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The burden of childhood visual impairment and disparities in access to pediatric vision care remain pressing issues in the United States. School-based vision programs (SBVPs) serve as one approach to advancing health equity. Operating at the intersection of schools and healthcare, SBVPs can increase access to pediatric vision services, improve academic performance, and facilitate referrals to community vision care providers. To maximize their impact, SBVPs must tailor their services to the individual needs and resources of local school communities. School nurses, who have strong ties to school health care services and the school community, are trusted partners in building SBVPs. This article aims to facilitate SBVP development, implementation, and sustainability processes by offering guidance for school nurses and other stakeholders who aim to build a SBVP, support local programs, or learn more about how SBVPs operate.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine school operations, including school health programs. This study aims to describe the pandemic's impact on school health service delivery from the perspective of Maryland school health partners. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with health service representatives from public schools (K-12) between July and December 2021. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded through an iterative process to develop analytic themes. Results: Twenty school health partners from 15 Maryland school districts participated. Participants identified key impacts of COVID-19 on school health: (1) COVID-19 disrupted delivery of services such as dental, mental health, and preventative care, (2) COVID-19 necessitated changes in service delivery platforms, (3) COVID-19 affected school health staff through increased responsibilities and staffing shortages, and (4) COVID-19 prompted schools to become hubs for community outreach and health education. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity: Consideration of school health service disruptions and the increased demands on service providers may inform future priorities for school administrators, health departments, and policymakers. Conclusions: COVID-19 impacted the timing and method of service delivery as well as the roles of school health staff and schools themselves in public health and education.

The Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) Program is a Hawai'i place-based CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience) for late high school and early undergraduate students wherein students conduct independent research that draws upon the history, culture, and ecosystem of their local communities. In addition to providing meaningful access to marine science education and training, REMS addresses a fear of failure expressed by students who view their culture and personal identity as incompatible with undergraduate science pathways. Data about student attitudes toward and conceptualizations of science and scientists were collected through pre- and postprogram open-ended survey items, Draw-a-Scientist Tests, and postprogram interviews. Results suggest the combination of place-based elements and an authentic research experience shifted students' conceptualization of scientists to a "humanized" construct. The emergence of this theme coincided with students recognizing themselves as scientists, gaining confidence in content understanding and research skills, increasing interest in science as a career pathway, and recognizing how science affects their communities. This study demonstrates how a CURE that emphasizes the cultural relevance of science, an inclusive conceptualization of a "scientist", and contextualized role of "failure" in science, may contribute to historically marginalized students recognizing themselves as scientists and ultimately persisting in science careers.

Uncertain times require prompt reflexes to survive and this study is a collaborative reflex to better understand uncertainty and navigate through it. The Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic hit hard and interrupted many dimensions of our lives, particularly education. As a response to interruption of education due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this study is a collaborative reaction that narrates the overall view, reflections from the K12 and higher educational landscape, lessons learned and suggestions from a total of 31 countries across the world with a representation of 62.7% of the whole world population. In addition to the value of each case by country, the synthesis of this research suggests that the current practices can be defined as emergency remote education and this practice is different from planned practices such as distance education, online learning or other derivations. Above all, this study points out how social injustice, inequity and the digital divide have been exacerbated during the pandemic and need unique and targeted measures if they are to be addressed. While there are support communities and mechanisms, parents are overburdened between regular daily/professional duties and emerging educational roles, and all parties are experiencing trauma, psychological pressure and anxiety to various degrees, which necessitates a pedagogy of care, affection and empathy. In terms of educational processes, the interruption of education signifies the importance of openness in education and highlights issues that should be taken into consideration such as using alternative assessment and evaluation methods as well as concerns about surveillance, ethics, and data privacy resulting from nearly exclusive dependency on online solutions.

Background: Students from historically excluded groups face many pedagogical, societal, and institutional barriers that lead to disproportionately lower levels of entering and higher levels of attrition from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) undergraduate programs. Student experiences within a STEM learning environment play a large role in influencing participation and persistence in science, and place-based education (PBE) is one pedagogical approach that aims to increase student engagement with science. By allowing students to engage with scientific concepts through their own knowledge systems, PBE can develop these students' science identity and nurture a sense of belonging within the science community. This study examined student science identity in participants of a place-based, early-credit, Hawai?i undergraduate research experience, the Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS) Program. Results: Student science identity was measured via responses from pre- and post-program Likert-type surveys before and after participation in the REMS program along the dimensions of Performance/Competence, Interest, and Recognition. The science identities of REMS alumni who returned to participate in the program as near-peer mentors and undergraduate researchers were also measured to explore whether repeated exposure to the program experience continued to promote shifts in identity construct metrics. Results indicate that all student groups who participated in REMS, including alumni, gained confidence in their science content understanding and research skills, increased their interest in science as a subject and as a career pathway, and recognized how science affects their communities. New students demonstrated the largest shifts in their science identity metrics, but alumni also indicated further development of their science identities. Conclusions: The data from this study suggest that the timing of interventions which aim to influence student science identity and persistence in STEM pathways is an important factor when targeting student groups transitioning to undergraduate programs. Future educational efforts to increase the positive development of student science identity should consider the potential benefits of cumulative research experiences to support students through their early careers as undergraduates in STEM.

This high school-level, place-based, inquiry-driven laboratory module familiarises students with techniques used to analyse animal behaviour while facilitating the development of the observational skills highlighted by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Throughout the module, students observe, quantify, and discuss local invertebrate behaviours in the classroom. While field-testing the module with Hawai?i high school students, we administered anonymous, online surveys before and after participation to examine whether the use of animals and language from the local environment and cultural landscape unique to Hawai?i helped to connect students with the ecology surrounding them and emphasise the relevancy of scientific observations beyond the classroom. Survey responses indicated increased content understanding, increased confidence in scientific skills, and more positive attitudes towards marine science among participants. Utilising ethological techniques within a place-based framework provides an adaptable platform for students in any location to develop the science literacy skills at the core of NGSS.

Demonstrating the impact of faculty development activities is difficult and infrequently attempted beyond assessing participant satisfaction. This study examines how faculty development activities affect instructional practices and the impact on student learning and motivation in accordance with Kirkpatrick's levels of evaluation. Ten instructors at a state health science university participated in a series of faculty development activities. Instructors consulted with faculty developers to determine an instructional change. Students exposed to the changed practices assessed the instructors' use of instructional strategies. The impact of faculty development on instructional practices, student learning, and motivation is evident in instructor reflections and student feedback. (Contains 3 tables.)

This study utilized student, teacher, and parent expectations during high school to analyze their predictive effect on post-secondary education status two years after scheduled graduation. The sample included 5,353 students, parents and teachers who participated in the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS; 2002-2006). The researchers analyzed data using a frequency analysis and a multinomial logistic regression. Results indicated that student, parent, and teacher expectations were significant predictors, with teacher expectations having the strongest effect across various categories of enrollment. This article also discusses the study's implications for school counselors. (Contains 2 tables.)

A junior faculty member arrives at an unfamiliar university for a new teaching assignment. She is poised for the adventure, but feels like a traveler at the edge of long, unknown road. She does not know what obstacles or vistas may appear on the road, and wants to avoid major potholes. She takes a nervous look around and finds an experienced traveler nearby at the beginning of the road. The fellow traveler is a more senior faculty member who has gone farther up the road already and come back to share valuable experience with newcomers. Together the junior and senior travelers set off on their adventure. Their journey illustrates how faculty developers at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) acted as travel guides in a mentoring program that increased the likelihood of successful travels toward university careers. At CSUDH, faculty developers host orientation activities for new faculty members. Orientation is an ideal time for fellow travelers to meet. Although it looks different on every campus, the intent is the same--to provide early career faculty with an introduction to the university and foster a high level of success. Junior and senior faculty members are guided by faculty developers to form mentoring pairs. Arrangements made by faculty developers enabled junior and senior faculty members to meet and become fellow travelers.

This article presents the findings of an exploratory study designed to look at the issue of removal of children from childcare due to behavior problems. A survey was sent to a random sample of nonresidential licensed day care centers (DCCs) in Texas. Results from the survey indicate that 50% of DCCs have removed a child from care due to behavior problems. In most cases, parents were left to figure out for themselves what to do with their children following their dismissal from care. This and other relationships found in the data are discussed as well as the need for future research in this area.

Two studies evaluated partitioning methods, in order to study how items are perceived by students and to determine how students organize content. Achievement test items in five content areas of educational measurement were used as stimuli to be sorted by groups of students who varied in sophistication. (Author/CTM)