Effects of culturally and linguistically sensitive mental health services on referred, at-risk Hispanic elementary students' academic achievement

Existing data was analyzed from a federal grant-funded early intervention program in which mental health services were provided within the school setting to referred students in a school district located within the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, along the United States/Mexico border. The research followed a quasi-experimental, repeated measures design in which treatment was administered to students referred by their campus student assistance team for emotional, behavioral or social concerns believed to be impacting their educational functioning. Treatment consisted of individual, group and/or family counseling services and behavioral consultation with teachers provided by bilingual, bicultural mental health specialists within the school setting. Student scores on regularly-administered district reading and math achievement tests were analyzed utilizing repeated-measures ANOVA to determine whether these students demonstrated changes in overall functioning determined by differences in academic achievement across trials. Additionally, treatment students’ achievement scores were compared to district average scores and gains between assessments to help account for the effects of academic instruction over time. Results indicated that the treatment participants made significant academic gains over time. They also show that treatment participants’ scores were significantly lower than the comparison groups’ scores. Treatment participants’ academic gains were commensurate with the gains made by non-referred students. The significance of these findings and recommendations for further research are discussed.