NCT05039164

Evaluation of a Remote Training Strategy

Evaluation of a Remote Training Strategy for School Personnel

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 140 (actual)
• Sponsor: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 8 Years – 99 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

An increasing number of schools in rural settings are employing the multi-tier positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) framework to improve school-climate. PBIS can also be used as a framework for the adoption and integration of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for children's mental health concerns. A key challenge is that school personnel need technical assistance (training plus ongoing consultation) in order to implement EBPs with fidelity. In urban and suburban schools, this support can be provided to school staff on site. However, providing ongoing on-site support is not feasible or sustainable in the majority of rural schools, due to their remote physical location. For this reason, video technology has been recommended for the training of behavioral health staff (BHS) in under-served rural communities.

Detailed description

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a remote training platform with BHS in schools serving rural communities. Study Design: This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial to compare implementation and student outcomes of three training strategies: Control Condition (CC), Remote Video (RV), and Remote Video plus Coaching (RV+). Setting/Participants: Participants will be school personnel with and without prior mental health training and students in grades 4-8 in schools serving rural communities who are deemed at risk for externalizing and internalizing mental health disorders. The pilot trial will be conducted in 24 schools (8 in CC, 8 in RV, and 8 in RV+). It is estimated that a total of 72 behavioral health staff (3 staff per school- 24 per arm) and 312 students (13 students per school - 104 per arm) will participate in this study. Additionally, we estimate about 24 school administrators such as principals or assistant principals will approve school's participation. Study Interventions and Measures: Each school will be randomly assigned to receive one of three training supports: (a) Initial training (CC) (b) Initial training, plus video (RV) or (c) Initial training plus video, plus remote coaching (RV+). BHS in the RV+ condition will receive consultation from a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) consultant regarding implementation of EBPs, whereas BHS in the RV condition will be given access to the asynchronous training video modules. Participants in all three conditions will receive treatment manuals for the interventions they have chosen. The EBPs to be implemented by the BHS include: Coping Power Program (CPP), CBT for Anxiety Treatment in Schools (CATS), and Check-in/Check-out (CI/CO). All BHS will conduct one CPP or CATS group with 5 students of similar developmental level (e.g., a group of 4th \& 5th graders), and that each school staff in CI/CO will implement the intervention with 4 separate individual students of any eligible school grade. Analyses: This study is designed to test the effectiveness of initial training compared to remote video training and remote video training plus coaching to train BHS to implement EBPs.

Conditions

• Behavior Disorders

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Coping Power Program (CPP)	CPP is an evidence-based intervention designed for students with externalizing behavior disorder. CPP consists of twelve 45-minute sessions. This EBP has been found to be effective at reducing aggressive behavior, covert delinquent behavior and substance abuse among aggressive boys, with gains maintained at one-year follow-up. Growth curve analyses showed that CPP had linear effects for three years after intervention on reductions in aggressive behavior and academic behavior problems.
BEHAVIORAL	CBT for Anxiety Treatment in Schools (CATS)	CATS is an adaptation of Friends for Life (FRIENDS). The adapted protocol retains the core elements of evidence-based CBT for anxiety and the FRIENDS group format. Investigators implemented planned adaptations to the protocol based on collective experience. Changes were made to the language, cultural methods, number of sessions, and activities while maintaining the 5 essential components of the treatment. This resulted in a briefer (8-session) and more feasible, engaging and culturally appropriate protocol for urban under-resourced schools than the original FRIENDS.
BEHAVIORAL	Check-in/Check-out (CI/CO)	CI/CO is a targeted, Tier 2 intervention for students at risk of developing externalizing and internalizing mental health disorders. CI/CO is designed to provide immediate feedback (i.e., at the end of each class period) to students, based on the use of a daily report card. This feedback is developmentally sensitive. CI/CO implementers meet individually with students for a brief 'check-in' in the morning and a brief 'check-out' in the afternoon. Research on the use of CI/CO has shown it to be effective in reducing externalizing and internalizing problems with elementary school students. CI/CO will be offered to individual students for a three-month period of time, which is the same time-frame needed for the implementation of CPP.
BEHAVIORAL	Initial Training (CC)	School personnel will participate in an initial live remote training.
BEHAVIORAL	Initial Training plus Video (RV)	School personnel will participate in an initial live remote training and receive access to asynchronous video training modules.
BEHAVIORAL	Initial Training plus Video plus Coaching (RV+)	School personnel will participate in an initial live remote training, receive access to asynchronous video training modules, and receive coaching support from study staff.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-09-20
• Primary completion: 2025-06-13
• Completion: 2025-06-13
• First posted: 2021-09-09
• Last updated: 2025-08-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States