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The twin uncertainties of the pandemic and the economic downturn have taken a toll on our Catholic schools. Yet reports across the country are that Catholic schools have been very successful in remote learning. Although there are well-documented efforts to define the values of Catholic schools, these values are not fully known and there is still not a well-crafted national value proposition for Catholic schools. As the context surrounding Catholic schools has changed, it has become imperative that Catholic schools coalesce around a new value proposition during uncertain times. What follows is an attempt by a group of dedicated Catholic school stakeholders determined to change the narrative. As our schools have pivoted to new forms of delivery and connections, this ad hoc group represents the same type of creative efforts to form a community. As a committee, we identified five themes of hope that can continue to guide the work and witness of our Catholic schools: prayer, partnership with families, personalization, persistence, and planning. In the following sections, we provide a rationale and overview of each theme. We also include relevant testimonials of diverse stakeholders to illuminate each theme and give voice to the hope across our school communities.

This paper explores some of the documents that provide a foundation for the Church and its ministries to deliver justice and mercy to all, including students with disabilities. First, Catholic Social Teaching (CST) traditions will be presented as the foundation to some of the documents of the American Church. A chronology of the documents of United States bishops will trace the flow of CST as the impetus for designing and delivering programs for students with disabilities in Catholic schools. Implications for Catholic schools are outlined for next steps for implementation. [Note: The page range (5-22) shown via the .pdf is incorrect. The correct page range is 5-23.]

This documentary study of academic programs at Catholic Seminaries and Theology Schools through the United States sought to answer the question: "What types of preparation does the seminary curriculum provide to new pastors about their role in the parish's Catholic School?" Results of program syllabi review show a dearth of preparation given to this aspect of this parochial ministry. Recommendations for further investigation are offered.

Catholic school principals typically serve as the prime decision-makers in admission and enrollment issues. A key factor in this decision-making can be the principals' perceptions and attitudes about servicing students with disabilities within a Catholic school context. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of Catholic school principals toward inclusion of students with disabilities in Catholic schools. Overall, a majority of surveyed principals reported a positive attitude toward including students with disabilities. Some significant relationships were found between principal's pervious experiences with students with disabilities and the principals' willingness to enroll students with disabilities. Implications for practice are presented.

The increasing emphasis on the myriad of leadership preparation standards have caused university principal preparation programs to necessarily focus on the more secular aspect of leading schools. For the Catholic school principal, this has left little focus on the development of critical strategies to lead for Catholic Identity and faith formation. This article suggests using the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools as a framework for Catholic principal preparation programs to address this issue. Additional suggestions for program development are also offered.

The human brain has undergone substantial change since humans diverged from chimpanzees and the other great apes.sup.1,2. However, the genetic and developmental programs that underlie this divergence are not fully understood. Here we have analysed stem cell-derived cerebral organoids using single-cell transcriptomics and accessible chromatin profiling to investigate gene-regulatory changes that are specific to humans. We first analysed cell composition and reconstructed differentiation trajectories over the entire course of human cerebral organoid development from pluripotency, through neuroectoderm and neuroepithelial stages, followed by divergence into neuronal fates within the dorsal and ventral forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain regions. Brain-region composition varied in organoids from different iPSC lines, but regional gene-expression patterns remained largely reproducible across individuals. We analysed chimpanzee and macaque cerebral organoids and found that human neuronal development occurs at a slower pace relative to the other two primates. Using pseudotemporal alignment of differentiation paths, we found that human-specific gene expression resolved to distinct cell states along progenitor-to-neuron lineages in the cortex. Chromatin accessibility was dynamic during cortex development, and we identified divergence in accessibility between human and chimpanzee that correlated with human-specific gene expression and genetic change. Finally, we mapped human-specific expression in adult prefrontal cortex using single-nucleus RNA sequencing analysis and identified developmental differences that persist into adulthood, as well as cell-state-specific changes that occur exclusively in the adult brain. Our data provide a temporal cell atlas of great ape forebrain development, and illuminate dynamic gene-regulatory features that are unique to humans. Species comparisons using single-cell transcriptomics and accessible chromatin profiling in stem cell-derived cerebral organoids are used to map dynamic gene-regulatory changes that are unique to humans., Author(s): Sabina Kanton [sup.1] , Michael James Boyle [sup.1] , Zhisong He [sup.1] [sup.2] , Malgorzata Santel [sup.1] , Anne Weigert [sup.1] , Fátima Sanchís-Calleja [sup.1] [sup.2] , Patricia Guijarro [...]

On October 1-3, 2009, Loyola University Chicago's Center for Catholic School Effectiveness (CCSE) and School of Education hosted the second in a series of six planned Catholic Higher Education Collaborative Conferences (CHEC) entitled, "Developing and Sustaining Leaders for Catholic Schools: How Can Catholic Higher Education Help?" This working conference was structured around four main presentations, each addressing an aspect of the conference theme. Upon the conclusion of each session, conference participants were invited to respond and explore the themes that were presented in each session. This paper provides a summary of the presentations and the discussions of the participants. Finally, the follow-up actions, resulting from the conference, are shared. (Contains 1 figure.)

A male infant born in a tertiary maternity facility was noted to have microretrognathia, a small mouth and macroglossia at delivery. He was born limp and apnoeic and required multiple attempts at intubation before a definitive airway was eventually sited. Chest X-rays, while in the paediatric intensive care unit, demonstrated dysplastic ribs with associated ’high-riding’ clavicles. A later X-ray was reported as showing interrupted posterior ribs. A tracheostomy was formed on day of life 9 given the immediate risk to the baby’s airway. Further imaging of the facial bones, skull and brain showed generous CSF spaces over the cerebral convexities and also marked hypoplasia of the mandible and mid-face. The baby’s middle ear cavities were shown to be completely opacified. Genetic testing eventually went on to confirm a diagnosis of cerebrocostomandibular syndrome, with the detection of a pathogenic variant of the small nuclear ribonucleoprotein polypeptide B gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is one of several congenital malformations associated with antithyroid/thiourylene drug use in pregnancy. While uncommon among the general population (1-3/100 000 cases), the risk among those on thiourylenes is between 1.6% and 3%. The scalp is the most common site for this congenital anomaly. We present the case of a male infant with multifocal ACC of the scalp discovered at birth and born to a mother with Graves disease that was controlled during pregnancy using carbimazole. Thyroid function tests were normal throughout the pregnancy. There was no involvement of underlying subcutaneous tissue or structures. At age 18 months, the single largest lesion remained with only partial coverage. Prospective management involved periodic surveillance with planned 2-stage repair. This case reinforces the association between the antithyroid drugs carbimazole (CMZ) and methimazole (MMI) and supports the proposition of an MMI/CMZ embryopathy. It adds to a literature of case reports in which malformations arise in offspring of such mothers whose thyrotoxicosis is controlled antenatally, thereby challenging the suggestion that ACC is attributable to poorly controlled disease rather than thiourylenes. As yet the underlying mechanism is not understood, nor is it known why MMI and CMZ may cause potentially significant embryopathy while congenital defects attributable to the structurally similar propylthiouracil are typically less severe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined internalizing behavior problems at middle childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood and brain-based measures of stress vulnerability in 154 right-handed, nonimpaired young adults (M age = 23 years): 71 (30 males, 41 females) born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW; less than 1,000 g) and 83 (35 males, 48 females) controls born at normal birth weight (NBW). Internalizing behavior problems increased from adolescence to young adulthood among ELBW individuals. ELBW adults exhibited greater relative right frontal electroencephalogram activity at rest and more concurrent internalizing behavior problems than NBW controls. Being born at ELBW may have subtle influences on brain-behavior relations even in survivors without major impairments and evidence of these influences may not emerge until young adulthood. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

This study applies multilevel logistic regression to Demographic and Health Survey data from 22 sub-Saharan African countries to examine whether the relationship between child mortality and family structure, with a specific emphasis on polygyny, varies cross-nationally and over time. Hypotheses were developed on the basis of competing theories on the relationship between child health and family structure. Although children of mothers in polygynous marriages are more likely to die than those of mothers in monogamous unions, the relationship is constant across time. Familial factors including education, socioeconomic status (SES), and urban residence accounted for most of the observed cross-national variation associated with polygyny. Consequently, improving maternal education and household SES would greatly benefit child health in sub-Saharan Africa.

This study uses multilevel models to examine longitudinal associations between contextual influences (neighborhood and family) assessed in 1983 in a cohort of 2,355 children, 4-16 years of age, and educational attainment in 2001. Variation in educational attainment in 2001 attributable to between-neighborhood and between-family differences was 8.17% and 36.88%, respectively. The final model explained 33.64% of the variance in educational attainment, with unique variances of 14.53% for neighborhood and family-level variables combined versus 10.94% for child-level variables. Among the neighborhood and family-level variables, indicators of status (5.29%) versus parental capacity/family process (4.03%) made comparable predictions to attainment while children from economically disadvantaged families did not benefit educationally from living in more affluent areas.

Data from a nationally representative sample of 13,470 children aged 4-11 years were used to study contextual influences on children's mental health and school performance, the moderating effects of family immigrant status and underlying family processes that might explain these relationships. Despite greater socioeconomic disadvantage, children living in recent immigrant families had lower levels of emotional-behavioral problems and higher levels of school performance. Living in a neighborhood characterized with higher concentration of immigrants was associated with lower levels of emotional-behavioral problems among children living in immigrant families; the reverse was true for children living in nonimmigrant families. These differences are partially explained by family process variables. The implications of these findings for future research and policy are discussed.

This article describes the types of discourse 10 Australian grade 4-6 teachers used after they had been trained to embed cooperative learning in their curriculum and to use communication skills to promote students' thinking and to scaffold their learning. One audiotaped classroom social science lesson involving cooperative learning was analyzed for each teacher. We provide vignettes from 2 teachers as they worked with groups and from 2 student groups. The data from the audiotapes showed that the teachers used a range of mediated-learning behaviors in their interactions with the children that included challenging their perspectives, asking more cognitive and metacognitive questions, and scaffolding their learning. In turn, in their interactions with each other, the children modelled many of the types of discourse they heard their teachers use. Follow-up interviews with the teachers revealed that they believed it was important to set expectations for children's group behaviors, teach the social skills students needed to deal with disagreement in groups, and establish group structures so children understood what was required both from each other and the task. The teachers reported that mixed ability and gender groups worked best and that groups should be no larger than 5 students. All teachers' programs were based on a child-centered philosophy that recognized the importance of constructivist approaches to learning and the key role interaction plays in promoting social reasoning and learning.

OBJECTIVES: 1) To examine the association between place of residence (i.e., on-versus off-communities and between provinces) and daily smoking and heavy drinking among Aboriginal people in Canada; and 2) to identify community-and individual-level factors that may account for these associations. METHODS: Data were from the Aboriginal Peoples Survey (2001). The sample included 52,110 Aboriginal people ([greater than or equal to]15 years of age). Community-level variables included: place of residence, community socio-economic status (SES) and perceived community social problems. Individual-level variables included: age, sex, education, income, employment status, marital status, Aboriginal heritage and social support. Multilevel logistic regressions were conducted to analyze the data. RESULTS: Living in First Nations communities (compared with living off-communities) was associated with daily smoking, and this association was accounted for by perceived community social problems. However, the association between Inuit communities and daily smoking remained after controlling for all covariates (odds ratio (OR) = 1.97, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.44-2.70). Residence in First Nations communities was associated with heavy drinking (OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.17-2.04), however this risk became evident only after controlling for community SES, which was also positively associated with heavy drinking (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.26-1.69). Compared with Saskatchewan, Aboriginal people in Atlantic Provinces (OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 2.08-3.78) or Territories (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.01-1.92) were more likely to engage in heavy drinking. CONCLUSION: Studies are needed to better understand the increased risk for smoking in Inuit communities and heavy drinking in First Nations communities, Atlantic Provinces and Territories, and to identify possible reasons for the positive association between community SES and heavy drinking among Aboriginal people. KEY WORDS: Aboriginal people; place of residence; smoking; heavy drinking Can J Public Health 2015;106(2):e22-e28 doi: 10.17269/CJPH.106.4663 OBJECTIFS : 1) Examiner I'association entre le lieu de residence (dans les communautes ou a l'exterieur, et entre les provinces) et les exces quotidiens de tabac et d'alcool chez les Autochtones du Canada; et 2) cerner les facteurs communautaires et individuels pouvant expliquer ces associations. METHODE : Nos donnees provenaient de l'Enquete aupres des peuples autochtones (2001). L'echantillon incluait 52 110 Autochtones ([greater than or equal to] 15 ans). Les variables communautaires etaient: le lieu de residence, le statut socioeconomique (SSE) de la communaute et les problemes sociaux perpus de la communaute. Les variables individuelles etaient: l'age, le sexe, l'instruction, le revenu, l'emploi, l'etat matrimonial, les racines autochtones et le soutien social. Nous avons effectue des analyses de regression multiniveaux pour etudier les donnees. RESULTATS : La vie dans les communautes des Premieres nations (par opposition a la vie a l'exterieur de ces communautes) etait associee au tabagisme quotidien, et cette association pouvait s'expliquer par les problemes sociaux perpus de la communaute. Cependant, l'association entre les communautes inuites et le tabagisme quotidien subsistait meme apres la prise en consideration de toutes les covariables (rapport de cotes (RC) = 1,97, intervalle de confiance (IC) de 95 % = 1,44-2,70). Le fait de resider dans une communaute des Premieres nations etait associe a l'exces d'alcool (RC = 1,54, IC de 95 % = 1,17-2,04), mais ce risque ne devenait manifeste qu'apres avoir tenu compte du SSE de la communaute, lequel etait aussi lie positivement a l'exces d'alcool (RC = 1,46, IC de 95 % = 1,26-1,69). Comparativement a ceux de la Saskatchewan, les Autochtones des provinces de l'Atlantique (RC = 2,80, IC de 95 % = 2,08-3,78) ou des Territoires (RC = 1,39, IC de 95 % = 1,01-1,92) etaient plus susceptibles de faire des exces d'alcool. CONCLUSION : Des etudes sont necessaires pour mieux comprendre le risque accru de tabagisme dans les communautes inuites et l'exces d'alcool dans les communautes des Premieres nations, les provinces de l'Atlantique et les Territoires, et pour decouvrir les raisons possibles de l'association positive entre le SSE communautaire et l'exces d'alcool chez les Autochtones. MOTS CLES : population d'origine amerindienne; lieu de residence; tabagisme; exces d'alcool, Health disparities are a major public health concern in Canada today. Alarming disparities exist in the health status and behaviours of Aboriginal compared to nonAboriginal people. (1-5) For example, a [...]

Aim: The full blood count (FBC) is commonly measured as part of a partial septic work‐up in asymptomatic infants at increased risk of early‐onset neonatal sepsis (EOS). To determine the impact of FBC parameters on infants' subsequent management a retrospective cross‐sectional study was performed. Methods: Infants, born at ≥34 weeks gestation, asymptomatic at birth, undergoing a partial septic work‐up and receiving prophylactic antibiotics due to increased risk of EOS in a single centre over a 2‐year period, were included. The primary outcome measure was frequency of FBC result impacting on duration of antibiotic therapy. Secondary outcome measures included frequency of FBC parameters outside of the reference range and incidental diagnoses. Results: In total, 16 726 live‐born infants were delivered during the study period. A total of 802 (4.8%) were included. Thirteen infants (1.6%) received a prolonged course of antibiotics due to suspicion for EOS. Two of these infants had elevated white cell counts. All had normal neutrophil counts. In no case did the FBC result influence the decision to prolong the antibiotic course. Conclusion: In a cohort of 802 infants, asymptomatic at birth and at increased risk of EOS, the FBC result did not impact on the decision to prolong the course of antibiotics for suspicion of EOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]