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Honorable Mention, School Psychology 2021 Article of the Year, American Psychological Association Division 16

Servant Leadership Award, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health

Early Career Scholar, School Psychology Research Collaboration Conference, Society for the Study of School Psychology

Paul H. Henkin Memorial Scholarship Award, National Association of School Psychologists

Lehigh University College of Education Nominee, Distinguished Dissertation Award in Social Sciences, U.S. Council of Graduate Schools & University Microfilms International

American Psychological Association (APA)

Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS)

Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania (ASPP)

Delaware Association of School Psychologists (DASP)

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)

Pilot Evaluation of the POWER Program: Positive Outcomes with Emotion Regulation

Informant discrepancies in universal screening as a function of student and teacher characteristics

Targeted intervention for elementary students with internalizing behaviors: A pilot evaluation

Mind the gap: A systematic review of research on restorative practices in schools

In pursuit of equity: Discipline disproportionality and SWPBIS implementation in urban schools.

Dr. Brittany Zakszeski is an assistant professor specializing in school psychology in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. She earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from Lehigh University and is a nationally certified school psychologist, licensed and nationally registered health service psychologist, and a board certified behavior analyst–doctoral level. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Delaware, Dr. Zakszeski worked in urban, rural, and alternative schools, most recently consulting with schools, districts, and other child-serving agencies to promote organizational change and improve outcomes for youth with or at risk for emotional and behavioral challenges.

Dr. Zakszeski’s research centers on promoting students’ and personnel’s mental and behavioral health through multi-tiered systems of support in schools. Her work leverages advances in implementation science to address barriers to schools’ adoption, high-fidelity implementation, and sustained use of evidence-based assessment and intervention practices, at the universal (system-wide), targeted, and individual levels. In recognition of limited school resources and workforce shortages, Dr. Zakszeski prioritizes refining accessible, efficient, and scalable practices. Given the persistence of vast educational and health disparities, she is particularly committed to promoting equitable outcomes for minoritized students, families, and communities.

Dr. Zakszeski directs Project GROW (Growing Resilience, Opportunities, and Wellness in Delaware Schools), a project funded by the United States Department of Education and Delaware Department of Education. Project GROW seeks to integrate and evaluate state-wide, cross-university efforts to advance school mental health service professional recruitment, preparation, practice, and retention in high-need schools across Delaware. Concurrently, this project targets the adoption and sustained use of inclusive practices and equity-focused data-based decision-making within multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) in Delaware schools.

Dr. Zakszeski teaches courses in behavioral and systems consultation and supervises fieldwork in school psychology. She has held various leadership roles in the National Association of School Psychologists and serves on the editorial boards for Journal of School Psychology and School Psychology Review.

School Psychology

School Mental Health

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

Developmental Psychology

Health Service Psychologiy

Behavior Analysis

Child Development

University of Delaware Faculty Profile 

Google Scholar Citations

Building A Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Framework for Mental Health

Youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: An intersectional analytic approach

Patterns of youth adversity and relations with behavioral health during the COVID-19 pandemic

A scoping review of classroom management assessment tools

Designing and supporting Tier 2 mental health systems in high schools

Targeted high school mental health support: Introducing the POWER Program

School-Based Mental Health Promotion in the First State: Building Capacity with Multi-Tiered Systems of Support

Pilot Evaluation of a Targeted Mental Health Intervention for High School Students

Efficacy of a Targeted Intervention for Elementary Students with Internalizing Behaviors

Assistant Professor

Classroom Wise
Jessica Gonzalez, MSW

Self-Regulation and Positive Outcomes With Emotion Regulation: The Power Program
Jen Francisco, M.Ed.
Laura E. Rutherford, Ph.D
Brittany Zakszeski, Ph.D

This session will present two new resources available through the MHTTC. Additional training and consultation to implement these products will be available throughout the year.

Classroom WISE
Classroom WISE is a FREE 3-part training package that assists K-12 educators in supporting the mental health of students in the classroom. Developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health, this package offers evidence-based strategies and skills to engage and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom.

Tier 2 Product
Tier 2 Product is a transdiagnostic intervention program designed to address various mental and behavioral health needs of middle and high school students. This six-session program is focused on promoting adolescents’ emotion regulation and is intended to be implemented with small groups of students at Tier 2 within a multi-tiered system of mental and behavioral health supports.

Classroom Wise and Self-Regulation and Positive Outcomes with Emotion Regulation | 9/1/21

120 Second Summary of SPR Article:
Read the full article at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/2372966X.2020.1717373
Brittany Zakszeski, Robin L. Hojnoski, Bridget V. Dever, George J. DuPaul & Megan M. McClelland (2020) Early Elementary Trajectories of Classroom Behavior Self-Regulation: Prediction by Student Characteristics and Malleable Contextual Factors, School Psychology Review, 49:2, 161-177, DOI: 10.1080/2372966X.2020.1717373

ABSTRACT

Self-regulation is a critical component of school readiness and success. Practices for supporting self-regulation may be advanced by a better understanding of factors characterizing children at risk for challenges and contextual mechanisms associated with desirable developmental trajectories. The current study leverages a large national data set and four-level analyses to evaluate an ecological model of self-regulation development that considers student-, classroom-, and school-level factors in relation to teacher-rated self-regulation growth and outcomes across kindergarten and first grade. Analyses identified reliable associations for growth trajectories and the risk factors of being younger, male, and from a low socioeconomic status background; experiencing low student–teacher closeness and high student–teacher conflict; and attending a kindergarten class with lower levels of peer-displayed appropriate behavior. Findings signify the importance of service delivery aimed at advancing the school-based implementation of emotional and organizational supports to promote student–teacher interactions and class-wide demonstration of positive behavior.

Classroom Behavior Zakszeski et al SPR120SS

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