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We present findings across three randomized trials of Descubriendo la Lectura (DLL), an intervention designed to improve literacy skills of Spanish-speaking first graders struggling with reading. DLL is a one-to-one Spanish-language literacy program lasting 12–20 weeks offered to a school's lowest performing emerging bilingual first graders. Directly replicating procedures across three cohorts, we examined Spanish and English literacy outcomes for approximately 400 students across 30 schools, 10 districts, and five states. Analyses revealed statistically significant effects of student-level assignment to DLL on all 11 Spanish-language outcomes, with an average impact of d = 0.57. Impacts across the four English-language outcomes were positive but not statistically significant. Descriptive results suggest that the Spanish-language impacts are reliably replicated, most likely due to the intervention's strong implementation supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor air quality is becoming one of the most important factors for public health, as people tend to spend more time indoors, either at home or at work. This paper combines the use of calibrated low‐cost particulate matter (PM) sensors with source apportionment algorithms to understand the factors that affect the indoor air quality within a typical UK school. Low‐cost optical particle counter (OPC) sensors were placed in three different classrooms within the school, measuring PM concentrations during a typical school week and the subsequent holiday period, to understand the role of occupancy within schools for air quality. When students were in attendance during school hours (09:00–15:30), the classroom with the greatest average PM levels had PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations of 14.4 and 51.0 μg/m3, respectively. During school hours, when students were present, all classrooms had average PM2.5 concentrations greater than 8.1 μg m−3 and average PM10 concentrations greater than 13.1 μg m−3. Notably, the English studies classroom exceeded the 24‐h WHO ambient PM10 guideline (45 μg m−3). Employing the non‐negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm for source apportionment revealed that between 93% and 98% of PM1 observed within classrooms derived from outdoor sources. This contribution diminished as particle size increased, with outdoor sources accounting for 74%–89% of PM2.5, and 19%–40% of PM10, respectively. The differences in classroom PM concentration and source percentages are attributed to differences in lesson activities, lesson frequency, flooring (carpeted versus hard flooring), location within the school, and proximity to outdoor sources such as roads. The approach described within the paper is easily translated to other indoor locations and could also be straightforwardly scaled due to its relatively low cost. Thereby, it allows for air quality management in locations crucial for the public health and educational outcomes of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laura Yares's article "Jewish Sunday Schools: Teaching Religion in Nineteenth-Century America" explores how Jewish Sunday Schools in the 19th century shaped Judaism in the American context. Yares challenges the view that these schools were merely imitations of Protestant culture, highlighting the important contributions of women who developed accessible forms of Jewish education. The article emphasizes the intersection of religion and education, offering a new perspective on American Jews' place in the United States and the role of Sunday Schools in shaping Jewish identity. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the importance of reciprocity in school-based research, highlighting the need to consider the costs and benefits to schools and teachers. It suggests that schools should be offered more empowering rewards for participating in research, rather than just financial incentives. The article also addresses the challenges faced by schools in engaging in research, such as lack of access to literature and expertise in research design and ethics. It proposes that collaborative partnerships between schools and research institutions can overcome these challenges and lead to more impactful and relevant research findings. The traditional relationship between researchers and participants should be reconsidered to acknowledge the expertise and contribution of both parties. Applying research findings to practice in schools can be challenging due to differences in starting points, community, and economic factors. Schools can conduct internal studies to determine the applicability of external findings within their specific contexts. Opportunities for schools to participate in research can be found through organizations like the Chartered College of Teaching and the Education Endowment Foundation. Collaborative research between schools and research institutions can help bridge the gap between research outcomes and what is relevant and feasible in different contexts. It is important for research organizers and sponsors to disclose how partnerships are formed to encourage similar procedures in the future. [Extracted from the article]

Acting on stage can boost adolescents' confidence and compassion towards their peers. When an adolescent plays different roles in a performance, they can develop empathy and gain insight into their lives and the lives of others. Understanding the role of theatre at schools can support promoting social change through knowledge generated from students' experiences. In this study, interactive theatre and reflective writing were used as an intervention to promote Social Emotional Learning (SEL) core competencies. Seven adolescents between the ages of 11 and 15 participated in the study over five weeks at a language school in Yerevan, Armenia. The findings show that the intervention helped develop the participants' SEL competencies of self-awareness, Relationship Skills, and Social Awareness, while Self-management and Responsible Decision-Making remained almost unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this randomized control trial (RCT) was to examine the impact of one-to-one high-dosage tutoring on reading achievement of kindergarten and first grade students, many at risk of reading failure. This nearly two-year study collected reading assessment data from 185 students, from across 13 classrooms, randomly assigned to either the one-to-one high-dosage tutoring group or the teacher-instruction-only group. Treatment students received tutoring support 2-3 times per week across the school year from specially trained tutors using a digital literacy platform. Tutoring focused on sequenced skills beginning with letter identification and sounds and moved to reading stories. The results of the Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) analysis, from both Chapter One assessments as well as the nationally recognized assessments, indicate that Chapter One's high impact tutoring program is highly effective in helping at-risk kindergarten and first grade students achieve reading proficiency. Tutored students outperformed non-tutored students on multiple measures of reading achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the associations of cognitive skills, math-related emotions and beliefs, and gender with responses to an arithmetic fluency intervention. Elementary school children with dysfluent arithmetic skills (N=69) participated in an arithmetic fluency intervention (with and without self-efficacy support) implemented in small groups in schools for 12 weeks. Hierarchical regression models including cognitive skills or math-related emotions and beliefs predicted 21% to 50% of the variation in the intervention response, i.e., improvement in arithmetic fluency. Cognitive skills were associated with the response mainly among boys, whereas math-related emotions and beliefs explained more among girls. Thus, both cognitive and non-cognitive factors and their interaction with gender should be considered when identifying non-responders who may need more individually tailored support at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. We sought to understand, using direct observation and questionnaires, the role and impact of physical education in the adolescent's life beyond the classrooms hours and because between common knowledge and scientific knowledge there are natural means (senses, ordinary thinking or criticism, natural language) that helps to decipher the unknown in establishing the different types of relationship between students, student-teachers etc. Methods. The study developed at a natinal military highschool. The number of pupils to whom the questionnaire was applied was 521, 121 girls, 400 boys, 14-18 years old, but the center directly of interest was a single high school class, military vocational profile made up of 6 girls and 19 boys with age between 14-16 years old. We elaborated for children a questionnaire about what they would like to do during the School Otherwise week and, according to the results, we carried out such activities that had a particular impact on them, but also on the teaching staff involved in the project. Conclusions. This study led to the fact that the pupil nowadays has a double contextual dependence, because he is produced / created / composed / inspired in a certain cultural, social, economic, political and genetic context, being recreated in a suite of other situational, performative and communicative contexts, transferring human interactions, feelings, experiences, manipulations to other discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From February to May 2022, the war in Ukraine prompted Poland to accommodate 3.37 million refugees from conflict zones, in addition to 850 thousand Ukrainian economic migrants already residing in the country. A substantial proportion of these refugees, primarily mothers with children, swiftly integrated into the Polish educational system, with some children commencing schooling within a week of their arrival. This influx significantly diversified the then predominantly monolingual landscape of Polish schools. Given the uniqueness of this situation and the fact that Poland has historically remained mono-national and monolingual for decades, Polish teachers suered from a lack of preparedness, resources and expertise to eectively navigate their teaching practices in multilingual classes. To understand the specificity of this situation, taking especially into account the perspective of educators, we have designed a qualitative study drawing on focus group and individual interview reports. We were particularly interested in determining how teachers’ agency was activated in times of crisis. The findings reveal how the newly-emerging linguistic and cultural heterogeneity is perceived by teachers, how it is manifested in school and home environments, and the extent to which possibilities for synergies exist between the two. The findings also highlight the fact that, despite teachers’ inexperience and unpreparedness for the new educational context, they instantly responded to the challenges that emerged. This can be exemplified by teachers’ collaboration in material design as well as the willingness to participate in courses sensitizing to migrant students’ needs (e.g., linguistic, educational, or emotional ones). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Art therapy, in the realm of health and human services, uses various techniques such as creating art, exploring creativity, and applying psychological theory to help individuals of all ages and backgrounds. This study explores the impact of mosaic art as a therapeutic intervention on reducing stress and enhancing resilience among adolescents, recognising the unique challenges they face in managing stress and building resilience during this pivotal stage of development. Materials and methods: Twenty-three students aged between 16 and 17 years old who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were assigned randomly to either the experimental group (n=12) or the control group (n=11). Both groups completed two self-report questionnaires, The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21) and The Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-R) at pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up. The mosaic art intervention was conducted weekly for one-hour sessions over eight weeks in school and through an online platform. A 2 X 3 within-between repeated measures ANOVA was employed in the data analyses. Results: Results showed significant lower stress and high resilience levels in the experimental group at post-test, indicating that the mosaic art intervention could effectively reduce stress and increase resilience among adolescents. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that mosaic art intervention can be utilised for preventing and managing mental health issues related to stress and resilience among adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Share tables (ST) are tables or stations in school cafeterias where students can return unopened foods and beverages, providing an opportunity to access these items at no cost. Currently, research suggests that milk is among the most wasted items in breakfast and lunch programs in the United States. Share tables present a simple solution for reducing milk waste, but research is needed to understand the microbial spoilage potential of milk in ST. To this end, uninoculated milk cartons and milk cartons inoculated with 2 to 3 log 10 (cfu/mL) Pseudomonas poae , a fast-growing psychrotroph, was exposed to ambient temperature during winter (mean temperature = 20.3°C) and summer (23.1°C) for 125 min, repeated over 5 d (the length of a school week). Microbial counts in the inoculated milk cartons increased linearly, exceeding the spoilage threshold of 6.0 log 10 (cfu/mL) after d 3 and after d 4 in the winter and summer season trials, respectively. In the winter trial, the microbial counts for uninoculated milk cartons never exceeded the lower limit of detection, 2.31 log 10 (cfu/mL), and in the summer trials, microbial counts never reached the spoilage threshold, indicating that initial contamination is a driving factor of microbial milk spoilage. Regardless of sharing status or seasonality, the greatest changes in counts for inoculated milk cartons occurred during overnight refrigeration, ranging from 0.56 to 1.4 log 10 (cfu/mL), while during the share table ranged from no observable change up to 0.29 log 10 (cfu/mL), emphasizing that school nutrition personnel should focus efforts on tightly controlling refrigeration temperatures and returning milk to refrigeration as soon as possible. A previously developed model for school cafeteria share tables was adapted to understand the typical residence time of milk in a simulated cafeteria with an ambient temperature share table for the summer and winter seasons over 1,000 wk. Milk was predicted to have a very short mean residence time (85 min) regardless of sharing status or season, with 99.8% of milk consumed, discarded, or donated within the first 2 d. As a result, only 3 out of 451,410 and 6 out of 451,410 simulated milks spoiled in the winter and summer seasons, respectively. The data generated here can be used to inform science-based decision-making for including milk in share tables, or applied to any system where one might have to accept short-term unrefrigerated storage of milk to meet a waste reduction or food security goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This was an open-label pilot study to test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a wearable digital intervention developed to improve on-task behavior. This was an exploratory study to test for specificity of response on parent- and teacher-reported symptom outcomes in attention and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, as well as domains of functional impairment, including school behavior and learning and executive function. Method:Participants included 38 children aged 8–12 years with a parent-reported past diagnosis of ADHD. Following baseline ratings from parents (N = 38) and teachers (N = 26), participants wore the device to school for four weeks. Parent and teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms, executive function, and functional impairment were repeated at the end of the four-week intervention period. Results:Statistically significant improvement was seen in the total scores for all parent and nearly all teacher outcomes, with moderate effect size improvements in attention, organization and planning, self-monitoring, school functioning, and teacher-reported academic performance. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence from this open-label pilot study suggests that having a child interact with a wearable device to self-monitor attention is feasible. This exploratory, open-label pilot study found real-world improvement in functional domains, including academic performance. Future research will require a blinded, randomized, controlled trial using an appropriate sham comparator to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether SMS-based nudge interventions can increase parent engagement and improve child learning outcomes across diverse contexts such as rural West Africa is unknown. We conducted a school-randomized trial to test the impacts of an audio or text-message intervention (two messages per week for one school year) to parents and teachers of second and fourth grade students (N = 100 schools, 2246 students) in Cote d'Ivoire. Schools were randomly assigned to have messages sent to (i) parents only, (ii) teachers only, (iii) parents and teachers together, or (iv) control. There were statistically non-significant impacts of the parents-only treatment on learning, although with typical effect sizes (d = 0.08, p = 0.158), and marginally statistically significant increases in child labor (d = 0.11, p < 0.10). We find no impacts of the other treatment conditions. Subgroup analyses based on pre-registered subgroups show significantly larger improvements in learning for children with below-median baseline learning levels for the parents-only arm and negative impacts on learning for girls for the teachers-only arm, suggesting different conclusions regarding impacts on equity for vulnerable children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools have been postulated as ideal environments to encourage physical activity (PA). This study aimed to assess the relationship between PA in school hours, motor competence, and screen time in a sample of Spanish preschool children. Fifty‐seven 4–5‐year‐old preschoolers (n = 32 girls) participated. The Garmin Vivofit wristband was used to measure the PA levels during school hours in a week. Sedentary behavior was estimated through screen‐time hours reported by preschoolers' families and motor competence was assessed by the Athletic Skills Track. The anthropometry (weight/height) and demographic data were also collected. We found that motor competence was significantly associated with PA both in minutes and in steps. Therefore, increased motor competence was related to higher engagement in PA during school hours. No association was found between screen time and PA or proficiency of motor competence. No gender differences were found in any variable assessed. Based on the relationship between motor competence proficiency and the amount of PA in preschool children, our findings support the need for specific strategies to promote fundamental movement skills and increase PA practice from early childhood. Practitioner points: A higher level of motor competence was related to greater participation in phyisical activity during school hours.Schools are the ideal environment to promote healthy habits,so specific strategies are needed to increase motor competence as it can have an impact on immediate and future health.It seems necessary to provide more physical activity opportunities throughout the preschool day to reduce sedentary time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Use of 4-day school weeks (FDSWs) as a cost-saving strategy has increased substantially as many US school districts face funding declines. However, the impacts of FDSWs on physical activity exposure and related outcomes are unknown. This study examined physical education (PE) exposure and childhood obesity prevalence in 4- versus 5-day Oregon schools; the authors hypothesized lower PE exposure and higher obesity in FDSW schools, given reduced school environment exposure. Methods: The authors utilized existing data from Oregon to compare 4- versus 5-day models: t tests compared mean school-level factors (PE exposure, time in school, enrollment, and demographics) and complex samples weighted t tests compared mean child-level obesity data for a state representative sample of first to third graders (N = 4625). Results: Enrollment, time in school, and student-teacher ratio were significantly lower in FDSW schools. FDSW schools provided significantly more PE, both in minutes (120 vs 101 min/wk in 4- vs 5-d schools, P < .01) and relative to total time in school (6.9% vs 5.0%, P < .0001). Obesity prevalence did not differ significantly between school models. Conclusion: Greater PE exposure in FDSW schools was observed, and it remains unknown whether differences in PE exposure contributed to obesity prevalence in this sample of students. Efforts to better understand how FDSWs impact physical activity, obesity risk, and related factors are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Signs and symptoms of Bardet–Biedl syndrome (BBS) occur during early childhood, progress over time, and place substantial, multifaceted burden on patients and their caregivers. Hyperphagia may be a contributing factor to early-onset obesity in BBS; however, there are limited insights into its impacts on patients and caregivers. We quantified disease burden as it relates to the physical and emotional impacts of hyperphagia in BBS. Methods: The CAREgiver Burden in BBS (CARE-BBS) study was a multicountry, cross-sectional survey of adult caregivers of patients with BBS who have had hyperphagia and obesity. The survey consisted of questionnaires including Symptoms of Hyperphagia, Impacts of Hyperphagia, Impact of Weight on Quality of Life (IWQOL)-Kids Parent Proxy, and Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) v1.0-Global Health 7. In addition, clinical characteristics, medical history, and weight management questions were included. Outcomes were scored and summarized descriptively in aggregate and by country, age, and obesity severity according to weight class. Results: There were 242 caregivers of patients with BBS who completed the survey. Caregivers observed hyperphagic behaviors throughout the day, with negotiating for food (90%) and waking up and asking or looking for food during the night (88%) being the most frequent. Hyperphagia had at least a moderate negative impact on most patients' mood/emotions (56%), sleep (54%), school (57%), leisure (62%), and familial relationships (51%). Hyperphagia affected concentration at school (78%), and symptoms of BBS contributed to patients missing ≥ 1 day of school a week (82%). Responses from the IWQOL-Kids Parent Proxy suggested obesity most greatly negatively affected physical comfort (mean [standard deviation (SD)], 41.7 [17.2]), body esteem (41.0 [17.8]), and social life (41.7 [18.0]). On the PROMIS questionnaire, mean (SD) global health score for pediatric patients with BBS and overweight or obesity (36.8 [10.6]) was lower than the general population (mean, 50). Conclusions: Evidence from this study suggests that hyperphagia and obesity may have broad negative impacts on the lives of patients with BBS, including physical health, emotional well-being, school performance, and personal relationships. Therapies that target hyperphagia may alleviate the extensive clinical and nonclinical impacts experienced by patients with BBS and their caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the associations of chronotype with behavior problems in a cross-sectional study of 957 Colombian adolescents (mean age, 14.6 years; 56% female), in addition to the mediating role of social jetlag. The midpoint of bedtime and waketime on free days, corrected for sleep debt accumulated during school week (MSFsc), was estimated from parent reports and used to assess chronotype. Behavior problems were evaluated through the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the parent-completed Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) questionnaires. We estimated adjusted mean differences with 95% CI in externalizing, internalizing, attention, social, and thought problem scores per one hour difference in chronotype using linear regression. Later chronotype was related to internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Eveningness was associated with higher adjusted mean YSR scores (unit difference per hour) in externalizing behavior (1.0; 95% CI: 0.6, 1.5), internalizing behavior (0.6; 95% CI: 0.2, 1.1), attention problems (0.2; 95% CI: 0.0, 0.3), social problems (0.4; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.8), and thought problems (0.3; 95% CI: 0.1, 0.6). Similar patterns were observed with the CBCL. The associations of chronotype with somatic complaints and social problems were stronger in boys than they were in girls. Later chronotype was related to social jetlag but social jetlag was only associated with somatic complaints and attention problems, and mediated 16% and 26% of their corresponding associations with chronotype. In conclusion, later chronotype is associated with behavior problems in adolescence. Social jetlag does not substantially mediate these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the first weeks of medical school, students learn fundamental cell biology in a series of lectures taught by five lecturers, followed by a mass tutorial session. In this exploratory study, we examined students' perceptions of the mass tutorial session over two academic years to find out if they viewed the tutorials differently after minor tweaks were introduced. Methods: Reflective questions were posted to the undergraduate Year 1 Medical students at the end of each mass tutorial session in 2019 and 2020. Content analysis was conducted on students' anonymous responses, using each response as the unit of analysis. The responses were categorised under the learning objectives, with responses coded under multiple categories where appropriate. The distribution of the counts from responses in 2019 and 2020 was compared, and the tutorial slides used over the two years were reviewed in conjunction with students' perceptions to identify changes. Results: In 2019, we collected 122 responses which coded into 127 unique counts, while in 2020, 119 responses coded into 143 unique counts. Compared to 2019, we noted increases in the percentage of counts under "Link concepts" and "Apply knowledge", with concomitant decreases in percentage of counts in "Recall contents". We also found that the 2020 tutorial contained additional slides, including a summary slide and lecture slides in their explanations of answers to the tutorial questions. Conclusion: Minor tweaks in the tutorial presentation could improve students' perceptions of our mass tutorials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep plays an important role in the formative developmental processes occurring during the teenage years. At the same time, teenagers' changing bioregulatory mechanisms and psychosocial factors converge into the so-called social jetlag, a sleep timing misalignment between weekdays and weekends. The aim of this study was to quantify the course of day-to-day changes in sleep/wake patterns and sleep stage distributions, and the sex differences in social jetlag among teenagers. We observed the sleep of 156 teenagers (58.3% girls, 15–16 years) using a novel sleep monitor over the course of up to 10 consecutive days. 1323 nights of data were analyzed using multilevel modeling. On average, participants went to bed at 23:41, woke up at 07:48, slept for 7.7 h and had 85.5% sleep efficiency. Sleep stage distributions were in line with normative data. We found later sleep onset and offset, longer time in bed, sleep duration, and sleep onset latency (p =.001), greater proportion of light sleep and lower proportion of deep sleep, and poorer sleep efficiency (all p <.001) on weekend nights starting on Friday and Saturday. On Friday nights, girls had longer time awake after sleep onset (p =.020) than boys. On Friday and Saturday nights, girls fell asleep earlier (p <.001 and p =.006, respectively). On Saturday nights, girls had shorter sleep latency (p =.024), and better sleep efficiency (p =.019) than boys. In sum, teenagers' sleep patterns reflected healthy, albeit somewhat short sleep. There was convincing evidence of social jetlag, and girls exhibited less severe social jetlag than boys. [Display omitted] • The observed sleep patterns reflected healthy, albeit somewhat short sleep. • There was evidence of social jetlag, with poorer sleep on weekends vs. weekdays. • Girls exhibited less severe social jetlag than boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To examine public support for active transportation (AT) policies and to identify demographic and behavioural predictors of support for each policy approach. Methods: Canadian adults aged 18 years and older (N = 2,868) provided information on demographic factors (e.g., age, income), place of residence (e.g., region, size of community), and the frequency with which they walked/wheeled or cycled to work or school in a typical week. In addition, they rated their support for ATrelated policies (e.g., spending government money on more dedicated bicycle paths, offering tax credits for public transit passes, charging higher rates for parking to subsidize costs for AT infrastructure, or changing the design of neighbourhoods and communities to encourage informal physical activity). Multinomial regressions examined demographics and self-reported AT behaviour as predictors of support for each policy approach, yielding a total of eight models. Results: Although most policy actions to promote AT were supported by Canadians, the level of support varied by the type of policy actions and by demographics and self-reported AT behaviour. A majority of Canadians supported policy approaches targeting environmental planning and fiscal measures that incentivized AT. A minority of Canadians supported policies aimed at regulation or coercive fiscal measures. The level of support for AT policies was higher among women, those with more education, younger respondents, those residing in central and eastern Canada, and individuals who engaged in AT. Conclusion: Canadians are supportive of policy actions to facilitate AT. This public support might be important for their future development and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have long used end-of-year discipline rates to identify punitive schools, explore sources of inequitable treatment, and evaluate interventions designed to stem both discipline and racial disparities in discipline. Yet, this approach leaves us with a "static view"--with no sense of how disciplinary responses fluctuate throughout the year. What if daily discipline rates, and daily discipline disparities, shift over the school year in ways that could inform when and where to intervene? This research takes a "dynamic view" of discipline. It leverages 4 years of atypically detailed data regarding the daily disciplinary experiences of 46,964 students from 61 middle schools in one of the nation's largest school districts. Reviewing these data, we find that discipline rates are indeed dynamic. For all student groups, the daily discipline rate grows from the beginning of the school year to the weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving break, falls before major breaks, and grows following major breaks. During periods of escalation, the daily discipline rate for Black students grows significantly faster than the rate for White students--widening racial disparities. Given this, districts hoping to stem discipline and disparities may benefit from timing interventions to precede these disciplinary spikes. In addition, early-year Black-White disparities can be used to identify the schools in which Black-White disparities are most likely to emerge by the end of the school year. Thus, the results reported here provide insights regarding not only when to intervene, but where to intervene to reduce discipline rates and disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of existing studies have discussed the potential factors affecting pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in adolescents. However, few studies have focused on the possible impact of adolescents’ subjective wellbeing (SWB) on their PEBs. Why and how adolescents’ SWB affects their PEBs remains a puzzle. To unravel this puzzle, this paper aims to establish a suitable instrumental variable (IV) to correctly estimate the contribution of adolescents’ SWB to their PEBs. Using the international data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ’s Programme for International Student Assessment 2018, we construct a unique dataset of eight countries or economies, which includes 56,374 samples related to the SWB and PEBs of 15-year-old students. In this paper, the days of physical education classes in school per week are used as the IV. Through a two-stage least squares method, we find that the contribution of adolescents’ SWB to PEBs is significantly positive. We also find that the pathway by which SWB improves PEBs works through adolescents’ self-efficacy. Furthermore, the results indicate that the positive impact of SWB on PEBs is more pronounced among adolescents with better peer relationships and stronger multicultural values. Our findings highlight the influence of positive affects in cultivating adolescent’ PEBs and the importance of growing up surrounded by happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Four-day school week is associated with: • Minimal overall impact on 3rd grade test scores • Reductions in 3rd grade scores for above median scorers on pre-K assessments • No impact on 3rd grade scores for below median scorers on pre-K assessments • Reductions in 3rd grade scores for White, general education, and gifted students • No impact on 3rd grade scores for minority, low income, and special ed students This study explores the impact of four-day school weeks on early elementary achievement. Using covariate adjusted regression analyses and data on all students who entered kindergarten in Oregon, USA between 2014 and 2016, we examine differences in 3rd grade math and English Language Arts test scores (i.e., achievement) for students enrolled in a four-day school week versus a five-day school week at kindergarten entry. On average, we find minimal differences between 3rd grade test scores of four-day and five-day students, but there are notable differential effects across the spectrum of these students' kindergarten readiness scores and educational program participation. We find that above median performers on kindergarten assessments, White students, general education students, and gifted students – student groups that make up more than half our sample – are the most negatively impacted by the four-day school week during the early elementary period. We generally find no statistically significant evidence of detrimental four-day school week achievement impacts for students who were below median performers on kindergarten assessments, minority students, economically disadvantaged students, special education participants, and English as a second language students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]