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High-achieving African American students in California are not attending University of California (UC) campuses. Due to hyper-implementations of Proposition 209, which limited UC campuses' ability to use race as a significant admission criteria, the UC system and individual UC campus policies have scaled back their efforts to recruit high-achieving African American students from California. This article presents findings from the qualitative portion (n = 74) of a convergent mixed-method study of over 700 African American college-going students. Findings convey the critical role that access, outreach, diversity, and climate plays in the college choice process of African American high achievers. Drawing upon higher education and critical race literature, the findings further reveal the challenges and opportunities for states and elite universities in retaining its brightest students from diverse backgrounds. This research also conveys the potential of research to inform state, systemic, and institutional policies to increase access to selective public universities.

This chapter outlines critical practices that emerged from utilizing social justice frameworks to mentor first-generation, underrepresented minority students at the undergraduate to doctoral levels. The mentoring strategies include helping students to reframe instances when faculty and peers unconsciously conflate academic rigor with color-blind scholarship.

The purpose of this article is to explore the pedagogical dimensions of the Funds of Knowledge (FoK) framework and approach with a focus on the role of power and agency in the sites where such teaching and learning takes place. This analysis is undertaken to make the pedagogies and associated power implications of the FoK work more explicit to allow one to consider critically the broader purposes attached to teaching and learning when framed and guided by the FoK approach. By situating the FoK framework within the context of counter-hegemonic movements in educational theory and practice, the endeavor to examine the power and agency elements of FoK is further supported by interaction with the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framework, given its focus on recognizing community assets to counter the pervasive cultural deficit characterizations of minoritized populations. To attend to these analytical pursuits, the author begins this article by describing and situating the FoK framework and approach as established by Amanti, Gonzalez, Greenberg, Moll, Velez-Ibanez, and other associates, which will provide some initial contextualization of the work reviewed in this analysis. Next, the author presents the critical review of the FoK literature to discuss the within and beyond school pedagogies revealed in the settings represented in these studies. The author follows this up with an examination of the power and agency discourses reflected within this body of literature to further chart the evolution of thought and practice within the FoK work. This leads to her placing FoK and the CCW framework in theoretical dialogue as a means to further expand one's understanding of the particular contributions of these frameworks in countering the pervasiveness of cultural deficit models in education. Finally, the author offers brief concluding remarks. (Contains 4 notes.)

Background/Context: The analysis contained in this article was commissioned by the Social Science Research Council's Transitions to College project. Although the historical context and contemporary issues associated with English learners (ELs) and undocumented immigrant students are in many ways distinct, the project team strongly believed that the college transition issues affecting these populations were increasingly salient in light of their rapid and continued growth throughout the United States. Purpose/Objective/Research Questions/Focus of Study: The research questions guiding this analysis are: (1) What do we know and what do we need to know about the transition to college of EL and undocumented immigrant students? and (2) What are the resource and policy implications associated with the transition to college of these students? The chief purpose of this analysis is to synthesize the current research and thinking about the transitions to college of EL and undocumented immigrant students and to use the findings to develop a research agenda focused on emergent critical issues. The intent is to educate a research audience that is largely unfamiliar with the experiences of these unique populations and to inform future research directions. Research Design: The analysis is situated within the broader context of immigrant educational attainment and integration in the United States. The two student populations are distinguished to delineate the particular college transition experiences of ELs versus undocumented students, while recognizing the overlaps that do exist. Thus, for each student population, the analysis synthesizes current literature and provides discussions of (a) student demographics for states and the United States, (b) student-level issues and factors, (c) K-12 issues and factors, (d) student agency, (e) postsecondary issues and factors, and (f) summary of critical challenges, barriers, and accomplishments relative to the college transition. The final element is a recommended research agenda developed from the issues revealed in this analysis. Findings/Results: There is continued growth in the presence of EL and undocumented students, and this growth affects states with longstanding histories of immigrant presence, as well as states that have only recently had notable increases in these populations. Important to understanding the needs and potential of these two groups is that not all EL and undocumented students are new immigrants. Rather, many have only experienced education in the United States, having been born here or having arrived at a very young age with their families. From this analysis, it appears that English proficiency is as much a gatekeeping factor as it is a facilitative factor for EL and undocumented students in their successful college transitions. Unfortunately, because of the impact of poverty on these populations, the financial constraints of transitioning to college further compound the challenges already faced with regard to acquiring English and advanced subject matter proficiency. Two additional findings help to frame the college transition challenges of both EL and undocumented student populations: (1) There is a chasm between research-based best practices and the available human and material resources allocated in schools and colleges to support this objective, and (2) the role of the community college system is salient as a potential facilitative context, but one that is currently overburdened with multiple demands and shrinking resources. Conclusions/Recommendations: The article presents an eight-point research agenda that addresses the challenges surfaced in the analysis. The points cover K-12 education, evaluations of the impact of legislation and programs, and postsecondary education, with the aim of improving the overall responsiveness of our educational institutions to the needs and strengths of our EL and undocumented student populations.

This article discusses the Leading for Equity, Achievement, and Democracy program, which is a partnership administrative credential program of the California State University, East Bay (formerly Hayward), and the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools, based in Oakland, California. This developmental journey involves a process of introspection, reflection, and direction ("next steps") toward a deep understanding of what it means to lead for equity and social justice. Central to this work has been the instructional and pedagogical support for inquiry and reflective practice throughout the cohort year. This article presents illustrations of how instructors can support aspiring leaders to develop skills that strengthen their ability to take actions that transform schools into sites of powerful teaching and learning.

School finance drives policy and practice in public education, yet most citizens and some practitioners know very little about how their schools are funded. The purpose of this article is to address the financial issues related to urban schools and the challenge of balancing expectations of higher levels of education with the values of equity, efficiency, and economic growth. Section 1 discusses the social context of school finance in the United States, including urban education issues. This section will discuss equity issues in the context of the history of school finance litigation in the United States. Section 1 will also show how the school funds are spent. Section 2 will discuss traditional funding structures and state funding policies. Section 3 will discuss decentralization and site-based budgeting, including the use of charters, vouchers, and contracts. The conclusion will explore how restructuring school budgeting can improve instruction and student performance.

Background Hypomagnesaemia with secondary hypocal-caemia (HSH) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by pathogenic variants in TRPM6 , encoding the channel-kinase transient receptor potential melastatin type 6. Patients have very low serum magnesium (Mg2+) levels and suffer from muscle cramps and seizures. Despite genetic testing, a subgroup of HSH patients remains without a diagnosis. Methods In this study, two families with an HSH phenotype but negative for TRPM6 pathogenic variants were subjected to whole exome sequencing. Using a complementary combination of biochemical and functional analyses in overexpression systems and patient-derived fibroblasts, the effect of the TRPM7 -identified variants on Mg2+ transport was examined. Results For the first time, variants in TRPM7 were identified in two families as a potential cause for hereditary HSH. Patients suffer from seizures and muscle cramps due to magnesium deficiency and episodes of hypocalcaemia. In the first family, a splice site variant caused the incorporation of intron 1 sequences into the TRPM7 messenger RNA and generated a premature stop codon. As a consequence, patient-derived fibroblasts exhibit decreased cell growth. In the second family, a heterozygous missense variant in the pore domain resulted in decreased TRPM7 channel activity. Conclusions We establish TRPM7 as a prime candidate gene for autosomal dominant hypomagnesaemia and secondary hypocalcaemia. Screening of unresolved patients with hypocalcaemia and secondary hypocalcaemia may further establish TRPM7 pathogenic variants as a novel Mendelian disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project explored how the collaborative creation of a psychospiritual group process that is culturally relevant can empower U.S. born Latinas in their lives and begin the process of soul reclamation and healing for this population of women. This article examines how spiritual work grounded in the socio-cultural context is therapeutic and healing when working with Latinas. The Latino/a cultural world view speaks to the effectiveness of homogenous group work within this community. The different spiritual traditions that exist within the Latino/a diaspora and the role of women in these traditions are discussed to inform the reader of the inherent therapeutic tools within Latino/a spirituality that encourage wholeness. There were five U.S. born Latinas, between the ages of 23-26, of different backgrounds who participated in this group process. Eight group sessions of 3 hours were conducted over a period of eight weeks. Topics of discussion chosen by the members of this group included Family, Relationships with Men, Body Esteem/Sexuality, Creativity and Careers, and Spirituality. This process began the organizational work of DeAlmas Latinas, which offers psychospiritual group workshops and retreats to the Latina community. KEYWORDS. Latina, psychospiritual, soul reclamation, group process

Despite the central role played by female intravenous drug users (IVDUs) in the worsening AIDS statistics of states in the northeastern United States, the relative paucity of research into the HIV risk behaviors--particularly risky needle practices--of female drug injectors has left significant gaps in researchers' understanding of how and to what extent such women may differ in their risks from their better-studied male counterparts. This study, derived from a sample of 769 out-of-treatment IVDUs residing in an area (Paterson, New Jersey) characterized by high levels of AIDS and HIV infection among drug users, attempts to address this lacuna in the research literature by comparing the drug usage, AIDS knowledge, and needle and sexual behaviors of male and female IVDUs that place them at risk for HIV infection. In this sample, gender was found to be unrelated to HIV serostatus, injection frequency and injected drug of choice, and to most dimensions of knowledge about AIDS and the means of HIV transmission. Overall, it appears that the average Paterson female IVDU may be at greater risk for HIV infection as a result of involvement with a drug-using sex partner than because of especially risky needle practices, for females in this sample were significantly more likely than males to report injecting with a sex partner in the previous 6 months, and female IVDUs with one sex partner were more than twice as likely as males with one partner to report that this individual was an IVDU. Condom use was relatively rare, particularly among those with one partner. Moreover, female IVDUs were significantly more likely than males to be daily users of crack cocaine, and significantly more likely to report poorer health. However, current needle and sexual practices were found to be unrelated to HIV seropositivity among both males and females. In logistic regression analysis, only length of W drug involvement was found to be independently associated with HIV seropositivity for both sexes. Implications of the data for future prevention efforts aimed at female IVDUs are discussed., INTRODUCTION The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is transmitted perinatally and through body fluid-to-blood and blood-to-blood contact. Sexual transmission and the exchange of [...]

The article introduces papers published within the issue, focusing on such topics as the role of cultural capital in school leadership development in Latino communities, mentoring Latinas in educational leadership doctoral programs and teaching principles grounded in community cultural wealth.

School finance drives policy and practice in public education, yet most citizens and some practitioners know very little about how their schools are funded. The purpose of this article is to address the financial issues related to urban schools and the challenge of balancing expectations of higher levels of education with the values of equity, efficiency, and economic growth. Section 1 discusses the social context of school finance in the United States, including urban education issues. This section will discuss equity issues in the context of the history of school finance litigation in the United States. Section 1 will also show how the school funds are spent. Section 2 will discuss traditional funding structures and state funding policies. Section 3 will discuss decentralization and site-based budgeting, including the use of charters, vouchers, and contracts. The conclusion will explore how restructuring school budgeting can improve instruction and student performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes demographic patterns and risk factors associated with infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T-lymphotrophic virus types I or II (HTLV-I/II) in northern New Jersey. Transmission of HTLV-I/II through the sharing of injection equipment; Discussions on public health implications.

The article enumerates the reasons for noncompliance with zidovudine, a recommended asymptomatic and symptomatic HIV-infected persons, offered by current and former drug users with AIDS in New York City. Majority of the respondents admitted that they usually forget to take their medication as directed. For others, noncompliance is rooted from uncertainty as to how much of the cost of medication their insurance will cover. Furthermore, the quality of patient-practitioner interaction turns up as one of the more important factors in medical compliance. Nonverbal communication between doctor and patient is also attributed to noncompliance. Social class, race, and ethnicity also contribute to the prevalence of noncompliance among the group.