Search

Efforts to implement high-quality communication instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and complex communication needs (CCN) may be difficult for some educators with limited time and resources. In this article, we offer guidance on implementing several economic strategies that can be easily embedded into existing classroom routines to improve student communication outcomes. These strategies include (a) facilitating observational learning, (b) using instructive feedback, (c) embedding communication instruction throughout the school day, and (d) programming for generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing measures of belonging in schools do not explicitly elevate the contextual and cultural insights of the educators and students they were designed to assess. Our study addresses this shortcoming through the co-creation of an Opportunities to Belong survey measure for urban middle schoolers. The tool was developed in partnership with practicing educators and normed around Black and Latinx students (N = 225). Results of a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis revealed strong evidence for single factor structure. A within-persons multilevel model revealed that shifts in opportunities to belong predicted fluctuations in student engagement across different academic courses. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of automobile use in New York City in the 1920s placed pedestrians, particularly children and adolescents, in a new danger. Fatalities and injuries among youth involving automobile accidents created a public health crisis, especially as children navigated streets to and from school each day. The New York Automobile Club and the New York Police Department partnered with the school district to sponsor school safety patrols to educate children and protect them from this newfound danger. The motives of both sponsors, along with the increased expansion of police presence of school grounds, provide complexities, though, to this origin story. As scholars today intensify their explorations and investigations of police and carceral history in the United States, particularly involving black youth in urban centers, the origin story of school safety patrols in New York City has much to say about controlling and patrolling the nation's streets and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents spend approximately one-third of their day at school. With the growing prevalence of adolescent asthma, 1 in every 10 adolescents copes with asthma throughout the day, including in the school environment. Yet, little is known about the school experiences of adolescent students with asthma. Guided by the social-ecological model, this study aimed to explore the links between asthma and school experiences in middle and high school as perceived by students with asthma. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 adolescents with asthma aged 12 to 17 who attended middle or high school around the mid-west area of Florida. Students shared insights on their school experiences and academic performance. Data were analyzed and interpreted using thematic analysis. Four overarching and intertwined themes shaped the school experiences of students with asthma: 1. Asthma control and management; 2. Social support; 3. Asthma knowledge and awareness; and 4. Accommodation of health and academic needs. Study findings suggest addressing the school disparities of adolescent students with asthma through a comprehensive, multi-level approach. Schools should create asthma education opportunities, improve the school system and environmental accommodations, enhance asthma control, and increase continuous social support by peers and school personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the fundamental and complex role that time plays in the learning process. We begin by developing a conceptual framework to elucidate the multiple obstacles schools face in converting total time in school into active learning time. We then synthesize the causal research and document a clear positive effect of additional time on student achievement typically of small to medium magnitude depending on dosage, use, and context. Further descriptive analyses reveal how large differences in the length of the school day and year across public schools are an underappreciated dimension of educational inequality in the United States. Finally, our case study of time loss in one urban district demonstrates the potential to substantially increase instructional time within existing constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Data Teams: A Collaborative Approach to Intensifying Intervention Using Student Data" is an article that explains how to use student data to inform instructional decisions and intensify intervention for students who are struggling academically or behaviorally. The article emphasizes the importance of data teams, which are groups of school faculty who meet to analyze student data and make decisions about instruction. It provides a step-by-step guide for designing and implementing data teams, including establishing requirements, planning meetings, and structuring ongoing meetings. The article also includes materials to support data team meetings, such as an overview of the process and a checklist. It concludes with a hypothetical example of a data team meeting. The document highlights the importance of formulating hypotheses based on instructional reasons for a student's performance, considering both quantitative and qualitative aspects of instruction, addressing behavioral supports, and aligning interventions with students' needs. It outlines the process of proposing solutions, developing intervention and progress monitoring plans, and conducting ongoing meetings to review progress and make adjustments. Collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and continuous reflection and adaptation are emphasized as key elements in effectively supporting students' needs. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: To describe the daily Physical Activity (PA) patterns of adolescents with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to analyze the differences in terms of PA patterns between adolescents with ADHD and those without ADHD, and to study the factors associated with achieving the daily PA recommendations. Methods: The sample was composed of 778 adolescents who provided complete information on their PA patterns through the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). Of these, 97 had ADHD according to DSM-5 criteria. Results: The results show that being a girl or being of foreign origin and having ADHD have an impact on the achievement of the recommended amount of daily PA. Conclusions: When promoting PA in adolescents with ADHD within the school environment, it is necessary to consider different domains and specific contexts of a school day, paying special attention to girls and adolescents with ADHD of immigrant origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After-school programs can provide important contexts for youths' development and well-being. While these programs have the potential to serve as an anchor for refugee youth, previous research cites challenges with their access and engagement with them. Drawing on the Positive Youth Development Framework, which offers a lens on how after-school programs are complementary to refugee youth development and well-being, this study explores refugee youths' motivation and engagement in after school activities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 refugee youth between the ages of 14 and 17 years old who resettled into Chicago. First, refugee students were involved in school-based programs with the goal to share cultural and racial identities, process past traumas, and manage homesickness. Second, refugee youth preferred to seek out homework assistance from stakeholders associated with refugee-led organizations instead of school staff due to their high level of familiarity and trust with them. Finally, refugee youth participated in community-based organizations that encouraged their engagement in civic activities. Recommendations are offered about how schools and community partners can assist refugee students in becoming more involved with after-school programs. This research sheds light on how after-school specialists and educators can offer comprehensive after-school programs to this understudied population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although scholars are attuned to the particular transitional dilemmas faced by middle school students, inquiry into middle school breaktimes is largely limited to research on bullying and peer victimization. This study interrogates the geography of middle school breaktime to expand understanding of student safety and recognize the ways that the state's intervention in school spaces creates particular challenges for young learners. By investigating breaktimes at three middle schools and employing a critical geography lens in data coding and analysis, we demonstrate how the organization of space shapes student experiences. Findings suggest that scholars should consider breaktime as a "thirdspace" within the middle school day—one that offers vast potential for positive student development, but is marginalized due to its status as "non-academic" time. Findings reveal that school leaders and staff may better support students by addressing the ways that breaktimes are differently navigated by students along ethnic, socioeconomic, age, and gender lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to understand the nature of classrooms, "power containers" in Gidden's words (Giddens, 1986 , p.136), in terms of inequality and power share. Inequalities in education have been a by-passed subject in Turkey for a long time, and classroom practices remained "black boxes" (Mehan, 1979 , p.4). Thus, after a brief summary of power issue in education, educational inequality discussions and their reflections in the Turkish context are discussed in the study. Then, the position teachers hold is discussed with references to history and society. Then, the 6-month observations and interviews conducted on the first grade are discussed both chronically and thematically. Beginning on the first day of school, the teacher held a higher position than the students and parents and distributed power share among students. Students were discriminated against according to their parents and cultural capital (language, strategies, communication style, and school materials). In accordance with the neoliberal policies, middle-class students and their parents were fronted in the classroom and they had more power than the others. However, lower-class students had little power and they were mostly criticized in the classroom. The strategies and advantages middle-class students had over lower-class ones are discussed in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This ethnodrama, based on hundreds of interviews with educators around the United States, takes readers into a school on the day after a national tragedy. Grounded in the theory of Days After Pedagogy, the characters portray the nuances and complexities of educators' decision-making on days after, especially when working amid silencing school policies. A post-script includes theory, methods, and implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this narrative poem, the author reflects on the passing of a personal childhood era in seeking food for lunch on school days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response to intervention (RtI) is a multitiered system of support framework that focuses on best practices for intervention. Because many secondary students exhibit weak literacy skills, the focus of this study is reading interventions. This qualitative study examines administrators' perspectives of implementing literacy interventions within a multitiered system of support, such as RTI, at secondary schools in Southeast Texas. Three primary themes emerged from the research. The first primary theme, time, represents difficulties administrators expressed with finding the time in the school day to schedule interventions that work with the constraints of secondary school requirements. The second primary theme, staffing, reflected the recognition that secondary schools, which typically include teachers with content specialties, do not necessarily have personnel trained to implement literacy interventions. The final primary theme, training, acknowledges the role of disciplinary literacy and ways professional development could support implementation of reading interventions to secondary students all while focusing on the campus vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jewish identification and engagement have cultural as well as religious salience. Jewish cultural engagement, however, is overwhelmingly circumscribed as a fait accompli, often an outcome, rarely a predictor in quantitative examinations of contemporary Jewish life. Consequently, the sociological understanding of Jewish cultural identity formation is limited. This study examines Jewish cultural identity formation in young Australian Jews, identifying roles played by three wellsprings, or sources of Jewish culture. Using the Gen17 Australian Jewish Community Survey 2018, the most recent nationally representative study of Australian Jewry, relationships between Jewish day school education, communal engagement, cultural upbringing, and cultural identity were analyzed using linear and OLS regression models. Jewish day school education significantly affected cultural identity; without mediating effects of communal engagement, however, day school education's effects were inconsequential. High-level cultural upbringing had amplifying effects, while low-level cultural upbringing had attenuating effects on associations between Jewish day school education and cultural identity. The cultural identity formation mechanism was similar to a proposed religious identity formation mechanism. These results highlight interconnected and indirect effects of cultural wellsprings on identity formation, and similarities between cultural and religious identity formation, with implications for scholars of culture and religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the school bus has long been an integral part of the school experience in the U.S. However, not much is known about how school transportation relates to getting to school each day, particularly for students with disabilities. This study used ECLS-K: 2011 to explore two issues. First, we examined what characteristics are associated with taking the school bus, comparing students with and without disabilities. Second, we evaluated the link between taking the school bus and absenteeism for these groups. In the first set of findings, school bus taking is differentiated by student and family characteristics, as well as by urbanicity. We find no major differences in characteristics associated with taking the bus between students with disabilities and students without. As for the second set of findings, students with more common disability diagnoses had fewer absences compared to both students without disabilities as well as those with lower incidence diagnoses, suggesting that taking the bus is related to better attendance behaviors for some students with disabilities. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the rationale, evidence base, and strategies for teachers and related service personnel to implement peer-assisted Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) modeling with their students with complex communication needs within inclusive settings across the school day. Specific steps for teaching the student's same-age peers to use aided AAC modeling are provided, as well as overall recommendations for implementation. Aided AAC modeling examples and strategies for collecting data on student AAC use are also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives : In this paper we refocus discussions of criminalization of students on structural racial inequality. We help explain racially disproportionate school punishments, while demonstrating the necessity for criminologists to examine how a historic legacy of racial oppression shapes contemporary punishments. More specifically, we explore the extent to which contemporary school punishment reflects a legacy of racial oppression and educational exclusion of Black students. Methods : Using nationwide data from multiple sources, we analyze how resistance to school desegregation, measured by the number of court cases contesting school segregation from 1952 − 2002, relates to suspensions from school and days missed due to suspension. Results : Our analyses show that schools in districts marked by resistance to school desegregation have significantly and substantially higher rates of suspensions for Black students and days missed by Black students due to suspension. Conclusions: Contemporary school suspension is shaped by a legacy of racial oppression and educational exclusion. Our results confirm the importance of using a racialized social systems approach to understand and begin to remedy the criminalization of Black students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-solving is a skill of fundamental importance for populations with developmental delays, and especially for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Training students with ASD to solve ill-defined problems is a challenging objective for educational and therapeutic teams. This is due to the myriad of unpredictable situations presented during the school day and the various responses, socially appropriate or inappropriate, that may be emitted to solve one's problem. The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic clinical behavioral program named the Problem Solver (PS) specifically designed to teach problem-solving to high-functioning students with ASD. The authors detail the three stages of the PS program (i.e., determining a set of problems and solutions for each student, skill acquisition and practice, and implementation of whole-class token economy). The authors conclude with recommendations for successful implementation in school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past 30 years, much debate has been produced about improving the quality and caliber of curriculum taught to public school students. Less prominent in these discussions has been the content of Black history and culturally relevant curriculum. Many states and districts assume they are adequately including these experiences through theme months (i.e., Black History Month) or single school days dedicated to workshops on diversity and equity. Unlike most states, the State of New Jersey has legislated the inclusion of Black history education through the enactment of the Amistad Legislation. In doing so it stands out among its peers, but has this legislation actually enacted curricular change? Research Design: We engage a decoloniality framework in this exploratory case study of two districts, describing how each is interpreting Amistad, the processes they subsequently implement, the curricular results, and if/how these attempts address dominant Eurocentric frames essential to the project of coloniality. Findings: We find that simply following the legislation itself does not result in a great deal of reform. The districts we profile, rather than follow the vague dictum of Amistad, opt to follow the "spirit" of the law. The result is clear curricular reform and district-level changes. Our cases present interesting points of discussion as they are at two distinct points on the spectrum of implementation—one having already established a well-regarded curriculum, the other in the early stages of reform. Despite this, administrators in each express the value of Amistad for their students, faculty, and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify parents' perceptions about how much and how often their primary school–aged children used mobile phones and what kinds of activities they used them for. The study used a quantitative methodology with a survey-based design. A total of 1,135 subjects participated. The results indicated that there were three main uses for mobile phones: social interaction, school- and information-related tasks, and leisure. Overall, the level of mobile phone use was low or moderate, with the consumption of video content and videogames standing out. Statistically significant differences, via MANOVA tests, were found between the types of uses and variables such as gender, school year, hours spent using the mobile phone each day and impact on school performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Prolonged screen exposure is often cited as a trigger for pediatric headache. We present initial findings evaluating the association between adolescent screen use type, duration, and school disability. Methods: New patients aged 12–17 years presenting to a headache clinic were screened and surveyed regarding headache characteristics, behavioral habits, school attendance, and screen utilization. Results: 99 adolescents (29 M, 70 F) with average age 14.8 years and average headache frequency of 17 days per month completed the survey. Patients missed an average of five full days and three partial days of school due to headaches over the 90 days prior to survey completion. No statistically significant correlation was found between type or duration of screen exposure and monthly headache frequency, school attendance, or school functioning. A small positive association was seen between increasing duration of computer use, total hours screen use, and school absenteeism. While most adolescents reported prolonged screen use (58.6%) and luminosity (64.6%) worsened headaches, no statistical difference was seen in average number of headache days per month. Conclusions: Average monthly headache frequency in an adolescent population was not significantly correlated with type or duration of screen exposure. Further studies are needed to elucidate how screen utilization impacts school related headache disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public school system in U.S. has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Institutionally, neo-liberal reform has created a new educational apparatus known as charter schools. As they admit students without school boundaries, these schools promise to offer great opportunities for disadvantaged students. The enrollment in charter schools is mainly Latinx and Black students, especially in large urban areas. That demographic shift is not reflected in the literature because previous studies have predominately focused on comparisons between Whites and minorities. Using Chicago as a case, this study compares the association between the enrollment of Black and Latinx students with educational resources and academic performance in charter schools. Using Illinois Report Card data representing 119 public schools during the 2016 to 2017 academic year, we aimed to understand which group could more systemically benefit from charter schools. We found that although the enrollment of Black students might be associated with better educational resources (i.e., total number of school days per academic year, and class size), the enrollment of Latinx students predicted stronger school academic performance on the SAT and PARCC. Those findings can contribute to the debate about institutionalized racial inequality in education and the effects of charter schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined allocation of adolescents' free time differs depending on financial and spatial availability by exploiting the exogenous change on the school day. Using Korea Time Use Survey data, I found that adolescents allocate free time created by Saturday without school to mainly leisure activities. I also found that adolescents' private education and social activity time are not affected by parents' income, but adolescents living in big (small-medium) cities spend more time on private education, social and cultural activities (screen-based activities). These results suggest that the determinants of adolescents' free time allocation differ from those of their time use patterns, and reducing the education environment heterogeneity by region is important in bridging adolescents' inequality of educational opportunity. Subject classification codes: I24, I28, J13, J22 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As student homelessness grows, little is known about how the timing and duration of homeless experiences shape K–12 outcomes. Using Los Angeles Unified School District administrative data, the authors examine whether these temporal dimensions of homelessness predict students' achievement and attendance. The authors find that homeless students scored lower on math tests and missed more school days than students who were never homeless. These associations are largest when students experience homelessness in the year the outcomes are measured. Experiencing homelessness in only 1 year and in 2 or more years both negatively predict outcomes, but associations are larger for students experiencing homelessness in only 1 year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 90% of students with complex support needs are taught in self-contained (segregated) special education classrooms for most of their school day, despite accumulating evidence these classrooms are not associated with positive student outcomes. Yet placement in these segregated classrooms persists, in part because of assumptions about the degree of specialized, intensive, and individualized instruction that occurs in these settings. We observed a national sample of 30 students with complex support needs using time sampling and fieldnote data in this convergent parallel mixed methods study to describe (a) the ecobehavioral characteristics of classrooms, (b) the learning activities occurring in classrooms, and (c) how the materials, supports, and learning activities explain student experiences in these classrooms. Quantitative time sampling data indicated that students experienced passive learning opportunities and downtime, with few occasions to engage with other peers or grade-aligned content. Qualitative fieldnote data provided context for the quantitative results. These findings provide a picture of the low expectations that persist in segregated classrooms and contradict the need to remove students from general education to learn in segregated classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School discipline is a salient challenge in K–12 districts nationwide. The majority of prior studies have focused on suspensions with relatively little attention paid to other forms of exclusionary discipline. This mixed-methods study provides a descriptive analysis of overlooked disciplinary consequences, namely, assignment to alternative schools, expulsions, and referrals to hearing. The findings from the quantitative analysis indicate that possession of drugs, student and staff assault, and weapons-related incidents account for the majority of infractions leading to the most severe forms of exclusionary discipline. Black male students account for the largest proportion of students receiving the harshest exclusionary disciplinary consequences. The findings from the qualitative analysis reveal several challenges that policymakers in urban districts navigate regarding alternative schools, including (a) staffing and the development of professional capacity, (b) the length of the school day, (c) transportation, and (d) the choice between in-district versus third-party operation of alternative schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student absenteeism is a barrier to learning and an issue that requires policy intervention. Students with disabilities are of particular concern, as they miss school more often than students in any other demographic group. Affecting a key attribute of school structures, policies promoting full-day kindergarten began as an effort to improve opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but no studies have provided causal evidence as to whether full-day kindergarten enrollment relates to school attendance. No studies have examined whether effects exist for students with disabilities in the long term. Using a nationally representative sample of children with disabilities in the United States (N = 2,120), we employed an instrumental-variable strategy that capitalized on state-level policy shifts of full-day kindergarten offerings as an exogenous source of variation. We found that full-day kindergarten structures related to a sharp increase in absenteeism for children with disabilities in kindergarten and first and second grades. We found no relationship to absenteeism for these children in later years of primary schooling. We discuss policy implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research found that adult smokers increased their smoking in response to the Covid-19 lockdown in spring 2020. This study explored changes in youth's smoking during, compared to before, the partial lockdown in the Netherlands in a cross-sectional sample of 287 adolescents. Smoking prevalence increased from 4.5% to 5.2%. Cigarette consumption remained the same on school days and increased with +1.9 cigarettes per weekend day. The largest increase in cigarette consumption on weekend days was observed for adolescents who 1) did not consider smoking a risk factor for contracting Covid-19 (+4.5), 2) had smoking siblings (+4.1), and 3) had smoking friends (+2.4). Youth without smoking friends (-0.8) and who considered smoking a risk factor for Covid-19 (-0.2) decreased their cigarette consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to people's lives, especially for families, whose children have been taken out of schools during lockdown restrictions and required to learn from home. Little is known, however, about the perceived impact of the lockdown restrictions on the educational experiences of autistic children and young people – a group whose conventional schooling experiences are already often challenging. In this study, we sought to (1) understand these experiences from the perspectives of autistic young people and their parents, and (2) identify the underlying sources of positive experiences at this challenging time, in order to inform the ways in which autistic children might flourish at school in more normal times. Methods: Ninety-one Australian participants, including 16 autistic young people aged 12–18 years, 32 autistic parents and 43 non-autistic parents of autistic young people aged 3–18 years, took part in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of life during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews were subjected to reflexive, thematic analysis to identify themes and subthemes for each research question. Results: Overall, our participants initially found the transition to learning from home extremely challenging, with parents reporting that the support received from schools was far from adequate. After that initial period of transition, however, many autistic children reported flourishing at home both educationally and personally. For these children and families, we identified three key ingredients essential to this flourishing, including: (i) the importance of connected, trusting relationships ('people'); (ii) the sensory and social safety of home ('place'); and (iii) the flexibility to pace and structure learning to suit the individual child ('time'). Conclusions: While the initial COVID-19 lockdown presented many challenges to children learning at home, there were aspects of this otherwise-unsettling situation that enabled children to thrive and from which we can learn for the future. Implications: These findings have important implications for understanding how and when autistic children might thrive in institutional educational settings once the pandemic subsides, focusing on the relationships between teachers and students, the nature of the physical learning environment and the need for greater flexibility in planning the school day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document provides a list of upcoming conferences and events related to gifted education and talent development. The conferences are taking place in various locations across the United States and Greece throughout the year 2024. Additionally, the document includes statistics from the 55th annual Phi Delta Kappan poll, which highlight public attitudes towards the public school system, including support for a four-day school week, longer school days, and increased teacher salaries. The information is intended to assist library patrons conducting research on these specific topics. [Extracted from the article]

Most students with autism engage in the general education (GE) setting for a majority of the school day. Though there are standards to identify the expectations for educating students with autism in the inclusive classroom, GE teachers and paraeducators report limited knowledge and self-efficacy in supporting students with autism, and both indicate a need for more formal training in autism. In the present study, the authors analyzed GE teachers' and paraeducators' levels of knowledge and self-efficacy prior to and following autism-focused in-service training. Participants attended an informational and a practical training in which knowledge, self-efficacy, and satisfaction were measured. Results for GE teachers and paraeducators followed similar patterns in that knowledge of autism increased significantly, but did not sustain over time. Levels of self-efficacy increased significantly following the practical training. GE teachers demonstrated higher levels of knowledge compared to paraeducators across time, while levels of self-efficacy converged between the two groups. Implications regarding training and professional development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to seek to understand and describe the experiences of sixth grade students, ages 11 and 12, taking part in the published Paralympic School Day (PSD) programme in relation to shaping attitudes and perceptions of disability and disability sport. This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological approach. Fifty-two students were purposively sampled, after taking part in a PSD event. Data from reflective writing responses were collected and analysed inductively using a three-step approach. The analysis revealed three interrelated themes: (a) 'just like the rest of us': participants' new relatedness to those with disabilities; (b) 'what it means to be normal': challenging the idealized notion of normal; and (c) 'PSD changed my view of disabled people': a shift in paradigm. As the participants interacted with and learned from athletes with disabilities in a purposeful manner, they came to understand that disability was not synonymous with other-ness. This study provided new depth to our understanding of how participants experience PSD programmes, including profundities related to paradigm shifts, aha moments, and the meaning of normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of the pilot study Partnerships for Active Children in Elementary Schools on the percentage of children achieving the Institute of Medicine guideline of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the school day.Design: Pre/multiple post-quasi-experimental.Setting: Four elementary schools.Participants: Physical education (n = 3) and classroom teachers (n = 12) and students (n = 229).Intervention: Partnerships for Active Children in Elementary Schools was a multicomponent, theory-driven intervention facilitated through school-university partnerships. Intervention approaches included communities of practice, community-based participatory research, and service learning.Measures: Accelerometer-derived percentage of children accumulating 30 minutes of MVPA during the school day.Analysis: Multilevel mixed-effects regression estimated MVPA differences over time.Results: Compared to control, a 2.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.0% to 4.8%) and 8.8% (95% CI: -0.3% to 15.4%) increase in the percentage of time girls and boys engaged in MVPA during the school day was observed. The percentage of boys and girls in the intervention group achieving 30 minutes of MVPA/day increased from 57.5% to 70.7% and 35.4% to 56.9%, respectively. Boys and girls in the control group decreased from 61.5% to 56.4% and 52.6% to 41.9%, respectively. However, these changes did not reach statistical significance.Conclusion: Partnerships for Active Children in Elementary Schools demonstrated meaningful impact on children's MVPA during the school day by increasing boys' and girls' MVPA. However, additional strategies may be required to help schools achieve the Institute of Medicine guideline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs that Chile has focused on economic and human resources for the improvement of its educational system such as extension of school day, timely review of primary and secondary curricula. It mentions role of initiatives in granting improvement in international tests like Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). It states role of school's facade as a mask for students and help in constituting image.

The article offers suggestions for assisting students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) transition through a variety of activities during the school day. Suggestions include identifying transitions that may be problematic, such as movement between staff members, subjects, and location, choosing appropriate transition support, and collecting data concerning transition supports to ensure they are implemented properly.

In this case, 10 Latina/o high school seniors and one high school counselor share their perspectives on how college information and opportunities are distributed in their school. In doing so, it becomes evident that efforts are not systematic or equitable. As a result, dilemmas arise when some students are denied the opportunity to attend a college fair held off campus during the school day and find alternative means of doing so. Current and aspiring educational leaders are urged to consider the ethical, safety, and policy issues related to the immediate dilemmas and the larger concern regarding the school’s college-going culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the relationship between a parent's past history with bulling and their children's risk of it. Researchers carried out interviews with parents of 1,895 regarding their exposure to bullying during their school days using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Results show that parent victimisation during their school days was connected to an increased risk in bullying for their children.

This paper identifies four criteria, all of which an ideal real utopian proposal would meet. We argue for a moderate skepticism that it is possible to give a real utopian proposal to guide the design of education for a society that meets these criteria; both for the practical reason that what happens in schools depends on the background environment within which they operate, and for the principled reason that when educating children we should attend to their individual future well-being in ways that militate against taking the risk that we are preparing them for an environment that they will not, in fact, inhabit. In place of a real utopian proposal, then, we embark on the easier task of defending a moderate set of feasible reforms that, implemented in the context of an unreformed US economy, would make the school system realize, somewhat better than it does, the principles that should guide the design of school systems in ideal and nonideal contexts. These include reducing the size of schools, lengthening the amount of time that children spend in school, and constructing cross-school standards that can guide professional development of teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors have integrated the major findings on the sleep—wake cycle and its performance correlates in adolescents. Basic research shows that lack of synchronicity between early school start times and the circadian rhythm of adolescents (and the sleep debt accumulated as a result) involves several cognitive correlates that may harm the academic performance of adolescent students. The authors therefore examined findings from pilot interventions in which schools delayed their start times; specifically, they examined the effects on students, including potential pitfalls and strategies to consider for effective scheduling change. There is sufficient evidence that adolescent students would benefit from delaying school start times and that this change can be implemented with tolerable consequences if adequately strategized by school districts and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Attention has been directed toward extended school time as a measure to improve academic achievement. The school year and day length have varied over time and across localities depending on the particular needs of the community. Proponents argue that extending time will have learning and non-academic benefits. Opponents suggest increased time is not guaranteed to lead to more effective instruction and suggest other costs. Despite noted limitations in the research, past reviewers have argued that any positive relation between allocated time and achievement is tentative and instructional quality needs to be addressed first. After a comprehensive search of the literature, 15 empirical studies of various designs conducted since 1985 were found. The literature revealed that (a) designs are generally weak for making causal inferences and (b) outcomes other than achievement are scarcely studied. That said, findings suggest that extending school time can be an effective way to support student learning, particularly (a) for students most at risk of school failure and (b) when considerations are made for how time is used. Of note, the strongest research designs produced the most consistent positive results. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

First Step to Success is a multicomponent behavioral program for at-risk children who show signs of antisocial behavior at the point of school entry. The program incorporates behavioral intervention techniques, including praise and feedback, positive reinforcement, social skills training, teacher and parent collaboration, and time-out/response cost. First Step to Success also incorporates techniques to encourage adaptive behavior across the school day and in the home, such as sequential application of the program across the school day, delayed reinforcement at home for school performance, and parent education. This study employed a multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate previous research findings on the program. All children improved on measures of problem behavior, academic engaged time, and teacher ratings of behavioral adjustment. The authors extended prior research by assessing the collateral effects of the program on classroom peer and teacher behavior. Positive changes were found for both peer and teacher behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]