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Objective: We investigated the impact of mandatory school nutrition policy on diet quality of Canadian school children using a quasi-experimental study design., Methods: Using 24-h dietary recall data from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 2.2 and 2015 CCHS - Nutrition, we constructed the Diet Quality Index (DQI). We used multivariable difference-in-differences regressions to quantify the DQI scores associated with school nutrition policy. We conducted stratified analyses by sex, school grade, household income, and food security status to gain additional insights into the impact of nutrition policy., Results: We found that mandatory school nutrition policy was associated with an increased DQI score by 3.44 points (95% CI: 1.1, 5.8) during school-hours in intervention provinces relative to control provinces. DQI score was higher among males (3.8 points, 95% CI: 0.6, 7.1) than among females (2.9 points, 95% CI: -0.5, 6.3), and the score among students in elementary schools was higher (5.1 points, 95% CI: 2.3, 8.0) than that among high school students (0.4 points, 95% CI: -3.6, 4.5). We also found that DQI scores were higher for middle-high income and food secure households., Conclusion: Provincial mandatory school nutrition policy was associated with better diet quality among children and youth in Canada. Our findings suggest that other jurisdictions may consider implementing mandatory school nutrition policy., (© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive license to The Canadian Public Health Association.)

Introduction: The broaden and build theory of positive emotions maintains that positive emotions serve to broaden individuals' thoughts and behaviours, resulting in the accrual of resources (e.g. resilience) that catalyze upward spirals of well-being. However, there is a relative dearth of research examining the upward spiral hypothesis in the context of adolescence., Methods: Adolescents (n = 4064) in participating Canadian high schools were surveyed annually for three years as part of the COMPASS study. Reciprocal associations between positive emotions and resilience were examined as predictors of flourishing., Results: Adolescents who experienced positive emotions more frequently than usual reported higher levels of resilience one year later. Similarly, adolescents who had higher levels of resilience than usual reported more positive emotions the following year. Higher than usual levels of resilience and positive emotions positively predicted flourishing., Conclusion: Positive emotions result in a cascade of beneficial outcomes including increased resilience and enhanced well-being, catalyzing an upward spiral towards flourishing. Opportunities to enhance positive emotions early on in adolescence may help build resources that can set students on the path towards increased well-being., Competing Interests: The authors have no financial relationships relevant to this article and no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Introduction: School-based health-promoting interventions (HPIs) aim to support youth development and positively influence modifiable lifestyle behaviours. Identifying factors that contribute to or hinder the perceived success of HPIs could facilitate their adaptation, improve implementation and contribute to HPI sustainability. The objective of this study was to identify factors in three domains (school characteristics, characteristics of the HPI and factors related to planning and implementing the HPI) associated with perceived success of HPIs among school principals in elementary schools., Methods: Data were drawn from Project PromeSS, a cross-sectional survey of school principals and/or nominated staff members in a convenience sample of 171 public elementary schools in Quebec, Canada. School board and school recruitment spanned three academic school years (2016-2019). Data on school and participant characteristics, HPI characteristics, variables related to HPI planning and implementation and perceived success of the HPI were collected in two-part, structured telephone interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize schools and study participants. Twenty-eight potential correlates of perceived HPI success were investigated separately in multivariable linear regression modelling., Results: Participants generally perceived HPIs as highly successful. After controlling for number of students, language of instruction, school neighbourhood and school deprivation, we identified five correlates of perceived success, including lower teacher turnover, higher scores for school physical environment, school/teacher commitment to student health, principal leadership and school being a developer (vs. adopter) of the HPI., Conclusion: If replicated, these factors should be considered by HPI developers and school personnel when planning and implementing HPIs in elementary schools., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests.

This study describes student perceptions of school staff smoking before and after implementation of legislation prohibiting smoking on school grounds. Students completed self-report questionnaires before (grade 6) and after (grade 7, 9 and 11) the law. The percentage of students reporting that school staff smoked in areas where smoking is forbidden was 19%, 32% and 33% in grade 7, 9 and 11, respectively. The mean(SD) score for the frequency with which students saw school staff smoking decreased after the ban but increased thereafter [2.5(1.1), 1.9(1.0), 2.4(1.1) and 2.3(1.1)] in grade 6, 7, 9 and 11, respectively [F(2.861,1662.229) = 45.350, P < 0.001]. These data suggest that the effect of the law dissipated over time.

Objective: The study estimates the economic costs of early vulnerability in the light of population-level data showing that between 25% and 30% of Canadian children do not arrive at kindergarten meeting all of the developmental benchmarks they need to thrive both now and into the future., Methods: The study examines Early Development Instrument (EDI) data across Canada as of 2008/09, and across time within British Columbia since 2001. We then link the BC EDI data with school achievement results on standardized tests in grades four and seven, along with graduation records and criminal justice information., Results: The result is a synthetic cohort with which we can simulate the impact on economic growth of reducing early vulnerability in BC from its current rate of 29% to 10%, a threshold above which child vulnerability is biologically unnecessary., Discussion: Nearly three times what it should be, a rate of early vulnerability that approaches 30% signals that the country now tolerates an unnecessary brain drain that will dramatically deplete our future stock of human capital. Economic analyses reveal that this depletion will cause Canada to forgo 20% in GDP (gross domestic product) growth over the next 60 years. The economic value of this loss is equivalent to investing $2.2 trillion to $3.4 trillion today at a rate of 3.5% interest, even after paying for the social investment required to reduce vulnerability.

Grade inflation is a global phenomenon that has garnered widespread condemnation among educators, researchers, and the public. Yet, few have deliberated over the ethics of grading, let alone the ethics of grade inflation. The purpose of this paper is to map out and examine the ethics of grade inflation. By way of beginning, we clarify why grade inflation is a problem of practical ethics embedded in contemporary social practice. Then, we illuminate three different aspects of grade inflation--longitudinal, compressed, and comparative--and explore the ethical dilemmas that each one raises. We demonstrate how these three aspects may be seen as corresponding to three different victims of grade inflation--individuals, institutions, and society--and hence also to three potential agents of harm--teachers, schools, and educational systems. Next, we reflect upon various compelling reasons that these agents inflate grades, whether from an ethic of care, fiduciary responsibility, or simple self-preservation. Subsequently, we consider a variety of means of combatting grade inflation, and invite more educators and philosophers to delve into the complex practical ethics of grade inflation.

The article discusses the context of school lockdown policies and practices in public safety, privilege and politics in Canada. It highlights the implementation of anti-bullying policies to prevent the risks of fatal incidents such as gun violence and shootings in schools. It also cites the emergency preparation effort of the schools to ensure the safety of the students in the country.

The article discusses the contemporary modes of streaming from the perspective of colonial and racialized experiences with education in Ontario, Canada and the 4 key ways considered where streaming is operationalized such as the racial disproportionality of Applied and Academic streams and outcomes and the deployment of "youth-at-risk" discourses.

The article talks about inequality in schools caused by the negative labeling on students who have challenging behaviors. The authors observe that the said practice along with the employment of zero tolerance policies without addressing the root causes of negative behavior have negative effects on students. Using students' self-reports, the authors note such negative effects and discuss how it affects the society as a whole. They recommend changes in policies and practices that more carefully consider the systemic sources of the behavior and is closer to fundamental educational goals and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.