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Children learning two languages (Dual Language Learners; DLLs) represent a rapidly growing population in the United States. DLLs are disproportionately more likely to live in families of low socioeconomic status (SES), which places many of them at risk for poor dual-language outcomes. To date, most studies on SES and dual language development have relied on static measures of vocabulary and syntactic skills, without examining the language learning processes -- children's ability to acquire new language items. The current study used a newly developed language measure, the Quick Interactive Language Screener: English and Spanish (QUILS:ES), to assess 3- through 5-year-old Spanish-English DLLs' language learning processes. We also examined the association between SES (as measured by primary caregivers' education) and language learning processes, and further explored mechanisms underlying the association. DLLs from higher-SES families showed better language learning skills than those from lower-SES families. The size of the gap did not vary by child age. Home literacy environment (i.e., access to books, book-reading frequency) and children's existing knowledge (i.e., vocabulary and syntactic knowledge) mediated the SES effect. Together, these findings highlight the need to better prepare DLLs from low-SES families for learning from a dual-language environment. Supporting DLLs' language environment and knowledge through learning materials and language and literacy activities in both languages is crucial for ameliorating the SES gap in language learning processes.

Public school districts are locally controlled and funded through local property taxes. Funding schools this way perpetuates structural inequities in poorer school districts and as a result, students living in poverty have minimal access to critical resources that support student learning. Community schools are resurfacing in many of these urban spaces as a mechanism for addressing the systemic and structural inequities plaguing students, schools, and communities. Advocates posit that increasing student achievement requires addressing the needs of the whole child; conceptualizing schooling through this lens offers an expanded vision of what public education needs to be for many of today's children. This paper aims to improve our overall understanding of community schools and highlights specific actions taken by community organizations and higher education institutions to create meaningful partnerships with public schools operating as community schools. The authors posit that collaborative and organically developed, grassroots relationships have the potential to alter the traditional dynamic between internal public school employees and external stakeholders, leading to school, student, and community transformation.

Objective While there are known racial disparities in cesarean delivery (CD) rates, the exact etiologies for these disparities are multifaceted. We aimed to determine if differences in induction of labor (IOL) management contribute to these disparities. Study Design This retrospective cohort study evaluated all nulliparous patients with an unfavorable cervix and intact membranes who underwent IOL of a term, singleton gestation at a single institution from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2020. IOL management was at clinician discretion. Patients were classified as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) or White based on self-report. Overall rates of CD were compared for BIPOC versus White race. Chart review then evaluated various IOL management strategies as possible contributors to differences in CD by race. Results Of 1,261 eligible patients, 915 (72.6%) identified as BIPOC and 346 (27.4%) as White. BIPOC patients were more likely to be younger (26 years interquartile range (IQR): [22–30] vs. 32 years IQR: [30–35], p < 0.001) and publicly insured (59.1 vs. 9.9%, p < 0.001). Indication for IOL and modified Bishop score also differed by race (p < 0.001; p = 0.006). There was 40% increased risk of CD for BIPOC patients, even when controlling for confounders (30.7 vs. 21.7%, p = 0.001; adjusted relative risk (aRR) = 1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI): [1.06–1.86]). Despite this difference in CD, there were no identifiable differences in IOL management prior to decision for CD by race. Specifically, there were no differences in choice of cervical ripening agent, cervical dilation at or time to amniotomy, use and maximum dose of oxytocin, or dilation at CD. However, BIPOC patients were more likely to undergo CD for fetal indications and failed IOL. Conclusion BIPOC nulliparas are 40% more likely to undergo CD during IOL than White patients within our institution. These data suggest that the disparity is not explained by differences in IOL management prior to cesarean, indicating that biases outside of induction management may be important to target to reduce CD disparities. Key Points The etiologies for racial disparities in cesarean are likely multifaceted. In this work, there were no differences by race in measures of labor induction management. Biases outside of induction management during labor may be targeted to reduce CD disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Context: Research has also shown that educators who are more socially and emotionally competent are more likely to create nurturing relationships and high-quality classroom environments that result in more academic success for students. Despite the importance of teacher-student relationships on student outcomes, limited research has investigated factors that contribute to development of these relationships, particularly for special education teachers (SETs) working with students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBDs). Focus of Study: This study explores educators' emotions in the classroom through emotional labor theory, a framework for understanding how employees engage in the deliberate suppression or expression of emotions to achieve an organization's goals. We empirically investigate the potential connections between SETs' perceptions of their administrators' expectations about emotional displays, SETs' emotional acting strategies, and teacher-student relationships. Setting: This study was conducted within three schools in Western Pennsylvania serving students with EBDs in self-contained classrooms. Participants: Participants included SETs (N = 61) serving K-12 students who have been identified as having EBDs. SET demographics were as follows: 75% female, average age 32 (range 23-51), and 97% Caucasian. Participants averaged 4.62 years of teaching experience with the study site. Research Design: All SETs reported on their perceptions of emotional labor and their working alliances with each of their students in the fall semester. Students were nested within teachers, so we used multilevel path analyses to estimate mediational effects of emotional display rules and emotional acting on the teacher-student working alliance. Results: The results of this study suggest important connections between SETs' perceptions of emotional display rules, their use of emotional acting strategies, and their working alliances with students with EBDs. Specifically, SETs' reported perceptions of negative display rules affected how they engaged in surface acting when interacting with students. SETs' ratings of surface acting were associated with their working alliance tasks scores. Conclusions/Recommendations: These findings confirm recent research showing that educators engage in emotional acting and that some dimensions of this acting contribute to their relationships with students. Our findings may also suggest that surface acting is an acceptable emotional acting strategy that supports SETs' relationships with students. Because the emotional labor research in special education has yet to extrapolate on what display rules lead to the emotional acting strategies that the organization desires, how we make these rules more explicit could help teachers establish more sensibility regarding this area of their job.

Objective: Loss of control over eating (LOC) during pregnancy impacts prenatal health and often co‐occurs with depressive symptoms. However, the role of depression history as a risk factor for LOC prior to pregnancy is unclear; information that is essential for effective prenatal health promotion. We examined the association between trajectories of depressive symptoms from childhood to first pregnancy and preconception LOC. Method: Participants (N = 1031) were predominantly Black, first‐time mothers enrolled in the population‐based Pittsburgh Girls Study. LOC and depressive symptoms were measured annually. Pre‐pregnancy height and weight, and gestational weight gain data were abstracted from medical records. Results: There was a significant difference in age of first conception for Black and White individuals (t = 8.73, df = 976, p <.001). Latent class analysis revealed four and three classes of depressive symptom trajectories for Black and White individuals, respectively. In the entire sample, the high‐changing and moderate‐decreasing classes of depressive symptoms were each associated with lifetime, in preconception year and not in preconception year, LOC (X2 = 56.7, p <.001). Discussion: High levels of lifetime depressive symptoms may increase vulnerability to future LOC prior to first pregnancy, suggesting potential targets for interventions to improve maternal health. Public Significance: Both depression history and disordered eating behaviors are known to influence prenatal health. The present study revealed associations between high levels of depressive symptoms from childhood through first pregnancy and loss of control over eating that included the year prior to conception. Results highlight potential targets for preconception interventions with relevance for future prenatal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning communities have been in operation at Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) since 1993. The goals of the program focus primarily on the creation of stronger social bonds among students as well as enhanced interaction within the classroom. The learning community approach attempts to foster an intellectual environment within which student learning can flourish. After several years of enhancing and modifying learning communities within the university, administrators felt that it was time to survey students about their experiences with and opinions of the program. In 2001, Temple completed its first survey of students participating in the learning community program. The study focused on the delivery of the learning community program in the classroom and the degree to which students found it helpful. This article presents the results of this survey.

Allegheny College is the 32nd oldest college in the nation. In 2015 it will celebrate its bicentennial. The college has rigorous standards and is dedicated to the ideal of providing a transformative education to ambitious, talented students regardless of their social or financial means. Set in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, this predominantly White residential college (student population 2,100) has pledged to diversify its faculty and student body. It's an impressive story of determination that has resulted in the creation of a chief diversity officer position. In 2010, award-winning educator and administrator Dr. Lawrence T. Potter was hired as chief diversity officer, associate dean of the college and tenured professor of English. He also is a member of the college's Administrative Executive Committee, the institution's highest governing body. As chief diversity officer and associate dean of the college, he will have broad influence over many aspects of campus and community life, especially with regards to faculty as well as the curriculum and co-curriculum in efforts to advance and sustain diversity initiatives at the college.

Objectives: In non-pregnant populations, cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) have been linked to tobacco use and less successful quit attempts. We compared perinatal cigarette use in women across 3 groups: never used cannabis (No CU group); used cannabis but did not meet CUD criteria (CU group); history of CUD (CUD group). Methods: Interviews with 257 pregnant women with overweight/obesity (M age = 28 years; 52% white) were conducted for a study of eating behavior in Western Pennsylvania from 2012–2016. Tobacco use was assessed early in pregnancy (< 20 weeks gestation), late in pregnancy (34–38 weeks gestation) and 6 months postpartum. CUD was measured with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Data relevant to the proposed analyses were available for 252 women. Generalized mixed effect models were used to predict perinatal cigarette use based on cannabis use group, time and their interaction, adjusting for age, race, education, income, parity, and mood/anxiety disorder. Results: Forty-eight percent of participants reported prior cannabis use and 15% were diagnosed with lifetime CUD. History of cannabis use predicted cigarette smoking in early pregnancy (OR 11.12, CI 3.27–37.85), late pregnancy (OR 6.55, CI 1.70–25.27), and 6 months postpartum (OR 7.57, CI 2.72–21.07), regardless of CUD. Conclusions: A history of CUD did not appear to confer additional risk for perinatal cigarette use. Given increasing rates of cannabis use among pregnant women, these results highlight the importance of addressing history of cannabis use in conjunction with tobacco use to improve smoking cessation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article address Pennsylvania Election Law and review two key amendments, Act 77 of 2019 and Act 12 of 2020 which, as newly enacted law, invited an array of legal challenges in the 2020 general election. Topics include framework by which the directory or mandatory treatment of Election Code provisions may be considered in future elections; and how the various state and federal courts in Pennsylvania considered this issue during the unusually litigious 2020 general election.

The residents of Otstonwakin, an eighteenth-century multinational Native American village in Pennsylvania, were involved in extensive trade networks that resulted in the incorporation, modification, and selective adoption of a variety of Europeanmanufactured goods and technologies. Although Native Americans in the fur trade era like those at Otstonwakin negotiated the exchange of a wide array of commodities including alcohol, firearms, iron tools, and brass kettles, the most commonly traded commodity was cloth. Despite its role as a cornerstone commodity, colonial trade cloth has received considerably less scholarly attention than more durable objects largely because very few textiles have survived into the twenty-first century. This article reports on a rare find, a preserved European textile from Otstonwakin’s burial ground recovered in the 1930s and hitherto unanalyzed. By analyzing the fabric fragments, sewing thread, and lace with metallic thread, I explore the material and social negotiation of colonial identity on the Pennsylvania frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indicates 549 elementary/secondary teachers from four rural Pennsylvania districts perceived supervision to be helpful when teachers understood supervision was intended to assist in teaching improvement, teachers/supervisors jointly identified instructional changes, supervisors focused teacher attention on teaching, supervisors understood teachers' instructional objectives, and teachers were observed sufficiently by supervisors. (NEC)

Objective. The objective of this project was to develop core competencies for education on opioids and addiction to be used in all Pennsylvania medical schools. Methods. The Pennsylvania Physician General created a task force that was responsible for the creation of the core competencies. A literature review was completed, and a survey of graduating medical students was conducted. The task force then developed, reviewed, and approved the core competencies. Results. The competencies were grouped into nine domains: understanding core aspects of addiction; patient screening for substance use disorder; proper referral for specialty evaluation and treatment of substance use disorder; proper patient assessment when treating pain; proper use of multimodal treatment options when treating acute pain; proper use of opioids for the treatment of acute pain (after consideration of alternatives); the role of opioids in the treatment of chronic noncancer pain; patient risk assessment related to the use of opioids to treat chronic noncancer pain, including the assessment for substance use disorder or increased risk for aberrant drug-related behavior; and the process for patient education, initiation of treatment, careful patient monitoring, and discontinuation of therapy when using opioids to treat chronic noncancer pain. Specific competencies were developed for each domain. Conclusions. These competencies will be incorporated into the educational process at all Pennsylvania medical schools. It is hoped that these curriculum changes will improve student knowledge and attitudes in these areas, thus improving patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to examine differences in social information-processing and coping strategies between adolescent females in treatment for an eating disorder and asymptomatic peers. Adolescent females in treatment for an eating disorder (n = 50) were compared to asymptomatic control participants (n = 59) on a measure of social information-processing. Participants were presented with 4 hypothetical, ambiguous social dilemmas in which the intent of a peer provocateur was unclear. Questions followed each dilemma assessing intent attributions, the participant's emotional reaction, the intensity of the emotion, and coping strategies. The participants in treatment for an eating disorder were significantly more likely to perceive hostile intent from a peer provocateur, reported a greater intensity of negative emotions, and identified a significantly greater number of avoidant coping strategies. Specifically, the eating disorder group identified significantly more intrapunitive avoidant coping strategies that reflect maladaptive and self-destructive means of coping with distressing events. Results indicate social cognitive processing biases and maladaptive coping strategies may be instrumental in perceived loss of control and influence the development/maintenance of eating disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article describes the first official Undergraduate Research Day at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, a small campus with approximately 550 undergraduate students and 8 four-year degree programs. In 2015, an informal planning committee, consisting of two librarians and two faculty members, embarked on a project to turn what had been an informal course assignment into a campus-wide research event. By remaining flexible, engaged, and open to collaboration, the committee made Undergraduate Research Day in April 2015 a success, and plans are underway to hold this event in subsequent years. The event energized and motivated students, faculty, and staff on campus and paved the way toward a unified organizational identity on campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Gaining excessive weight during pregnancy is associated with immediate maternal and fetal complications as well as longer term obesity. Prepregnancy body mass index, age, and smoking cessation have been related to gestational weight gain (GWG); however, less is known about how eating behaviors, that may be amenable to modification and have been related to weight gain outside of pregnancy, affect GWG. Methods The present study evaluated the relationship of dietary restraint and disinhibition to GWG in a sample of women ( n = 248) who quit smoking before or early in pregnancy. Women self-reported height and prepregnancy weight during their third trimester. GWG was calculated by subtracting prepregnancy weight from third trimester weight. The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire assessed restraint and disinhibition. Results Average GWG was 14.60 (±7.64) kg and 47% of women had a GWG greater than the Institute of Medicine recommendations. Linear regression models were used to examine restraint and disinhibition as correlates of GWG, and multinomial logistic regressions were utilized to determine whether eating behaviors were associated with inadequate or excessive GWG. Restraint was associated positively with total GWG, but disinhibition was not associated with GWG. Thus, conscious attempts to restrict intake were associated with GWG beyond the influence of covariates. Conclusion These findings highlight the potential influence of modifiable eating behaviors on GWG and demonstrate the need for additional research to determine how these behaviors relate to GWG over the course of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses miscellaneous topics including an introduction to the journal and a speech by Jan M. Levine, director of Legal Research & Writing Program at the Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It discusses the Fourth Colonial Frontier Legal Writing Conference "Teaching the Academically Underprepared Law Student" held in December 2014. It mentions legal writing teaching and the book "The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains" by Nicholas Carr.

The emergence of recovery as an organizing construct for behavioral health public policy and the resulting push to increase the recovery orientation of addiction treatment have sparked renewed questions about the prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) remission/recovery within the general population. The present study reports findings on recovery-related questions imbedded within a public health survey conducted in Philadelphia and four adjacent counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The results reveal an adult recovery prevalence rate (9.4%) comparable to rates found in national surveys, but key measures of physical, emotional, and social health of adults in recovery suggest the need for assertive, sustained, and community-based approaches to recovery management that transcend brief episodes of professional intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Obesity is a demonstrated barrier to obtaining health care. Its impact on obtaining prenatal care (PNC) is unknown. Our objective was to determine if obesity is an independent barrier to accessing early and adequate PNC. Study Design We performed a retrospective cohort study of women who initiated PNC and delivered at our institution in 2005. Body mass index (BMI) was categorized by World Health Organization guidelines: underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥30 kg/m2). Maternal history and delivery information were obtained through chart abstraction. Differences in gestational age at first visit (GA-1) and adequate PNC were evaluated by BMI category. Data were compared using X2 and nonparametric analyses. Results Overall, 410 women were evaluated. The median GA-1 was 11.1 weeks and 69% had adequate PNC. There was no difference in GA-1 or adequate PNC by BMI category (p = 0.17 and p = 0.66, respectively). When BMI groups were dichotomized into obese and nonobese women, there was no difference in GA-1 or adequate PNC (p =0.41). Conclusion In our population, obesity is not an independent barrier to receiving early and adequate PNC. Future work is warranted in evaluating the association between obesity and PNC and the perceived barriers to obtaining care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. Prenatal smoking is a preventable risk factor for poor perinatal outcomes and is more prevalent in pregnant smokers of low socioeconomic status (SES). We describe the intervention model and factors associated with quitting from the Pittsburgh STOP Program, an evidence-informed dissemination intervention for low-SES pregnant smokers. Setting. STOP is delivered in community health care clinics serving economically disadvantaged women. Participants. Participants were 856 pregnant women who were current smokers (93%) and recent quitters (7%). Most were white (59%) or black (35%), single (74%), young (mean age = 25), and experiencing an unplanned pregnancy (84%); 90% were insured by Medicaid/uninsured. Methods. An evidence-informed intervention for community pregnant women was delivered individually in a single-group pre-post evaluation design. Measures were demographics, participation and retention, smoking status, satisfaction, and cost. Analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results. Participants attended an average of 4.7 sessions. Dropout rate after the first session was 5%. Over 11% of smokers quit; 48% of preenrollment spontaneous quitters remained abstinent. Factors significantly associated with quitting included race, mother's age, nicotine dependence, and number of sessions attended. Limitations. STOP is a community program with self-selected participants and no control group. Conclusion. Low-income pregnant smokers will engage in an evidence-informed cessation program tailored for this group, with quit rates that compare to controlled research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has recently experienced a heritage crisis and renewal precipitated by the closing of the Bon Ton, the last downtown department store, and the shuttering of the landmark Watt and Shand Building. Having been the anchor of Penn Square, the city's physical and social center, the Watt and Shand was perceived by many as a central component of local identity formation, reflecting not only its importance as a manifestation of tangible heritage, but its importance as an arena for the negotiation of the intangible heritage of ritualized consumerism. This article examines the processes of heritage creation and urban renewal by exploring the closing of the Watt and Shand Building, how and why alternative uses of the building were negotiated, and how an alternative heritage narrative emerged through an archaeological investigation of the homes of a radical congressman, Thaddeus Stevens, and his African American associate, Lydia Hamilton Smith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with the pressures faced by the health care industry in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to reduce health-care expenses within the public sector particularly in the treatment of alcohol and drug dependence. Information on the concept of medical necessity and treatment of substance dependence; Discussion on the general problems with the application of medical necessity; Details on the concept of social necessity and responsibility.

Historic sites serve as windows into the past that rely on material culture to narrate the past to the public. This narration serves as a dialogue between archaeologists and the public, creating a relationship that shapes community and individual awareness of heritage. However, heritage is a mediated and constructed concept that expresses particular histories to support specific agendas, ranging from scholarly archaeological research to urban renewal and redevelopment. The Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, provides an opportunity to examine how the creation and interpretation of a heritage tourism destination combine to create a form of public archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philadelphia attempted to expand the access to and continuity of addiction treatment by focusing on the 15% of patients who received multiple, detoxification-only (MDO) treatments each year. Clinical Case Managers at five detoxification centers encouraged MDO patients to continue care following detoxification in methadone, residential, or outpatient rehabilitation, and sustain improvements, and they recommended opening detoxification access for additional patients as well. System administrative information was available for one year prior and three years during the intervention. Counts of unduplicated patients within each year and measures of the length and type of treatment episodes determined the intervention effects. Records from a sub-sample of 100 MDO patients were examined to assess specific changes in system utilization. Over three years, 890 MDO patients were case managed and had received assessment, referral, and transport to health care and sober living. The sub-sample of case-managed MDO patients showed a 55% reduction in detoxification-only admissions, a 70% increase in use of rehabilitation, and a twenty-day increase in the average length of stay per episode. Though there are noted limitations in the evaluation design, the findings are consistent with the view that individual case management of MDO patients may improve the clinical appropriateness and administrative efficiency of public addiction treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the learning communities program at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Faculty development activities; Workshops; Mentoring.