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Introduction: One's sense of entitlement—the subjective perception of what one deserves from another person—can contribute to social attitudes and behaviour in positive or negative ways, depending on the way in which one construes this subjective sense. Previous work has examined how adolescents' sense of entitlement towards their parents contributes positively or negatively to their well‐being. In this study, we extend this line of research and focus on adolescents' sense of entitlement towards another important authority figure—teachers, while examining its associations with both students' and teachers' characteristics and implications for students' functioning at school. Method: We adapted the Adolescents' Sense of Relational Entitlement towards Parents scale to tap students' relational entitlement towards their teachers. We then examined the factor structure of the adapted scale and its associations with students' and teachers' relevant psychological measures in three samples (N = 1588). Results: Findings confirmed the three‐factor structure of student–teacher entitlement. Studies 2–3 also revealed that students' sense of entitlement was associated with both students' variables (e.g., psychological well‐being, self‐esteem, perceptions of teachers' acceptance of them and students' school engagement) and teachers' emotional difficulties. Study 3's findings indicated that students' sense of entitlement was associated with their school engagement. Conclusion: Students' sense of entitlement towards teachers seems to be associated with teachers' emotional makeup and attitudes towards students. In addition, this subjective sense is associated with students' school engagement. These findings suggest that there is theoretical value and practical implications for further unpacking both teachers' and students' factors associated with students' sense of entitlement and examining its association with academic functioning at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study explored the impact of a 4-week, daily lovingkindness meditation practice on students' levels of hope and emotional intelligence. Our findings indicated no statistically significant difference between treatment and waitlist control groups in students' reported levels of hope and emotional intelligence. However, when students' frequency of practice was included in the model, the results showed that the between-subjects effects were significant. We offer implications for school counseling practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School achievement has long-term consequences for occupational success, mental health, and overall psychological adjustment. The present study examined the association between temperament trajectories from late childhood through adolescence and academic outcomes during late adolescence and young adulthood. Data come from the California Families Project, a longitudinal study of 674 Mexican-origin youth assessed 12 times from Age 10 to 23, and from school records. Results from latent growth curve models indicate that higher levels of Effortful Control (EC) at Age 10 were associated with better academic achievement (i.e., higher high school grade point average and test scores, greater likelihood of high school graduation and college attendance) in late adolescence and young adulthood. Higher levels of Negative Emotionality (NEM) at Age 10 were associated with worse academic achievement, but this effect did not hold for all facets of NEM. Neither the levels nor slopes of Positive Emotionality (Surgency, Affiliation) consistently predicted school achievement. There were no main effects of the EC or NEM slopes; however, statistically significant interactions between these slopes and parental monitoring emerged. When parental monitoring was low, youth who experienced greater increases in EC (vs. flat or decreasing slopes) had better academic achievement, and youth who experienced greater increases in NEM had worse academic achievement; in contrast, when parents closely monitored their children, changes in EC and NEM were only weakly associated with achievement. Overall, these findings demonstrate that temperament in late childhood, and changes in temperament across adolescence, have important prospective effects on academic achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Positive psychological characteristics have been found to be associated with discrimination and school outcomes separately; however, no work has examined these associations together or in North American Indigenous (NAI) populations. NAI adolescents experience high rates of racial discrimination. Because discrimination has a detrimental impact on academic outcomes it is critical to identify factors that could buffer this impact. The purpose of this study was to examine the indirect effect of racial discrimination on three distinct school outcomes (i.e., attitudes toward school, grades, and educational attainment goals) through the pathway of three positive psychological characteristics (i.e., satisfaction with life, subjective happiness, and self‐compassion). Methods: First Nation adolescents living on a rural reserve in Eastern Canada (N = 106, Mage = 14.6 years, 50.0% female) completed a pencil‐and‐paper survey in Spring 2017 as part of a larger community‐based participatory research study. Results: In the model examining school attitudes, indirect effects through subjective happiness (b = −0.21, 95% confidence interval (CI): [−0.53, −0.03]) and self‐compassion (b = −0.19, 95% CI: [−0.39, −0.04]), but not satisfaction with life, were significant. In the model examining grades, only the specific indirect effect through subjective happiness was significant (b = −0.27, 95% CI: [−0.59 −0.07]). Similarly, in the model examining school goals, only the indirect effect through subjective happiness was significant (b = −0.40, 95% CI: [−0.94, −0.08]). The direct effects of discrimination on school attitudes (b = 0.02, 95% CI: [−0.52, 0.56]), grades (b = 0.16, 95% CI: [−0.39, 0.71]), and school goals (b = −0.03, 95% CI: [−0.90, 0.84]) were not significant after controlling for positive psychological characteristics. Discussion: Schools should foster positive emotions to enhance academic outcomes, especially for NAI youth who are more likely to experience racial discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the added value of universal mental health screening in school settings. A total of 1735 students were screened using the youth self-report version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-SR). Non-parametric models were fit to data from the SDQ-SR Internalizing and Externalizing subscales to predict total ODRs by the end of the school year. Final models confirmed the positive predictive relationship between SDQ-SR externalizing scores and ODRs and consistently found internalizing scores to be a negative predictor of ODRs. Specifically, for every 1-point increase in the Externalizing score, ODRs increase by .09 standard deviations; for every 1-point increase in Internalizing scores, ODRs decrease by 0.02 standard deviations. Findings suggested that students with internalizing concerns were likely under-identified when examining patterns in ODRs alone. The implementation of school-based universal mental health screening in addition to examining patterns in academic and behavioral outcomes may assist school personnel in identifying students with emerging social-emotional difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although widely used in policy debates, the literature on children's outcomes when raised by same-sex parents mostly relies on small selective samples or samples based on cross-sectional survey data. This has led to a lack of statistical power and the inability to distinguish children born to same-sex parents from children of separated parents. We address these issues by using unique administrative longitudinal data from the Netherlands, which was the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. These data include 2,971 children with same-sex parents (2,786 lesbian couples and 185 gay male couples) and over a million children with different-sex parents followed from birth. The results indicate that children raised by same-sex parents from birth perform better than children raised by different-sex parents in both primary and secondary education. Our findings are robust to use of cousin fixed effects and coarsened exact matching to improve covariate balance and to reduce model dependence. Further analyses using a novel bounding estimator suggest the selection on unobserved characteristics would have to be more than three times higher than the selection on observed characteristics to reduce the positive estimates to zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Physical activity-based positive youth development (PYD) programs offer asset building experiences to foster the overall well-being of youth. These programs have the potential to enhance success in other important contexts for children, such as school. However, rigorous examination of this potential impact is needed.Methods: Propensity score matching was used to compare school outcomes among children who participated in a short, summer physical activity-based PYD program in the USA and children who were from similar backgrounds and from the same school district but did not attend the program. The sample included 149 pairs of students aged 7-12 years (M = 10.11, SD = 1.26) and, in each group, 62% were from ethnically diverse backgrounds, 38% were from primarily Caucasian backgrounds, and 80 were female and 69 were male, and birth years were equally distributed. Ordinal and logistic regression models were used to test for differences between standardized math and language arts test scores, excused and unexcused absences, and total suspensions and expulsions between the two groups.Results: PYD program youth had 55% and 46% greater odds being in the highest math (χ2(1, N = 298) = 4.06, p = .04) and total days attended categories (χ2(1, N = 298) = 5.58, p = .02) respectively. No other significant differences were found. When using a more rigorous quasi-experimental and longitudinal design, participation in a PYD program predicted some but not all academic performance and behaviors. PYD programs may need to be designed to specifically nurture academic skills to consistently impact academic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmental patterns of anxiety and depression symptoms in early childhood have previously been related to anxiety and mood disorders in middle childhood. In the current study, trajectories of anxiety and depression symptoms (1.5-10 years) were related to children's broader psychosocial and school-related functioning at 10 years. We included a population-based sample of 7499 children, for whom primary caregivers reported anxiety and depression symptoms on the Child Behavior Checklist, at children's ages of 1.5, 3, 6, and 10. Growth Mixture Modeling identified four distinct, gender-invariant, trajectories of anxiety and depression symptoms: low (82.4%), increasing (7.4%), decreasing (6.0%), and increasing symptoms up to age 6 followed by a decrease to age 10 (preschool-limited, 4.2%). Children with a non-Dutch ethnicity had lower odds to be in the increasing trajectory and higher odds to be in the decreasing and pre-school limited trajectory. Also, low maternal education predicted the decreasing and pre-school limited trajectory. Higher levels of psychopathology during pregnancy for both mothers and fathers predicted the increasing, decreasing, and preschool-limited trajectory, compared to the low trajectory. At age 10, children in the increasing and preschool-limited trajectory had diminished psychosocial outcomes (friendship-quality and self-esteem) and worse school-related outcomes (school performance and school problems). This study adds to current knowledge by demonstrating that developmental patterns of anxiety and depression symptoms in early childhood are related to broader negative outcomes in middle childhood. Child and family factors could guide monitoring of anxiety and depression symptoms in the general population and provide targets for prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many cases, the school failure cycle begins in elementary school for students with specific risk factors. Young students with learning difficulties and behavioral problems require a timely and sufficient program to prevent poor school outcomes. After-school mentoring programs are effective in providing meaningful relationships, structure, and academic support, thus mitigating risk factors and improving academic achievement. This case example describes a year-long, cross-age peer mentoring program between high school students identified as gifted and elementary students with risk factors attending adjacent schools with support from a local university. The positive results of this community-based mentoring program include improved academic grades, teacher perceptions, student-rated self-efficacy, and social validity. These results are presented along with implications for practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known of educators' knowledge of the impact of preterm birth on academic achievement and nothing is known of parental perspective of this knowledge.Aims: To examine the knowledge of the impact of preterm birth on academic achievement amongst Canadian educators, characterize educators' attitudes towards these challenges, and examine parental perspectives of the educational system for their preterm child.Study Design and Methods: This was a mixed methods study involving kindergarten to Grade 3 educators and parents of preterm children aged 4-8 years. Focus groups were conducted with 35 educators and surveys were collected from 138 educators and 174 parents. Thematic analysis was employed for focus group data and findings from surveys were summarized using descriptive statistics.Results: Themes identified from focus groups included: educators' knowledge was experiential, limited information sharing by parents, and lack of resources. No consensus existed amongst educators on facilitators or barriers in the educational system to help children born preterm. On the parent survey, parental disclosure of medical history was more frequent with lower gestational age. Most parents (94.9%, 130/137) advocated for extended neonatal follow-up and only 59.9% (82/137) expressed confidence that the school was meeting their child's needs. The educator survey confirmed these themes, except educators advocated for disclosure of the child's medical history (91.7%, 100/109). Additional qualifications and experience enhanced educators' knowledge, being a parent of a child born preterm did not.Conclusion: Educators are unprepared to address the academic challenges for the preterm child and training is needed. Parents and providers need to be prepared to advocate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effects of a language-rich math content text message intervention as a way to promote child literacy outcomes for children enrolled in 15 Head Start centers participating in Jumpstart. Two-hundred and fifty-eight families were randomly assigned to treatment (language-rich math text) or control (information about kindergarten enrollment) conditions. Families received text messages in English, Spanish, or written Chinese. Parents reported on children’s fall entry skills and family demography. Teachers reported on children’s interest in math and literacy. Children were directly assessed on literacy skills to determine if the language-rich math content increased literacy skills. Structural equation models reveal no main effects for the sample of 258, but subgroup analyses by language show intervention effectiveness. For families receiving text messages in English, effectiveness depended on children’s fall letter and shape knowledge for increasing phonological awareness (English). The intervention appears most effective for Spanish-speaking families by increasing children’s math and literacy interest, definitional vocabulary, and print knowledge. Limitations and finding implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children of parents with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at-risk for a variety of negative outcomes, including poor educational achievement. The multi-level, resilience-based ChildCARE intervention has been found to yield short-term improvement in a number of school-related variables for children affected by parental HIV. However, no studies have examined whether educational gains persist. Thus, this study evaluated whether children who received the ChildCARE intervention displayed better educational outcomes than children assigned to a control group at 24-, 30-, and 36-months post-intervention. We enrolled 790 Chinese children affected by parental HIV in a four-arm randomized controlled trial to evaluate the intervention components of ChildCARE. Children and their caregivers were randomized to a control group, child-only intervention, child + caregiver intervention, or child + caregiver + community intervention. School outcomes at 24-, 30-, and 36-months suggested limited support for the efficacy of the intervention to yield sustained improvements in educational outcomes. Findings highlight the need for comprehensive and coordinated efforts that involve caregivers, communities, and schools to support children made vulnerable by parental HIV in China and around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent education inequality is a complex problem in the United States, and, despite efforts to promote equity, education performance and attainment remain highly related to characteristics of students' families, schools, and neighborhoods. Systemic interventions are designed to address complex problems through the identification and purposeful incorporation of knowledge from the multiple systems implicated in a problem. Although systemic intervention approaches are not widely reported in education, they have yielded positive effects in health and human services and are worth investigating in the education context. In this paper we review policy and research evidence related to education inequality and provide an agenda for designing and evaluating systemic interventions to reduce education inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Parental incarceration impacts millions of children in the United States and has important consequences for youths' adjustment and school-based outcomes. METHODS Using data from a survey of youth behavior in one large Midwestern state, we examined the effect of both present and past parental incarceration on school-based outcomes, across 3 school settings (public schools, alternative learning centers, and juvenile correctional facilities). RESULTS Parental incarceration was significantly associated with students' poor school-based outcomes; however, these effects varied markedly by school setting. Among youth in public schools, parental incarceration was consistently associated with poor school outcomes. There were mixed effects among youth in alternative learning centers and no significant effects among youth in juvenile correctional facilities. CONCLUSIONS The study adds to a body of literature demonstrating the negative effects of parental incarceration on youth's school-based outcomes for youth in public schools; however, findings were mixed for youth in alternative learning centers and juvenile correctional facilities. Implications for future research and school practitioners are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to build a broader framework for Chinese principal leadership and to determine what aspects of principal leadership correlate most highly with school outcomes from the perspectives of both principals and teachers. Method: The data come from a 2013 national student achievement assessment in China comprising 37,749 students in Grade 8 and 9,165 teachers in 613 secondary schools. Adopting Grissom and Loeb’s measurement framework, we use both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to examine the structure of principal leadership. Then, a hierarchical linear model is employed to analyze the relationship between principal leadership and five school outcomes, controlling for basic student and teacher demographics and certain school context variables. Findings: We identify many differences and some similarities between China and the United States. We obtain five leadership factors from the principals’ self-rating data (Visibility and Direct Participation, Instruction Organization, Internal Environment Organization, Planning and Personnel, and External Relations) and three leadership factors from the teachers’ rating data (Organization and Management, Instruction and Curriculum, and Visibility and Direct Participation). Regarding student reading achievement and learning efficacy, from both the principals’ and teachers’ perspectives, the most highly correlated aspect is Instruction Organization. For teachers’ occupational stress, job burnout, and teaching efficacy, teachers’ ratings of principal leadership exhibit more significant relationships than does principals’ self-rated leadership. Implications: We explore a broader framework of principal leadership in China. We identify the benefits and analyze alternative views of the indirect effects of principal leadership on students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children affected by parental HIV/AIDS are at-risk for poor school outcomes including reduced attendance, lower grades, and lower school satisfaction compared to unaffected peers. Resilience-based interventions offer promise to improve functioning across a number of domains. A four-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted with 790 children affected by parental HIV/AIDS in rural, central China to examine the effects of a multi-level, resilience-based intervention (i.e., ChildCARE) on school outcomes. Child and caregiver dyads were randomized to a control group, child-only intervention, child + caregiver intervention, or child + caregiver + community intervention. School outcomes at 6-, 12-, and 18-months suggest that participation in the ChildCARE program yielded improvements in academic performance, school satisfaction, and school interest. Opportunities for school psychologists to engage in psychosocial and educational intervention for children impacted by HIV/AIDS are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some definitions of child homelessness include the category of children who are doubled-up with others due to loss of housing or economic hardship, while others do not. Are doubled-up children more like children in shelters or children who are poor but housed? A quasi-experimental comparison group design was used to test empirically for differences in school mobility, school attendance, and reading and mathematics achievement among three groups of sheltered, doubled-up, and poor, housed children, respectively, with each group containing 49 students. Sheltered students were found to have significantly higher levels of school mobility and significantly lower rates of school attendance than students in the other two groups. An elaboration of the continuum of risk model is proposed to differentiate experiences of sheltered and doubled-up students. Recommendations are made for policy responses as well as future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: There is a growing literature showing associations between prenatal and early-life exposure to air pollution and children's neurodevelopment. However, it is unclear if decrements in neurodevelopment observed in epidemiologic research translate into observable functional outcomes in the broader pediatric population. The objective of this study was to examine the association between early-life exposures to common urban air toxics and the use of academic support services, such as early intervention and special education within a population-based cohort of urban children.Methods: Data for 201,559 children born between 1994 and 1998 in New York City were obtained through administrative data linkages between birth, early intervention and educational records. Use of academic support services was ascertained from birth through attendance in 3rd grade. Census tract at birth was used to assign estimates of annual average ambient concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) using the 1996 National Air Toxics Assessment. Discrete-time hazard models were fit to the data and adjusted for confounders including maternal, childhood and neighborhood factors.Results: Children with higher exposures to BTEX compounds were more likely to receive academic support services later in childhood. For example, the adjusted hazard ratio comparing children exposed to the highest decile of benzene to those with lower exposure was 1.09 (95% confidence interval 1.05, 1.13). Results were consistent across individual BTEX compounds, for exposure metrics which summarized exposure to all four BTEX pollutants and for multiple sensitivity analyses.Conclusions: These findings suggest urban air pollution may affect children's neurodevelopment and educational trajectories. They also demonstrate the use of public health data systems to advance children's environmental health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and as a result, one of the largest populations of incarcerated parents. Growing evidence suggests that the incarceration of a parent may be associated with a number of risk factors in adolescence, including school drop out. Taking a developmental ecological approach, this study used multilevel modeling to examine the association of parental incarceration on truancy, academic achievement, and lifetime educational attainment using the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (48.3 % female; 46 % minority status). Individual characteristics, such as school and family connectedness, and school characteristics, such as school size and mental health services, were examined to determine whether they significantly reduced the risk associated with parental incarceration. Our results revealed small but significant risks associated with parental incarceration for all outcomes, above and beyond individual and school level characteristics. Family and school connectedness were identified as potential compensatory factors, regardless of parental incarceration history, for academic achievement and truancy. School connectedness did not reduce the risk associated with parental incarceration when examining highest level of education. This study describes the school related risks associated with parental incarceration, while revealing potential areas for school-based prevention and intervention for adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Food-insecure ( FIS) adolescents struggle in school and with health and mental health more often than food-secure ( FS) adolescents. Rural communities experience important disparities in health, but little is known about rural FIS adolescents. This study aims to describe select characteristics of rural adolescents by food-security status. METHODS Baseline analysis using data from a randomized trial to increase school breakfast participation ( SBP) in rural Minnesota high schools. Students completed a survey regarding food security, characteristics, and home and school environments. Schools provided academic data and staff measured height and weight. Food security was dichotomized as FS vs FIS. Bivariate analysis, multivariate linear/logistic regression, and testing for interaction of food security and sex were performed. RESULTS Food-insecure adolescents reported poorer health, less exercise, had lower grades, and higher SBP (p < .01). Food-insecure adolescents reported marginally fewer barriers (p = .06) and more benefits of breakfast (p = .05). All associations except reported benefits remained significant after adjustment. Interactions were identified with girls' grade point average and with boys' caloric and added sugar intake. CONCLUSIONS Negative associations among food insecurity and positive youth development are identified in our sample. Policy and environmental strategies should address the complexities of these associations, including exploration of the role of school meals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sixteen meta-analyses were conducted to examine relations of typically developing bilingual immigrant-background children’s oral language proficiency in their first and second language with the school outcomes of early literacy (k = 41), reading (k = 61), spelling (k = 9), mathematics (k = 9), and academic achievement (k = 9). Moderate to strong within-language relations were found for all school outcomes (.22 < r < .43), and cross-language relations for early literacy and reading (.12 < r < .22). Within-language relations were stronger than cross-language relations (.14 < d < .35). Only 6 out of 96 moderator effects tested were significant. Based on our findings, we propose a task-dependent bidirectional transfer hypothesis: The strength of cross-language transfer depends on the type of language proficiency task and the type of school outcome. Stimulating oral language proficiency in both languages can be a key factor in improving school outcomes of bilingual immigrant background children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Changing demographics in societies through international migration have led to an increasing number of bi-ethnic individuals. The focus of this study is on bi-ethnic students with one parent with an ethnic majority background and one parent with an ethnic minority background. Most studies worldwide have grouped these bi-ethnic students with ethnic minority students or have grouped them according to the ethnic background of their mothers with the majority or minority group. However, empirical arguments for these groupings are lacking. Purpose: The present study examined the educational outcomes and functioning of bi-ethnic students compared with mono-ethnic majority and mono-ethnic minority students in the Netherlands. Sample: Data on in total 12,841 sixth-grade students (age 11–12) in primary education from two consecutive measurements of the national Dutch cohort study (COOL5–18) were used in this study. Method: Educational outcomes were measured with test scores on reading comprehension and mathematics. Educational functioning in school was measured with teacher and student questionnaires. Student questionnaires included instruments for well-being of the pupil in relationship with fellow students and citizenship competences. Teachers reported on problem behaviour of the pupils. To analyse the differences in educational outcomes and functioning among bi-ethnic, mono-ethnic minority and mono-ethnic majority students, multivariate, multilevel analyses were performed. Results: The research findings indicate that bi-ethnic students do not differ from mono-ethnic majority students while they do differ from mono-ethnic minority students in their cognitive achievement, social-emotional functioning and citizenship knowledge. Bi-ethnic students scored higher on cognitive outcomes, social-emotional functioning and citizenship knowledge than mono-ethnic minority students did. For citizenship orientation alone, it was found that bi-ethnic students score in between mono-ethnic majority and mono-ethnic minority students. Conclusion: This study indicates that researchers should not assume that bi-ethnic students will be similar to mono-ethnic ones. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Open enrollment was expected to provide students in urban school settings with equal opportunity to access schools with abundant educational resources that led to improved student achievement. The One-way ANOVA and Linear Mixed Models used a propensity score matching method were administered to identify to what extent urban students utilized inter-district open enrollment in a Midwestern city and to compare their performances on standardized tests before and after the school transfer had occurred. The results indicated that open enrollment provided black students and students in the child welfare system with equal access to racially and socioeconomically integrated schools. However, these students' academic performance was not significantly enhanced by their open enrollment, except the 3rd grade student achievement in math. The results raised questions about the characteristics of open enrollment. Recommendations for future research are made; study limitations are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the differences in school (NAPLAN) outcomes between New South Wales and Queensland. It shows that there are pronounced differences in Year 3 NAPLAN results between these states, though these dissipate when later class years are considered. The reasons for these state effects in school outcomes are explored using an empirical framework grounded in the regression discontinuity literature. There is no systematic evidence of school-specific unobservables that are linearly related to the distance of schools from the New South Wales–Queensland border that account for this state effect. In other words, the lower outcomes of schools in Queensland relative to schools in New South Wales appear to be a pure institutional phenomenon. This conclusion carries over to the various sensitivity tests undertaken based on the partition of the sample by school sector and by distance from the border. Accordingly, the border effects are expected to be eroded by the recent reforms to the school starting age in Queensland and by the national curriculum currently proposed for implementation in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning (LGBTQ) and genderqueer (GQ) students has highlighted the links between school-based marginalisation and decreased school outcomes. This paper applies stage–environment fit theory to an investigation of school ‘gender climate’, the official and unofficial policing of gender expression by school staff and students, to explore what role gender climate plays in the above relationship. Three school life components associated with stage–environment fit theory – (1) the organisational, (2) the instructional and (3) the interpersonal – were used to scaffold interview data on school gender climate from five LGBTQ Australian young people. Results implicate school staff in the maintenance of gender climate and highlight the deleterious impact of school silences on related subject matter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bullying is a serious problem within the U.S. school system. Prior research suggests that victimization is stratified by race and ethnicity. However, few studies consider factors that may moderate this relationship. This article extends research on this topic by considering whether stereotypes moderate bullying among racial and ethnic youth. Youth who violate stereotypes may experience derogatory treatment. This study examines whether violated racial and ethnicity stereotypes are linked to the victimization of racial and ethnic minorities. The study findings based on data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 indicate that stereotypes linked to family socioeconomic status (SES), test scores, and interscholastic sports participation moderate the relationship between bullying victimization and race and ethnicity. The implications for future research and policy implementation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Low-income and minority children aspire to school success and expect to attend college. These aspirations and expectations matter – predicting college attendance and graduation when present and failure to attend college otherwise. But aspiring to college does not necessarily result in relevant behavior; many children with high aspirations do not take sufficient action to work toward their school goals. This paper uses identity-based motivation theory (IBM, Oyserman, 2007, 2009a) to predict that school-focused expectations and aspirations predict action if at the moment of judgment, they are accessible (come to mind) and feel relevant. Relevance is operationalized in three ways. (1) Feeling congruent with important social identities (e.g., race-ethnicity, social class), (2) feeling connected with relevant behavioral strategies (studying, asking questions), and (3) providing an interpretation of difficulties along the way as implying task importance, not impossibility. Family assets and child savings are likely to influence each element of identity relevance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A multi-gate screening process identified 891 children with aggressive-disruptive behavior problems at school entry. Fast Track provided a multi-component preventive intervention in the context of a randomized-controlled design. In addition to psychosocial support and skill training for parents and children, the intervention included intensive reading tutoring in first grade, behavioral management consultation with teachers, and the provision of homework support (as needed) through tenth grade. This study examined the impact of the intervention, as well as the impact of the child's initial aggressive-disruptive behaviors and associated school readiness skills (cognitive ability, reading readiness, attention problems) on academic progress and educational placements during elementary school (Grades 1-4) and during the secondary school years (Grades 7-10), as well as high school graduation. Child behavior problems and skills at school entry predicted school difficulties (low grades, grade retention, placement in a self-contained classroom, behavior disorder classification, and failure to graduate). Disappointingly, intervention did not significantly improve these long-term school outcomes. Aggr. Behav. 39:114-130, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has demonstrated that homeless children have disproportionate negative academic experiences, including absenteeism, high rates of mobility, grade repetition, and the need for special education services, which may all contribute to poor academic performance. Homeless children are also more exposed to violence and social isolation due to their often dangerous living environments, past histories of victimization, and trauma experienced by their mothers. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of family supportive housing service receipt on children''s well-being, including the academic functioning and child protection involvement of homeless children. A total of 183 children''s supportive housing records were sequentially linked to data from the Minnesota Departments of Education and Human Services, including the Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System, MCA-II database, and Social Services Information System through Minn-LInK. Generalized Estimating Equation analysis was implemented to examine the three-year longitudinal role of supportive housing for homeless children''s educational and child protection outcomes. Significantly positive effects of recipients of supportive housing services were found in school mobility, school attendance, and math achievement. The proportion of children with child protection involvement for the supportive housing group sharply decreased over time. Recommendations for policy and future research are made; study limitations are addressed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

It is well known that socio-economic status (SES) at both the student and school level is associated with educational outcomes. Students from higher social backgrounds, on average, have greater educational out-comes than their less privileged peers. Also, a student that attends a school that enrols students from primarily high social backgrounds will, on average, have greater educational outcomes than if she attended a school that enrolled students from low social backgrounds. School SES is related to student outcomes through a complex array of factors, including the quality of curriculum and instruction, resources and the learning environment. This article reviews the research literature about the relationship between school socio-economic composition and student outcomes, the mechanisms by which the relationship is enacted in schools, as well as the structural features of education systems that influence how students from varying social backgrounds are distributed across schools. I conclude with suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article synthesizes research on social capital, school outcomes, internet use, and volunteering to argue that e-mentoring - which is commonly practiced over long distances - could become a powerful way to build greater cohesiveness in local communities. Realizing this potential will require a larger-scale and more coordinated approach to research and program design, as well as a change in e-mentoring researchers' methods. The payoff for these changes would be greater opportunity for e-mentoring research to contribute to social policy and school effectiveness initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

a group, delinquent youth complete less education and show poor academic outcomes compared to their non-delinquent peers. To better understand pathways to school success, this study integrated individual- and neighborhood-level data to examine academic functioning among 833 White, Black, and Hispanic male juvenile offenders (age 14-17) living in two urban communities. A multilevel path analysis confirmed that youth in relatively more affluent communities report greater access to opportunities in the areas of education and employment, and that these opportunities are associated with higher expectations to succeed and better grades. Findings highlight the importance of taking an ecological approach for understanding processes that shape school effort and achievement. Implications are discussed in the context of promoting academic success among juvenile offenders, specifically, and for understanding pathways to healthy adjustment, more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between having a special health care need and school outcomes measured as attendance, student engagement, behavioral threats to achievement, and academic achievement. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A total of 1457 children in the fourth through sixth grades from 34 schools in 3 school districts and their parents provided survey data; parents completed the Children With Special Health Care Needs Screener. School records were abstracted for attendance, grades, and standardized achievement test scores. RESULTS: Across 34 schools, 33% of children screened positive for special health care needs After adjusting for sociodemographic and school effects, children with special health care needs had lower motivation to do well in school, more disruptive behaviors, and more frequent experiences as a bully victim. They experienced significantly lower academic achievement, as measured by grades, standardized testing, and parental-assessed academic performance. These findings were observed for children who qualified as having a special health care need because they had functional limitations attributed to a chronic illness or a behavioral health problem but not for those who qualified only because they took prescription medications. CONCLUSIONS: Specific subgroups of children with special health care needs are at increased risk for poor school outcomes. Health and school professionals will need to collaborate to identify these children early, intervene with appropriate medical and educational services, and monitor long-term outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving positive postschool outcomes continues to be a challenge for many students. These challenges are compounded for students with disabilities, even years after the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (1990; IDEA) required systematic transition planning. In this era of accountability through high-stakes testing, schools and families may feel that they are sidelined to stand by helplessly as students-particularly those with special needs-experience life-altering circumstances such as high dropout rates, underemployment and unemployment, failure to access continuing education, and dependent living situations. To find practical and relevant suggestions for promoting successful transitions and enhancing postschool outcomes for all students, the authors examine the emerging tiered-intervention paradigm known as response to intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has increasingly shown that the length of time in the U.S. and acculturation may have negative effects on a variety of immigrant outcomes, including academic performance, health, and occupational attainment. However, much of the research on the educational outcomes of immigrants focuses primarily on their academic achievement but neglects another factor that affects educational success—behavior at school. Using data from a sample of high school seniors in several Pacific Northwest school districts, I examine whether more time in the U.S. increases school misbehavior by testing the effects of immigrant generation and indicators of acculturation on three measures of disciplinary problems during the senior year of high school—attending class unprepared, getting in trouble for breaking school rules, and being put on suspension. First and one-point-five generation immigrants attend class more prepared and get into less trouble for breaking the school rules than do third or higher generation students during their senior year of high school. High academic performance and indicators of acculturation explain only part of this beneficial effect of immigrant generation on behavior at school. Additional analyses show that second generation Asian immigrants are more similar to first and 1.5 generation immigrants from all racial and ethnic groups than they are from other second generation racial and ethnic groups in regards to moderate and intermediate behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

OBJECTIVES. Our goals were to compare cognitive, language, behavioral, and educational outcomes of preterm children to term controls and to evaluate the impact of neonatal brain injury, indomethacin, and environmental risk factors on intellectual function at 12 years of age. METHODS. A total of 375 children born in 1989-1992 with birth weights of 600 to 1250 g enrolled in the Indomethacin Intraventricular Hemorrhage Prevention Trial and 111 controls were evaluated. Neuropsychometric testing, neurologic examination, and interviews on educational needs were completed. Severe brain injury was defined as the presence of grade 3 to 4 indomethacin intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular leukomalacia, or severe ventriculomegaly on cranial ultrasound. RESULTS. On the Wechsler Scales of Intelligence for Children, the preterm cohort obtained a full-scale IQ of 87.9 ± 18.3, verbal IQ of 90.8 ± 18.9, and performance IQ of 86.8 ± 17.9. Preterm children obtained scores 6 to 14 points lower than term controls on all psychometric tests after adjustment for sociodemographic factors. On the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (test of basic language skills), 22% to 24% of preterm children scored in the abnormal ranges (<70) as opposed to 2% to 4% of controls. Preterm children with and without brain injury required more school services (76% and 44% vs 16%), and support in reading (44% and 28% vs 9%), writing (44% and 20% vs 4%), and mathematics (47% and 30% vs 6%) compared with controls. Preterm children also displayed more behavior problems than their term counterparts. Severe neonatal brain injury was the strongest predictor of poor intelligence. Antenatal steroids, higher maternal education, and 2-parent family were associated with better cognition, whereas minority status incurred a disadvantage. Indomethacin did not affect intellectual function among preterm children. CONCLUSIONS. Preterm children born in the early 1990s, especially those with severe brain injury, demonstrate serious deficits in their neuropsychological profile, which translates into increased use of school services at 12 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Early Intervention for Children at Risk for Developing Behavioral Problems (EICR) is a community-wide intervention model preventing and treating problem behavior and promoting social competence in children. The aim of the study was to test whether EICR would result in fewer incidences of problem behavior and improved learning climate in elementary schools in a Norwegian municipality. The municipality was divided in two, each section having equal chance of being assigned to the intervention condition. Participants were principals and school staff. One year after the initiation of EICR, the prevalence of student problem behavior was significantly lower, and student relations were significantly better for schools located in the intervention area than for schools located in the comparison area. The findings support further development, implementation and research on the EICR model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective:To examine the link between childhood overweight status and elementary school outcomes.Design:Prospective study design: multivariate regression models examining the association between changes in overweight status and school outcomes between kindergarten entry and end of third grade, after controlling for various child, family and school characteristics.Subjects:Nationally representative sample of US children who entered kindergarten in 1998, with longitudinal data on body mass index (BMI) and school outcomes at kindergarten entry and end of third grade.Measurements:Wide range of elementary school outcomes collected in each wave including academic achievement (math and reading standardized test scores); teacher reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems (BP), social skills (self-control, interpersonal skills) and approaches to learning; school absences; and grade repetition. Measurements of height and weight in each wave were used to compute BMI and indicators of overweight status based on CDC growth charts. A rich set of control variables capturing child, family, and school characteristics.Results:Moving from not-overweight to overweight between kindergarten entry and end of third grade was significantly associated (P<0.05) with reductions in test scores, and teacher ratings of social-behavioral outcomes and approaches to learning among girls. However, this link was mostly absent among boys, with two exceptions – boys who became overweight had significantly fewer externalizing BPs (P<0.05), but more absences from school compared to boys who remained normal weight. Being always-overweight was associated with more internalizing BP among girls but fewer externalizing BPs among boys.Conclusion:Change in overweight status during the first 4 years in school is a significant risk factor for adverse school outcomes among girls but not boys. Girls who become overweight during the early school years and those who start school being overweight and remain that way may need to be monitored carefully.International Journal of Obesity (2006) 30, 1449–1460. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803311; published online 14 March 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social support, widely studied as a variable that positively affects the adaptation of adolescents, is often less present in the lives of youths at risk of school failure. This study explores the social support of at-risk students, including who provides each of eight types of support, and the effects of particular types of social support on school performance outcomes. Results of analyses of data from students enrolled in Communities In Schools programs, indicate that parents and adult caretakers are major sources of social support for both middle and high school at-risk students. Analyses of school outcomes data indicate that particular types of social support are associated with different desirable school outcomes. The article presents implications for social work practice and the development of intervention strategies to enhance students' school performance and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]