Positive findings for CBC family-school program 

A new article in the Journal of School Psychology describes a large-scale randomized controlled trial testing the effects of a family-school partnership model called Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC). CBC aims to promote behavioral competence and decrease problem behavior in children identified by their teachers as disruptive. It involves evidence-based interventions across home and school settings, with direct opportunities for parents to collaborate in problem solving and planning, defined responsibilities for plan implementation, and progress monitoring of children's goals.

The evaluation involved 207 children aged five to nine with disruptive behavior. It aimed to investigate the impact of CBC on a number of outcomes in the home setting (results of school-based outcomes were reported in 2012). The authors found significant increases in home-school communication and in parent competence in problem solving for participants in CBC relative to a control group. They also found that the children in the CBC group showed significantly greater decreases in arguing, defiance, noncompliance, and tantrums. CBC was particularly effective under conditions of increasing risk (e.g., fewer than two adults in the home, maternal education less than high school, low income), which the authors say suggests the potential to advance research-based services for children and families who are most vulnerable.

Johns Hopkins University 

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