Return To School Project

About

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the Center on Brain Injury Research and Training (CBIRT) at the University of Oregon a 4-year, $2.2 million cooperative agreement to study an established Return to School (RTS) program for students with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The project was led by Ann Glang from CBIRT and Deanne Unruh from the College of Education.

“This research is unique in that it allows us to evaluate an existing model of support for students with brain injuries, rather than develop a new approach that may take years to translate into practice. This helps us close that research-practice gap. We look forward to working with our partners from the High Desert Educational Services District, Central Oregon schools, and medical colleagues from the Center Orthopedic & Neurosurgical Care & Research in Bend to learn more about the effects of this model on important student outcomes” said Ann Glang, past CBIRT Director.

Project Abstract

Although hospitals treat children and adolescents with TBI in their initial course of recovery, it is ultimately the school system that serves as the long-term provider of services to these students. The key components of effective Return to School (RTS) programs for students with TBI have been identified. These include:

  • identification, screening, and assessment practices
  • systematic communication between medical and educational systems
  • tracking of child’s progress over time; and
  • professional development for school personnel.

The Central Oregon TBI (COR-TBI) team model, operational in Oregon since 1994, incorporates all 4 components of an effective RTS program.

The goal of this project was to compare the health, academic and social outcomes of children/youth with TBI who are served by the COR-TBI team model to outcomes of children/youth in a comparison site. We used a mixed method quasi-experimental design using school districts in Ohio as a comparison site. The sample included 377 families in Central Oregon school districts served by the COR-TBI model and 249 children in the comparison school districts. The comparison school districts did not have formalized return to school programs and were well matched with the Oregon school districts on demographic factors.

We utilized propensity score estimates to match the CORTBI and treatment-as-usual (TAU) groups and examined differences between the two sites in child health, academic and social outcomes. We included a qualitative component to assess stakeholder perceptions of the model, including personal and contextual differences that may have subtle effects on child outcomes, and other unanticipated factors that may impact effective implementation of the model. At the conclusion of the project, we anticipated having evidence of efficacy of the model as well as a comprehensive understanding of the barriers and facilitators to implementation.

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Publications and Presentations

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Resources

A brain injury can impact a student’s ability to succeed in school. Explore the resources below for strategies to support a child after brain injury.

Who we are

RTS Team

The RTS team brings together researchers from the University of Oregon departments of Psychology and Education in an effort to close the research-practice gap in supporting students with brain injuries.

  • photo: Ann Glang
    Ann Glang

    Ann Glang, PhD, is a Research Professor at the University of Oregon. Since 1987, she has secured and directed or co-directed over 30 federally funded research projects focused on individuals with TBI, including both descriptive and intervention research projects.

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  • photo: Deanne Unruh
    Deanne Unruh

    Deanne is an Associate Research Professor in the College of Education and is the Director of the Secondary Special Education and Transition (SSET) research unit and Co-Director of the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT).

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  • photo: Melissa McCart
    Melissa McCart

    Melissa McCart, DEd, is a Research Assistant Professor and Director of CBIRT. Melissa received her doctorate in Educational Methodology, Policy and Leadership, her M.S. in behavioral disabilities and her administrator's licenses from the University of Oregon.

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  • photo: Jody Slocumb
    Jody Slocumb

    Jody Slocumb received her BA in Journalism and Communication from the University of Oregon. She had eight years of experience on a wide range of social science research projects before coming to CBIRT in 2013.

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  • photo: Jeff Gau
    Jeff Gau

    As a data analyst my research has mostly involved the analysis of longitudinal data, randomized trials, and group randomized trials.

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  • photo: Megan Jones
    Megan Jones

    Megan received her BA in Psychology from Willamette University. Prior to coming to CBIRT she spent 8 years researching early childhood development with at-risk families.

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  • photo: Laura Beck
    Laura Beck

    Laura has worked at CBIRT since 1999 on a variety of information management, educational research, and service-related projects. She has an MLIS from the University of Missouri.

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  • photo: Susan Davies
    Susan Davies

    Susan Davies, Ed.D., is a Professor in School Psychology at the University of Dayton. Susan serves as a consultant on the RTS project and will coordinate study activities at the Ohio comparison site.

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  • photo: Gerard Gioia
    Gerard Gioia

    Gerry Gioia, Ph.D., is the Division Chief of Neuropsychology and the director of the Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery & Education (SCORE) Program at Children's National Health System. Gerry is a consultant on the RTS project and will provide input on all project activities with a particular focus on outcome measures.

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  • photo: Viviane Ugalde, MD
    Viviane Ugalde

    The Center Foundation Concussion Management Program Medical Director, is a consultant on the RTS project. Viviane Ugalde, MD, will serve as the liaison to the Central Oregon medical community.

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