The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.  Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Regisration is now open!  Registration for NJ PBSIS Information Sessions for the 2025-2026 Enrollment is now open.  Learn more here.

Substance Abuse Prevention Month

Did you know that MTSS can play a vital role in the public health approach to substance misuse prevention in schools?   Check out these resources on universal prevention to enhance substance misuse prevention efforts at your school:

• PBIS Center
  • School based screening for substance misuse
  • Use of the PBIS framework to address the Opioid Crisis
  • SWPBIS and Rates of drug and alcohol use
• State Education Resource Center (SERC): 
  • https://ctserc.org/component/k2/item/445-mtss-a-school-district-approach-to-prevention-and-intervention
• National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments:
  • https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/topic-research/safety/substance-abuse

Just & Inclusive Schools

Did you know that 21.6% of the New Jersey community is Hispanic or LatinX?  Beginning September 15, we celebrate the rich contributions, traditions, and histories of the Latinx community here in New Jersey and across the country.  Strengthen your allyship by reflecting on the LatinX experience in New Jersey Schools.  Check out a newly release report by the Cornwall Center at Rutgers The LatinX Experience in NJ Schools:  A Preliminary Overview (2024)

An important feature of universal prevention is creating an inclusive and just school culture and climate.  Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 14 is an opportunity to reflect our assumptions, misunderstandings, and stereotypes of Native Americans and Native American History.  Interested in offering respectful activities that facilitate a school-wide climate of understanding and inclusion?  Check out these educational resources for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

• Native Now Campaign
• 2024 Indigenous Peoples’ Day Teach-In
• Zinn Education Project: Indigenous Peoples’ Day Resources
• NEA: Resources for Teaching About Indigenous Peoples

2024-2025 Conferences Posted

Looking to attend a conference this school year?  Visit the upcoming events page for MTSS related conferences happening in New Jersey and across the country this school year.

Rutgers Research Reveals the Effects of Long COVID in Children and Adolescents 

A Rutgers University organized consortium published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), documenting the effects of long COVID in children and adolescents.  The first published study of its kind found prolonged symptoms after COVID in most organ systems.  The results have important implications for supporting students with long COVID in educational settings.  Read more here and here.  

 

Citation:  Gross RS, Thaweethai T, Kleinman LC, et al. Characterizing Long COVID in Children and Adolescents. JAMA. Published online August 21, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.12747