Modifying an Evidence-Based Summer Treatment Program for Use in a Summer School Setting: A Pilot Effectiveness Evaluation

• Published in: School mental health 2012-09, Vol.4 (3), p.143-154
• Main Authors: O’Connor, Briannon C., Tresco, Katy E., Pelham, William E., Waschbusch, Daniel A., Gnagy, Elizabeth M., Greiner, Andrew R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Achievement tests; Adolescents; After school programs; Behavior disorders; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Classrooms; Clinical Psychology; College students; Developmental Psychology; Drug use; Education; Grade repetition; Health services; Individualized Instruction; Intervention; Mental health care; Original Paper; Paraprofessionals; Peers; Psychology; Standardized Tests; Summer school; Teachers; Teenagers
• ISSN: 1866-2625; 1866-2633
• DOI: 10.1007/s12310-012-9075-z

This report evaluates a pilot implementation of a modified version of the Summer Treatment Program (STP; Pelham et al. in Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and adolescents. The Guilford Press, New York, 2010 ) as an afternoon adjunct to a mandatory summer school curriculum in three inner city elementary schools (Summer School STP; SSSTP). Using preliminary post-test measures, the SSSTP was compared with afternoon adjunct programs implemented in two comparison schools. Students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade who failed to meet grade-level requirements for grade promotion were required to attend the program and served as participants (SSSTP n  = 585; Comparison n  = 686). Measures collected include the following: student self-reports, teachers’ program evaluations, staff evaluations (of students, program, benefit to self), staff ratings of benefit to junior counselors (i.e., adolescent employees), and independent observations. Results suggest that the SSSTP is an acceptable and feasible adjunctive intervention for the summer school setting in inner city schools. Further research is needed to examine academic and therapeutic benefits.