Kelly N. Clark, Assistant Professor
Office: 219 Audubon Hall
Department of Psychology
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Email: [email protected]
Dr. Clark will be accepting students in Fall 2025.
Education
Research Interests
- School mental health
- School belonging and climate
- Academic engagement and achievement
Dr. Clark’s research is centered on promoting student mental health and academic functioning within school settings and beyond. Specifically, she is interested in students’ perception of school climate and their sense of school belonging, as well as academic engagement (affective, behavioral, cognitive) and achievement. Dr. Clark’s conceptualization of mental health considers not only psychological risk factors and symptomatology, but also the presence of protective factors and subjective well-being (i.e., dual-factor model of mental health). Dr. Clark’s research on school mental health includes a focus on school-based suicide prevention through universal screening, risk assessment, and educator trainings.
Dr. Clark is particularly interested in the developmental transition from late childhood to early adolescence (i.e., transition from elementary to middle school). She is committed to utilizing empirically-validated universal screening tools and school-based mental health interventions that align within a multitiered system of support (i.e., response to intervention).
Students in Dr. Clark’s lab can expect individualized advising and mentorship, as well as peer mentorship and collaborative experiences across the School Psychology Program and Department of Psychology. Dr. Clark collaborates with students to hone their individual research interests and develop a program of research. Students may become involved in all
aspects of the research process, including literature reviews, study conceptualization, data collection and analysis, and disseminating findings via peer-reviewed conference presentation and publication.
Representative Publications
Clark, K. & Malecki, C. (2022). Adolescent mental health profiles through a latent dual-factor approach. Journal of School Psychology, 91, 112-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.01.003
Clark, K., Eldridge, M., Dorio, N., Demaray, M., & Smith, T. (2022). Bullying, victimization, and bystander behavior: Risk factors across the elementary-middle school transition. School Psychology 37(1), 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000477
Clark, K., Strissel, D., Malecki, C., Ogg, J., Demaray, M. & Eldridge, M. (2021). Signs of Suicide in middle school: Students at risk and staff acceptability. School Psychology Review, Special Topics Section: Addressing Youth Suicide through Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2021.1936166
Ogg, J., Clark, K., Strissel, D., & Rogers, M. (2021). Parents’ and teachers’ ratings of family engagement: Congruence and prediction of outcomes. School Psychology, 36, 142-154. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000379
Clark, K., Dorio, N., Eldridge, M., Malecki, C., & Demaray, M. (2020). Adolescent academic achievement: A model of social support and grit. Psychology in the Schools, 57, 204-221. doi:10.1002/pits.22318
Clark, K., & Malecki, C. (2019). Academic Grit Scale: Psychometric properties and associations with achievement and life satisfaction. Journal of School Psychology, 72, 49-66. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2018.12.001
Current Courses Taught
Psychoeducational Assessment (7165)
Practicum in School Psychology (7668/7669)
Introduction to Psychology (2000)
Psychology of the Lifespan (2070)
Professional Affiliations
National Association of School Psychologists
American Psychological Association, Division 16
International School Psychology Association