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The purpose of this paper is to explore the utility of an evidence-based suite of programmes, The Incredible Years (IY), to enhance outcomes for children using a parent-teacher partnership model.

A review of the broad evidence base for the IY parent, teacher and child programmes, uniquely focusing on the inter-relationships between home and school contexts.

Evidence suggests that it is beneficial to parents, teachers and children to deliver IY programmes applying a multi-modal approach.

This paper, read in conjunction with other contributions in this volume, demonstrates the growing viability of partnership strategies that support children, their families and teachers to enhance school readiness, and promote positive child outcomes.

Bereaved parents often face the complex situation of managing their own grief while parenting bereaved children who are at increased risk of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The current evaluation was a pilot study aimed at determining the feasibility of the Incredible Years (IY) BASIC parenting programme as an intervention for bereaved families.

A total of seven parents of children (aged four to 12) participated in a 12‐week IY BASIC parenting programme. Participants completed a range of pre‐intervention, post‐intervention, six month follow‐up measures and semi‐structured interviews.

The results showed statistically significant reductions in parental stress, parental wellbeing, child behaviour problems, and grief.

There is strong evidence for the effectiveness of IY with diverse parenting populations but this is the first known study of the programme with bereaved families. The findings support its use with such families where child behaviour is a concern.

The purpose of this study was to examine major issues and perspectives emanating from teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and proffer ways to reimagine P-12 (Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade) education to achieve equity. The research question was “What major issues/challenges arose from COVID-19 pandemic teaching, and in what ways if any can these be ameliorated?” Tierney's concept of global meaning making provided a framework for the study in addition to critical digital pedagogy. Data for the study were collected from eight P-12 teachers drawn from both urban and rural school districts in the United States. Data sources were two questionnaires administered to teachers at the beginning and end of the study as well as teachers' reflective entries. Data analysis was done using thematic analysis. The major findings indicate that poverty and digital divide were the biggest challenges that impacted teaching and learning among the urban and rural students. Another major issue was teacher and student technology proficiency. In addition, there was a low level of student engagement which was caused by family dynamics, lack of accountability, and lack of self-regulation skills. Social emotional learning received great attention because students faced anxiety and stress. Findings from this study suggest the need to create equitable learning opportunities through equitable distribution of resources to disadvantaged students. Second, there is need to train teachers and students to effectively use digital tools for teaching and learning. We need to emphasize caring relationships and reconceptualize learning spaces.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate Keyes’ (2007) model of mental health, the presence (flourishing) or absence (languishing) of social, emotional and psychological wellbeing, in the context of drug and alcohol misuse and the frequency and pattern of community participation (engaging in society).

Participants were 1,815 individuals (70 per cent male) who entered residential substance misuse treatment provided by The Salvation Army. Questionnaires were completed at intake assessments with The Salvation Army staff. The data were compared with population norms of community participation utilising t-tests, while multiple linear regression was used to examine continuous mental health.

Although participants have lower levels of community participation compared to Australian population norms, those participants who were experiencing flourishing mental health had higher rates of community participation than Australian norms. Keeping in touch with friends and family was the most common form of participation. Informal social connectedness and civic engagement were the strongest predictors of mental health over and above more traditional substance use outcomes such as cravings.

This is one of the first studies to describe the relationships between community participation, substance use and mental health in participants seeking treatment for substance misuse. Despite having a drug or alcohol addiction requiring treatment, those participants with flourishing mental health have higher levels of community participation than community norms. Furthermore, community participation predicts mental health. This offers promise for interventions that increase community participation but further research using longitudinal designs is needed to replicate and clarify the direction of these relationships.

The present study contributes to research that examines the meanings of achievement gaps, when enacting policy. Its findings are both hopeful and unsettling. The absence of equitable outcomes and democratic citizenship, as elements of closing the achievement gaps in our participants' definitions, are troubling, particularly within the context of neo-liberalism, where increases in inequities showcase the negative aspects of policy appropriation.

A qualitative case study methodology was used to identify the parameters of the research (Merriam and Simpson, 2000) because case studies are particularistic in nature in that case studies examine a specific instance but illuminate a general problem (Merriam, 1998). This case study is not based on generating generalizations, concepts or hypotheses grounded in systematically obtained data (Abercrombie et al., 1990) but goes beyond the limited notion of context employed in many case studies, as no researcher can enter a situation free from preconceptions but must fit existing perceptions into a pre-existing discourse. This study explores heads of schools' decisions with regards to increasing the number of students who meet standards, as set by the government and reducing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

The findings from this study are discussed in three broad categories; the achievement gap, aspirations and parental support and differentiated and targeted solutions.

These findings raise the question as to whether the education inspection framework (EIF) presents cause for concern. After all, the EIF was developed to hold schools accountable for high standards without consultation with the teachers' representatives, local communities, parents and colleges and universities. Nevertheless, the EIF, as a set of standards, is problematic.

The leadership practices enacted by heads of schools to bridge the achievement gaps differ from those advocated by the State. This echoes previous findings demonstrating that the same leadership practices can be used to pursue different goals (Leithwood, 2006) and that individuals enact policies in ways that reflect the particularities of their own contexts (Ball et al., 2012).

The absence of equitable outcomes and democratic citizenship, as elements of closing the achievement gaps in our participants' definitions, are troubling, particularly within the context of neo-liberalism, where increases in inequities showcase the negative aspects of policy appropriation.

The present study contributes to research that examines the meanings of achievement gaps when enacting policy (Ball et al., 2012; Hardy, 2014; Winton, 2013). Its findings are both hopeful and unsettling. The heads of schools demonstrate that they can appropriate definitions of achievement for all students to support their academic learning and wellbeing (Hodgkinson, 1991; Winton, 2013).

The transition from primary school to secondary school is viewed globally as a crucial period in students' lives and a challenging transition can have both short-term and long-term consequences for the wellbeing of students. Despite primary-secondary transition being so important, it is a neglected area of research in general in most countries including South Africa. By smoothing the transition from primary to secondary school challenges that are related to students' disengagement with education, school failure (school dropout), and continued social inequality can be addressed. In this chapter, the value of a transition intervention based on peer mentoring to ease the transition of students in five primary schools in an area of the country where the context is characterized by socioeconomic challenges is discussed. A lack of resources and funding make it difficult to provide individual support to all these students. In response to this challenge, a peer-mentoring approach has been applied to develop an intervention aimed at preparing the students with insight into the challenges that awaits them. The intervention encompasses a workshop attended by a representative group of 20 Grade 7 students, selected based on the leadership skills as demonstrated in their interactions with adults and peers. Following the workshop, they are given the opportunity to give feedback to their Grade 7 peers and also avail themselves for individual discussions with their peers. In this chapter, we critically reflect on the value of this peer-mentored approach for socioeconomically challenged school contexts.

The study aims to determine the contributions of universal school-based educational programs to the current and future worldwide youth mental health condition.

A systematic search was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Academic education and health databases including ERIC, Education Database, APA PsycInfo, APA PsycArticles, Psychology Database, and PubMed were used. Characteristics and outcomes of educational interventions developed in school settings and education potential for mental health promotion were examined.

Universal school-based mental health educational programs positively affect preadolescents and adolescents. The study review provided further insight into educational programs' characteristics and identified two primary curricula foci: mental health education and development of resiliency traits and skills.

Research on mental health promotion using a pedagogical approach is rare as most studies focus on mental health symptomatology and psychotherapy techniques training.