioning individually and concurrently to better understand the role of these predictors in the after‐school setting. The common predictors are staff/student relationships, sense of belonging, and program engagement. That data came from 144, 3rd through 8th grade, students across 9 different elementary and middle school sites who regularly attended a large youth development program. Regression analyses were run and the results indicated that each variable was an individually significant predictor of social‐emotional functioning. Results from multiple regression analyses demonstrated that there was a better model fit when including all three variables in the same model. Interestingly, the results indicated that program engagement was a strong predictor above and beyond staff/student relationships and sense of belonging on self‐management and self‐efficacy. Sense of belonging and program engagement both predicted social awareness. Implications of these findings for after‐school program planning and development are discussed.

Exposure to adversity and traumatic events affects well-being across important domains of functioning, including mental, physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and neurobiological. Situated as a focal point throughout neighborhoods, recreation centers are a prime opportunity to cultivate spaces of safety and healing. However, current models of trauma-informed care largely do not map neatly onto the recreation organizational structure and functioning. This paper describes the efforts over the past five years to transform the City of Cleveland, Ohio’s 22 recreation centers into trauma-informed Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers (NRRCs)––places where children, youth, and adults can readily acquire the support and services they need in an environment in which trauma-informed care principles are fully embedded in the fabric of the organization’s culture. Phase 1 included transitioning the recreation centers to NRRCs, hiring of trained social workers and counselors to work within the recreation centers, and training all recreation staff about trauma. Phase 2 included development of NRRC trauma-informed standards, development of the Trauma-Informed Progress Tool to track change over time, development of Trauma-Informed Leadership Competencies for Center Managers, and ongoing training for the social workers and counselors. We discuss ideas for future work and lessons learned from each phase.

Interpersonal violence is a pervasive public health problem that leads to emotional, behavioral, and physical health challenges. Theoretically, sound research examining protective factors, such as relational health, is imperative for developing effective interventions. However, the use of relational health theories in existing research needs to be better understood within the literature and should be further explored. Using scoping review methodology, 23 theories of relational health were identified in the research literature. Attachment theory and emotional security theory were the most frequently utilized. The remaining studies drew on a wide range of theories, including relational cultural theory, social support theories, and others. Findings highlight the complexities of relational experiences in interpersonal violence contexts. Future research should seek a more comprehensive understanding of the inclusion and application of relational health theories.

This qualitative study examines “Trauma & the Brain”—a case-based training series for graduate-level social work students focused on the neurodevelopmental impact of childhood trauma. Four focus groups were conducted with 17 participants from the Trauma & the Brain training series. Reflexive thematic analysis identified six themes regarding students’ application of training series content to their field work: nurturing a learning community, bridging content and curriculum gaps, understanding “the why,” taking the toolbox into the field, confident communicators, and field challenges. Implications for social work education are discussed, including the necessity of preparing students for fluent communication about complex trauma in multidisciplinary settings, and building learning communities that connect students across cohorts and micro- and macro-practice tracks.