EPCL Public Seminar 2009/2010

Prof. Michael Furlong

University of California Santa Barbara
Director of Center for School-based Youth Development

The Protective and Promotive Power of Student Engagement: Measurement and Intervention Issues

Abstract

The presentation will provide an overview of the resilience fostering effects of positive student engagement. The discussion will focus on measurement confusion that has confounded research. The results of several studies examining the latent constructs associated with student engagement will be presented. Finally, examples of evidence-supported strategies that promote student engagement will be presented

Michael J. Furlong, Ph.D. is a Professor VIII affiliated with the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has also been the Director of the Center for School-based Youth Development since 2006. He is also the Program Leader at the affiliated Department, the Coordinator of School Psychology Credential Progarm as well as of Special Education, Risk, and Disabilities Studies, Advisor in Applied Psychology of the Education Matters Committee, and a member of GGSE Scholarship Committee. He has also contributed to UCSB in numerous other ways over the years, including as Chair of the Department, Education Minor (Applied Psychology Track) Advisor, GGSE Executive Committee, Education Minor Planning Committee, GGSE Fellowship Committee.

Professor Furlong received his Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his professional licenses in psychologist, educational psychologist, and Family and Child Counselor. When not serving in administration, he participates in a number of community services and service consultants. He has taken up the role in professional service research and editorial review since 1987. These include an editor of the Journal of School Violence, the Journal of emotional and behavioral disorders, and the Journal of Applied School Psychology. Dr. Furlong currently acts as  service consultants with 20 projects, for example, SAMSHA Safe School/Healthy Students National Evaluation Advisory Committee,George Washington University (Hamilton Fish Institute)-University of Hawaii Department of Defense School Safety Projects, Ventura County Juvenile Probation Department, California Departments of Education, Justice, and Attorney General's School Violence Task Force, Georgetown University Child Development Center. School Violence Multimedia Project and Centers for Mental Health Services Promising Practices Review Panel.

Dr. Furlong has been active in research studies and recently received funding in a number of research projects including Evaluation of the Safe Schools/Healthy Student Project funded by the SAMSHA, USOE, and OJJDP, Harding Early Youth Program Evaluation funded by Bower Foundation, Main Family Resource Center of Carpinteria Program Evaluation, and Evaluation of the Santa Barbara County FIRST 5 Commission Strategic Plan.

He has published over 260 papers focused on his research interest in school violence and safety (prevention), bullying assessment and prevention, anger assessment, strength-based assessment; Child/adolescent psychological well-being. Bullying assessment: A call for increased precision of self-reporting procedures, Review of the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-2BESS), Review of the Chronic Violent Behavior Risk and Needs Assessment-2, and Think Smart, Stay Safe: Aligning Elements within a Multi-level Approach to School Violence Prevention are four topics being published.

 

 

18 November 2009 (Wed)

from 12:30 to 2:00 pm

B4-LP-08

Organized by the EPCL Department