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We investigated environmental supports, an understudied aspect of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), with rural Appalachian youth, an understudied population. We developed a new measure of proximal influences that bolster the pursuit of postsecondary education, the Assessment of Postsecondary Supports (APSS). Across 3 studies, we develop and validate the new measure, finding strong internal consistency and construct validity. Moreover, scores on the APSS were positively correlated with college-going self-efficacy (CGSE) and college outcome expectations (COE), explaining more unique variance than a measure of perceived educational barriers.

The evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) technology offers promising solutions to underserved populations in the United States. AI tools can reduce college access and academic barriers for low-income students, first-generation college students, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and students living in rural areas. While AI tools offer support to college students from all demographics, they offer uniquely individualized assistance to underserved students to overcome the complex postsecondary schooling challenges they face. Examples of the nuanced, often complex, obstacles faced by these vulnerable students are discussed along with brief descriptions of AI tools that can help. AI tools leverage the power of high-speed computing, expansive access to information, machine learning capabilities, and natural language processing. Utilizing the power of AI tools, vulnerable learners can increase their access to financial, academic, and social resources needed to attend and be successful in postsecondary education. AI tools also help close opportunity gaps as they provide means by which college students gain increased independence and control over their educational and career journeys. Note that the AI tools referenced in this article are included as examples only. We encourage ongoing discussion of AI-powered tools and solutions to help underserved students gain more access to higher education and get individualized support for vulnerable learners.

Drawing on the bioecological theory developed by Bronfenbrenner, the researchers of this study examined four environmental systems--microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem--for gifted children in Israel as perceived by their parents, focusing on a comparison between rural and central contexts. The rural context comprises peripheral areas that are located in distant areas and characterized by small settlements. The central context refers to settlements that are located in the center of the country, characterized by large urban municipalities. The researchers developed a questionnaire that was taken by 284 Israeli parents of gifted students. Results indicated that parents perceived the macrosystem as less contributory to the development of gifted students in rural areas. Parents in rural areas also believed the governance system was less supportive of the needs of gifted students and offered fewer practical and educational and learning resources. The microsystem, in contrast, was seen as contributory in rural areas: Community, friends, and home/family were significantly stronger in the rural context. Thus, the contribution of the microsystem seems to balance the weaknesses or shortcomings of the macrosystem. This study identifies the best systems for gifted students in rural areas by highlighting the importance of the community while also pointing out the lack of support from government.

Child labour disrupts education, but there is scant research on the reciprocal relationship: education disrupting child labour. We examined the link between school quality and child cocoa agricultural work in a sample of 2168 fifth-grade children from forty-one primary schools in rural Côte d'Ivoire. Children attending a higher quality school were less likely to work on a cocoa plantation. Specifically, quality infrastructure and teaching materials were associated with reduced cocoa agricultural activities, but not with domestic and economic activities. Against the backdrop of a global focus on improving education quality, we suggest that investments in quality education may serve the dual purpose of reducing child labour alongside improving children's learning outcomes.

Following substantial investments in battery production and fossil-free steel, a few select places in northern Sweden are currently undergoing rapid economic and cultural changes. The aim of this article is to explore the role language education plays for three different groups of (im)mobile subjects - refugees, labor migrants, and cosmopolitan elites - in the ongoing social transformations. By using the time-consuming and ideologically charged social practice of teaching and learning languages as a lens, it is argued that although framed as a sustainability project, the pace of the transformation is set by the accelerating logic of capitalism, posing a challenge to the democratic planning of inclusive local communities, as well as to societal subsystems characterized by much slower temporal regimes. Hence, although Sweden is committed to a "just transition" as part of the Paris Agreement, some are obviously benefiting much more than others from this transition. This paper further highlights the potentially high costs for the local communities that "win" the bids for the new green industries. Apart from considerable economic costs in the present, another result might also be increased social stratification and weakening social cohesion in the long term.

Land-based literacies scholars have worked to expand understandings of literacies to include often marginalized cultures who understand literacy as resulting from human and more-than-human relations. In this article, we contribute to this broadening of literacies with an analysis of how nature influences the meaning-making practices of rural, subaltern communities in the Global South. Our inspiration stems from indigenous scholars who have advanced indigenous and relational epistemologies, seeking to bridge the nature/culture divide that remains prevalent in Western thinking. The central question that guides this article is: How are Land-based literacies produced through the felt and sensed relationships with nature, history and culture in the Callemar community? Drawing on micro-analysis of participant-generated video data from two walks with Colombian youth and adults from the Callemar community, we illustrate ways naturecultures, specifically the assemblages of Land, collective memory and cultural practices, produce Land-based literacies. We describe Land- walking, including forest- and creek-crossing practices, as literacies that require reading and meaning-making with the Land, and that which allow individuals to relate to other beings and thrive in the changing landscape of their rural community. Our description and discussion of Land-based literacies in this rural community poses important implications for informing pluriversal literacies pedagogies that draw on local knowledges and contexts to make literacy learning more relevant and equitable. Furthermore, we describe the relevance of Land-based literacies for sustainable stewardship of the Land during times of drastic environmental change.

Studies of non-linguistic statistical learning (SL) have often linked performance in SL tasks with differences in language outcomes. Most of these studies have focused on Western and high-income educational contexts, but children worldwide learn in radically different educational systems and communities, and often in a second language. In the west African nation of Côte d'Ivoire, children enter fifth grade (CM-1) with widely varying ages and literacy skills. Across three iteratively-developed experiments, 157 children, age 8-15 years, in rural communities in the greater-Adzópe region of Côte d'Ivoire watched sequences of cartoon images with embedded triplet patterns on touchscreen tablets, while performing a target-detection task. We assessed these tablet-based adaptations of non-linguistic visual SL and asked whether the children's individual differences in performance on the SL tasks were related to their first and second language and literacy skills. We found group-level evidence that children used the statistical regularities in the image sequence to gradually decrease their response times, but their responses on post-test discrimination did not reflect this learning. When evaluating the correlation between SL and language skills, individual differences related to other task demands predicted oral language skills shared by first and second languages, while SL better predicted second language print skills. These findings suggest that non-linguistic SL paradigms can measure similar skills in Ivorian children as previous samples, but they also echo recent calls for further cross-cultural validation, greater internal reliability, and tests for confounding variables (such as processing speed) in studies of individual differences in statistical learning.

Executive functions (EFs) in early childhood are predictors of later developmental outcomes and school readiness. Much of the research on EFs and their psychosocial correlates has been conducted in high-income, minority world countries, which represent a small and biased portion of children globally. The aim of this study is to examine EFs among children aged 3-5 years in two African countries, South Africa (SA) and The Gambia (GM), and to explore shared and distinct predictors of EFs in these settings. The SA sample (N = 243, 51.9% female) was recruited from low-income communities within the Cape Town Metropolitan area. In GM, participants (N = 171, 49.7% female) were recruited from the rural West Kiang region. EFs, working memory (WM), inhibitory control (IC) and cognitive flexibility (CF), were measured using tablet-based tasks. Associations between EF task performance and indicators of socioeconomic status (household assets, caregiver education) and family enrichment factors (enrichment activities, diversity of caregivers) were assessed. Participants in SA scored higher on all EF tasks, but children in both sites predominantly scored within the expected range for their age. There were no associations between EFs and household or familial variables in SA, except for a trend-level association between caregiver education and CF. Patterns were similar in GM, where there was a trend-level association between WM and enrichment activities but no other relationships. We challenge the postulation that children in low-income settings have poorer EFs, simply due to lower socioeconomic status, but highlight the need to identify predictors of EFs in diverse, global settings.

The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of mental health services from the perspectives of adolescents with no prior service experience. Thirty students in the Transition Year (fourth year) of secondary school participated in this study: 22 females and 8 males, aged 15 to 16. There was equal distribution across rural and urban settings. Participants had no prior experience of accessing mental health services. Data were collected in secondary school settings in the Republic of Ireland. An interpretive description approach guided this study. Data were collected through individual interviews. To complement interviews, participants drew images of mental health care environments and mental health staff members; drawings were not subjected to analysis. Data (participant interviews) were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Three themes were identified. Participants suggested that "mental health services" differed from "psychiatric services," with the latter term perceived more negatively. Uncertainty about how to access these services was voiced. Considering the vulnerability of adolescents to the experience of mental distress, education around mental health services is warranted. It is expected that provision of education in this area would enhance service delivery, improve adolescents' help-seeking behaviors for mental distress, and reduce stigma.

Suicide rates among Black youth have risen faster than any other racial/ethnic group in the past two decades. Black youth residing in rural areas are subject to systemic challenges such as minimal access to mental healthcare providers, generational poverty and oppressive social structures that lead to racial discrimination. Racial discrimination places rural Black youth at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and suicide. Protective factors have been found to mitigate the negative impact of racial discrimination on mental health, but there is limited research covering suicidality and Black youth. This scoping review explores what is known about the role of protective factors in moderating the association between racism/discrimination and suicide risk among Black youth in the United States. Findings were mixed regarding the influence of protective factors in moderating the effects of racial discrimination on suicide risk and more exploration among Black youth in impoverished rural areas is warranted.

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the tensions between rural community needs and politicized state-level school closure mandates. District leaders faced competing demands of meeting the basic needs of vulnerable families, supporting the mental health of students and teachers, protecting the health of all community members, and creating new opportunities for learning. This study examines how rural district leaders responded to these challenges through the lens of caring. This lens highlights how district leaders responded to their contexts, as well as their perceptions of student, family, and staff needs in ethically grounded and politically savvy ways. We draw on semi-structured interviews with 12 rural district leaders in eight districts. District leaders in this study described caring as something that is intentionally enacted and identified several aspects that contributed to a caring district: a welcoming culture, taking an interest in individuals, prioritizing wellbeing, developing relationships, extending empathy and grace for people, and helping individuals see themselves as part of a larger community. Leaders made efforts to set the tone for and model care, build relationships with students, teachers, parents, and community members, and enact servant leadership to support others. We conclude by examining the ways that applying an ethic of care illustrates how leaders identify needs and the strategies they use to respond to those needs in a responsive, place-attuned way.

Despite initiatives by key actors in the last two decades, Early Childhood Development in Ghana, measured by physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional development of children up to 8 years of age, remains poor. This study aimed to assess Ghana's Early Childhood Development (ECD) status and determinants by analyzing the Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2017/18 data. Among the 3801 Ghanaian children (35-59 months; 1880 males), 42.7% were developmentally on track in literacy-numeracy, 93.6% in physical, 68.2% in social-emotional, 82.3% in learning, and about 67% in at least 3 of the 4 domains. Multiple logistic regression analyses suggest a positive association between ECD and female sex of children, their age, mothers' attendance in any ECD programs, mothers' educational qualification, and household wealth. On the other hand, evidence of a negative association was observed between ECD and child disability, stunting status of children, maternal disability, the number of days children were left alone for more than an hour, and residence in a rural area. The level of maternal education may be implicated in ECD policies as it affected several ECD domains.

Phonological awareness (PA) is an important predictor and outcome of reading. Yet, little is known about the reciprocal relation between PA and reading across development without consistent reading experience (e.g., as a result of limited access to quality education and late enrolment in school). We tested the hypothesis that variable reading experience in childhood influences neural activation in regions involved in language and reading processing--left frontal and temporoparietal cortex. Sixty-nine primary-school children (M[subscript age] = 10.4) from rural low-literacy communities in Côte d'Ivoire completed a PA task while undergoing functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging (fNIRS) neuroimaging and a reading battery. We observed differences in left inferior frontal and bilateral temporoparietal activation for younger versus older children with similar reading skills, suggesting neural activations for phonological processing depends on the age when children have reading experience. Without consistent access to quality education, children may miss out on reciprocal interactions between phonological processing and reading shaping language processing in the brain.

Purpose: Many young children in need of early intervention are not identified in a timely manner. This preliminary study explored the emerging role of speech language pathologists (SLPs), providing training to improve the use of developmental screening in pediatric primary care. Method: A quantitative, descriptive methodology with a one-group pretest, posttest interventional design was utilized to assess the impact of an SLP-led educational intervention on the knowledge of 17 paraprofessional medical support personnel to administer a standardized developmental screening tool. Results: Data analysis revealed a significant increase on knowledge posttest scores from pretest scores. Conclusion: SLPs providing educational training in pediatric primary care is an important first step in identifying solutions to improving the early identification of children with developmental concerns.

Female, Black, Latinx, Native American, low-income, and rural students remain underrepresented among computer science undergraduate degree recipients. Along with student, family, and secondary school characteristics, college organizational climate, curricula, and instructional practices shape undergraduates' experiences that foster persistence until graduation. Our quasi-experimental project, "Improving the Persistence and Success of Students from Underrepresented Populations in Computer Science" (I-PASS), is designed to augment students' persistence until they earn their computer science degree. Drawing on prior research, including Tinto's model of effective institutional actions for retention, I-PASS Scholars--all low-income, female and/or members of underserved demographics groups--receive a four-year scholarship; mentoring, tutoring, advising; and opportunities to integrate into the academic and social life of the campus. Students' written reflections and attitude surveys suggest I-PASS's components foster their retention by, among other mechanisms, enhancing their computer science identity development and sense of belonging in the major.

The article presents a SWOT analysis of a long-term outdoor environmental education program, on-going since 1996. In this program, the fifth-grade classes in a public elementary school in a rural region of northern Israel have been contributing to the conservation of the Lesser Kestrel, an endangered species. The program is based on outdoor activities, continuing throughout the year. Students learn about the Lesser Kestrels, usually outdoors, build nesting boxes, and guide an adult audience on a special day held as part of their outdoor activities. The aim of the study was to understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) that enable the ongoing existence of the Lesser Kestrel outdoor environmental education program at this school. Twenty-four professionals from different backgrounds, all having several years' familiarity with the program, participated in the study and provided their perspectives. The SWOT analysis was based on the deductive content analysis and used a triangulation, including a focus group, semi-structured interviews, and a questionnaire. The results relate to the Lesser Kestrels, students, teachers and school administration, parents, and the regional council. The strengths and opportunities seem to outweigh the threats and weaknesses of such a program, enabling the program's long-term success. In summary, it can be proffered that long-term outdoor environmental education programs which enable the achievement of environmental education goals over time can have significant positive impacts, both environmentally and with the communities involved, and are sustainable, given appropriate attention is given to relationships involving experts and funding bodies.

The role and importance of sustainability are increasing multi-fold, and responsible organizations across the globe are aligning with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Integrating the UN SDGs into marketing education, especially curriculum, has received scant attention in the marketing education literature, even though 880 business schools have become Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatories. This exploratory study attempts to address the gap. It describes an instructor's attempt to integrate two SDGs, 8 and 12, into a marketing elective course, BoP & Rural Markets, using an experiential rural market project. The students were asked to use the lens of SDG 8 and 12 to understand the rural marketplace and its stakeholders during their field visit. This article describes the rural market project, spread across four experiential learning stages, and assesses its impact on sensitizing the students about SDGs. The whole experience, with its challenges and potential areas for improvement, is shared, and some lessons for marketing educators are identified. Finally, this article highlights some limitations of the approach and pinpoints directions for future work. In sum, this experiential project, a unique pedagogical intervention, helped increase the participants' awareness and encouraged them to come up with possible recommendations for the issues around the two SDGs.

Background: With the growing integration of technology in education, the adoption of blended learning (b-learning) has gained attention. B-learning combines traditional classroom teaching with online components, holding potential to enhance student outcomes and educational efficiency. Yet, current research predominantly concentrates on higher education institutions in urban areas, creating a void in understanding its impact on K-12 education, particularly in rural settings. Objectives: This qualitative study aims to propose recommendations for successful implementation of blended learning in rural K-12 areas by addressing the key stakeholders influencing its adoption and identifying the main factors affecting its success. Methods: We performed a content analysis of grey literature documents detailing the implementation of b-learning in K-12 education. Additionally, interviews with crucial stakeholders such as teachers, principals, and experts in rural schools in South America provide insights into the challenges and prospects of b-learning adoption in these contexts. Results and Conclusions: The study identifies pivotal stakeholders for effective b-learning implementation, outlining their roles and addressing challenges inherent in rural settings. Recommendations for enhancing b-learning's implementation in developing countries are also proposed. The research underscores the significance of involving diverse stakeholders such as governmental bodies, school leaders, educators, students, and families to ensure a holistic and efficient approach to blended learning.

Childcare providers experience a variety of mental and physical challenges that impact their personal wellbeing as well as the quality of care they provide for children. Rural family childcare (FCCH) providers--an individual who professionally provides care to children within their home--may especially need resources to support their physical and mental wellbeing. An existing program, Here For You, For Them (HERE), may be able to support these providers; however, previous testing of the program has only been conducted in childcare centers. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the HERE program for rural FCCH providers. 27 rural FCCH providers took part in a 16-week pilot study of the HERE program focused on mindfulness techniques and practices. Participants attended a monthly virtual training and received an activity pack consisting of different activity ideas including breathing techniques, mantras, yoga poses, and yoga stories. Participants completed bi-weekly implementation surveys and a post-intervention survey and semi-structured interview. Overall, the breathing activities were one of the most implemented activities and took the least amount of time (< 5 min). Providers stated they enjoyed the flexibility of the program and the activities but felt some of the yoga poses and stories were difficult to implement. Common barriers included challenges with children's behavior and the age of children as well as time constraints. Overall, the HERE program appeared feasible and acceptable for rural FCCH providers. Future efforts should consider providing additional wellbeing support for FCCH providers.

Grounded on scholarly works this study examined the lived experiences of children in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church school through the lens of a child rights-based approach. Three articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) were chosen as an analytical framework. The review revealed that the vast majority of "Yekolo Temari" joined the EOC school with their own interest, but the practice left them deprived of the family environment. They needed the protection and care necessary for their well-being. This study recommends that the government of Ethiopia and all stakeholders enforce domestic laws that ensure the well-being of Yekolo Temari.

Our study examines the organising of transitions in Vocational Education and Training in a rural Norwegian municipality. In Norway, Vocational Education and Training is diverse and interlinked in continual organising. Organising, in this context, is a continuous set of actions forming recognisable patterns that become institutions. An upper secondary Vocational Education and Training case study was conducted in a rural municipality. The case study included interviews with students, teachers, leaders and company representatives. The study investigated in what ways the organising of rural Vocational Education and Training supported students' crossroads and transitions to limit marginalisation. The findings indicate that actants in the network, as well as a balance between individuals' needs and labour market requirements, are stabilising factors. The interdisciplinary training office is an important choreographer in active networking, and it is also important for teachers and students to bridge over and interact with Vocational Education and Training companies early on in their education. Transition as a path to inclusion is a learning and developmental process that occurs in continuous, alternating interactions between education and work.

This article provides a review of existing research on youth transitions within regional, remote and rural communities. Results were organised according to the Systems Theory Framework of Career Development, highlighting the importance of geographical location as an environmental influence within the career decision-making process. By deploying a scoping review methodology it was determined that educational institutions, the employment market, socioeconomic status and families are the most significant influences on the career decision-making processes for young people in regional, remote and rural communities. Future research in this area would involve an examination of these four areas.

Research has shown the importance of responsive caregiving for fostering positive development early in life; however, tools measuring these interactions are often impractical for larger scale intervention trials and in settings with resource constraints. The present study provides reliability and validity evidence from Sindh, Pakistan for a tool developed to quantify responsive caregiving. Data were collected from 200 randomly selected households on responsive caregiving, sociodemographic characteristics, early learning, and early child development. The results indicated that the responsive care tool can be feasibly administered in less than 5 min in a low-resource setting. An exploratory factor analysis found that the tool's indicators reliably loaded onto two distinct factors, responsive interactions and caregiver-initiated interactions, accounting for 96.01% of the underlying variation in scores. A confirmatory factor analysis reflecting input from modification indices showed satisfactory fit statistics and adequate factor loadings (all above 0.70). Internal consistencies of the two factors were also high, with alphas of 0.93 and 0.83, respectively. Convergent validity of the responsive interactions factor was demonstrated by a strong and positive correlation with measures of psychosocial stimulation, early learning, maternal education, and household wealth. Predictive validity of the responsive interactions factor was demonstrated by a strong and positive association with child development. The caregiver-initiated interactions factor was significantly and negatively associated with psychosocial stimulation and child development. The resulting evidence provides programs with an open access, observational, reliable, and valid measure to quantify responsive caregiving at the program level in low-resource settings.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relations among children's symbolic functioning at 15 months, joint attention at 24 months, expressive communication at 24 and 36 months, and executive functioning at 36 months. With the sample from rural areas in the United States collected by the Family Life Project (N = 1,008), a longitudinal data analysis was conducted. The results of structural equation modeling suggested that children's symbolic functioning at 15 months and children's executive functioning at 36 months was directly related to each other. These two variables were also indirectly related to each other through joint attention at 24 months and expressive communication at 24 and 36 months. Psychological distancing and verbal and nonverbal communication were used to explain the role symbolic functioning plays in the development of executive functioning during the second and the third years of children's lives.

Prevalence estimates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) point to geographic and socioeconomic disparities in identification and diagnosis. Estimating national prevalence rates can limit understanding of local disparities, especially in rural areas where disproportionately higher rates of poverty and decreased healthcare access exist. Using a small area estimation approach from the 2016-2018 National Survey of Children's Health (N = 70,913), we identified geographic differences in ASD prevalence, ranging from 4.38% in the Mid-Atlantic to 2.71% in the West South-Central region. Cluster analyses revealed "hot spots" in parts of the Southeast, East coast, and Northeast. This geographic clustering of prevalence estimates suggests that local or state-level differences in policies, service accessibility, and sociodemographics may play an important role in identification and diagnosis of ASD.County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children in the United States.

This study takes a social cognitive approach in examining the relationship between elements of the adolescent self-system (self-efficacy, self-esteem, ethnic-racial identity, and hope) in addition to state-mandated graduation tests, with students' later participation in higher education. The quantitative investigation of 733 tenth-grade White (462) and Ethnically Minoritized (271) students and a sub-sample of 29 qualitatively studied adolescents in a semi-rural town in Ohio used a concurrent mixed-methods longitudinal approach. A logistic regression analysis found only adolescent math scores positively predicted later enrollment in higher education; but self-efficacy negatively predicted later college enrollment. Triangulation of additional analyses, including t-tests, and in-depth interviews, suggest how perceptions of the self-system may differ among White and Ethnically Minoritized populations. These differences may be influenced by the degree to which youth pay attention to academic success as a contributing factor to their own self-analysis of their self-system.

Despite agreement that teaching on professional boundaries is needed, the design of health profession curricula is challenged by a lack of research on how boundaries are maintained and disagreement on where boundaries should be drawn. Curricula constrained by these challenges can leave graduates without formal preparation for practice conditions. Dual role or overlapping relationships are an example: they continue to be taught as boundary crossings amidst mounting evidence that they must be routinely navigated in small, interconnected communities. In this study, we examined how physicians are navigating overlapping personal (non-sexual) and professional relationships with the goal to inform teaching and curricula on professional boundaries. Following constructivist grounded theory methodology, 22 physicians who had returned to their rural, northern and/or remote hometown in British Columbia, Canada or who had lived and practised in a such a community for decades were interviewed in iterative cycles informed by analysis. We identified four strategies described by physicians for regulating multiple roles within overlapping relationships: (a) "signalling" the appropriate role for the current context; (b) "separating" roles by redirecting an interaction to an appropriate context; (c) "switching" roles by pushing the appropriate role forward into the context and pulling other roles into the background; and (d) "suspending" an interfering role by ending a relationship. Negotiating boundaries within overlapping relationships may involve monitoring role clarity and role alignment, while avoiding role conflict. The enacted role regulation strategies could be critically assessed within teaching discussions on professional boundaries and also analyzed through further ethics research.

The purpose of this study is to provide an insight view about the challenges to female government college principals and vice principals in Chitral, Pakistan. The study uses in-depth interviews for data collection and on the basis of predetermined criteria, the study participants were selected. The findings of the study explain that in district Chitral female government college principals and vice principals face socio-cultural, religious, and political challenges in their work place and remain under tremendous pressure that leads to limit their efficiency and restrict their professional growth. However, very few principals and vice principals are satisfied with their jobs because of supportive families. Therefore, the study recommends that these aspects be placed before forums for consideration to rightly empower the female principalship/education leadership for assurance of quality female education in Chitral and Pakistan, through real delegation of power with a conducive environment to female government college principals and vice principals.

Background: More than 20 million children in the United States lack access to primary health care. Practice Learning: Research shows that students with regular access to physical and mental health services have fewer absences, are more social, less likely to participate in risky behaviors, have improved focus and higher test scores. Implication For School Health Policy, Practice, And Equity: School-based health centers (SBHCs) can be an important, valuable and viable health care delivery option to meet the full-range of primary health care needs of students where they spend the majority of their wake hours, ie, in school. Children in rural and other underserved communities, as well as those underinsured, non-insured, economically challenged, underserved, and the most vulnerable among us are especially at risk. Conclusions: This paper discusses the history, value, and importance of SBHCs from myriad perspectives, including physical and emotional wellbeing, academic and social success, and the promotion of a positive transition to adulthood. In addition, the authors' experiences that resulted in building the first SBHC in the Mid-Hudson Valley Region of New York State are shared. These experiences form the foundation for creating an important roadmap for individuals and school leaders that are interested in bringing a SBHC to their school and district.

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to explore sustainability in mitigating managerial challenges faced by women principals in rural primary schools. The main research question guiding this study is: "What strategies can be employed to enhance sustainability in mitigating the managerial challenges experienced by women principals in primary schools, particularly in rural areas?" This qualitative study draws upon a comprehensive review of scholarly books and articles, serving as the foundational framework for the research. Data collection is conducted through qualitative methods aligned with the interpretive paradigm allowing for a deep exploration of the experiences and perspectives of women principals. Findings from this study highlight a multitude of challenges faced by women principals in rural primary schools including limited resources, societal expectations, and gender biases. Despite these challenges, many women principals demonstrate resilience and innovative approaches in their leadership roles. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to the understanding of gender dynamics in educational leadership within rural settings, shedding light on unique challenges faced by women in these roles. Policymakers, school leaders, and aspirant deputy principals can benefit from the insights gleaned from this study. These recommendations include the need for tailored support mechanisms for women principals in rural areas, professional development opportunities focusing on leadership skills and gender equity, and policy interventions aimed at addressing systemic barriers to women's advancement in educational leadership roles. Attempts in implementing these recommendations, stakeholders can foster more inclusive and supportive environments for women principals in rural primary schools, ultimately enhancing the quality of education and leadership within these communities.

This article reflects on the connection between education, development, and social capital through the example of a specific type of rural school called Family Education Alternating Cycle Centers (CEFFA, the acronym for Centros Educativos Familiares de Formación en Alternancia). CEFFA schools are based on the concept of a cycle that alternates between learning periods spent in the socio-professional environment of the students and periods spent in school. Driven by family-run associations and other local actors, these schools pursue personal and local development, with a bottom-up approach based on the protagonism of the beneficiaries, especially in rural areas. To achieve this development through education, the schools provide young people with a comprehensive education associated with vocational training and introduce the needs of the territorial context into the curriculum. In this way, they ensure the relevance of learning. This article examines how these schools maintain a strong associative life that is strengthened by the social capital created around them. After defining the school associations, we describe their specific characteristics and some requirements for their adequate functioning. The CEFFA results suggest that we can reimagine a more people-centered education in which families and other community actors are committed to sustainable local development and transformative learning through the use of the power of social capital.

Objective: The goal of this study was to report on the development and early usability of a new interactive mHealth app for reducing cardiovascular risk in primary care patients of low socioeconomic status attending clinics in Chile. Design: Mixed-methods design with qualitative and quantitative components. Setting: Three Chilean primary care clinics located in one urban (Santiago) and two rural areas (San Clemente and Chiguayante). Each clinic serves a population of about 24,000 people of generally low socioeconomic status with an average of 8.5 years of education. Methods: A qualitative co-design participatory framework was used to develop the "Mi Salud-APS" mHealth app. Three iterations of virtual workshops were held with healthcare providers and patient participants to develop the new app. Once developed, the usability phase identified, invited and followed up for 3 months a sample of primary care patients with moderate (N = 119) or high (N = 329) cardiovascular risk. Results: A total of 24 healthcare providers and 24 patients participated in the developmental workshops. Three emergent categories represented the core attributes for the mHealth app design: 'Friendly', 'Interactive' and 'Pertinent'. In the usability phase of the sample of 448 patients, 98% downloaded the app, and 64.6% of them logged in and used it for an average of 1.46 (0.5-10) times weekly. Conclusion: Findings suggest that patient and healthcare provider contributions to the development of the mHealth app accurately reflect the interests and experiences of both groups and together helped achieve the high usability levels observed among primary care patients enrolled in clinics in underserved communities.

School reopening is essential for restoring normalcy after a period of disruption. However, executing this endeavor during a pandemic requires a comprehensive strategy to ensure success. Consulting stakeholders is consequently crucial for informed and inclusive policies. Prior works recruited public officials, health authorities, teachers, and parents. Unfortunately, students were often not involved in such consultations. The present study addressed this gap by uncovering the sentiments and concerns on school reopening among higher education students. A total of 223 students enrolled in public and private universities from rural and urban areas participated in the study. Based on their reflective essays, students have mixed sentiments about returning to school during the pandemic and highlight safety, academic, health, and financial concerns as major areas requiring attention. It is now incumbent upon governments, schools, policymakers, and education leaders to carefully analyze and incorporate the findings of this study into their back-to-school guidelines and strategies. With informed decision-making and evidenced-based policy, we can build back a stronger and more resilient education system that equitably serves all students in the post-pandemic world.

This article draws on existing research, including publicly available data, to identify changes in Colombian HE which have led to its progressive massification and neoliberalisation. These include the introduction of standardised testing; endogenous and exogenous privatisation (Ball and Youdell, 2007); the expansion of the country's non-income contingent loan scheme; cost-cutting and cost-sharing; and the Government of Colombia's prioritisation of technical and technological (T&T) education. The article then explores some implications of this neoliberal massification of Colombian HE for the achievement of the UN's sustainable development goals in general and more specifically Sustainable Development Target 4.3, which is the only target to explicitly reference inclusion in HE. The analysis suggests that although some neoliberal policies may have broadened access to HE for some Colombians from low-income and rural backgrounds, they are not consistent with a sustainable development agenda. Reasons for this include the large number of student loans recipients who are in arrears; the use of public money to finance students' courses in private higher education institutions (HEIs); the prioritisation of T&T education which leaves limited room in Colombian HE for the 'full development of the human personality' (OHCHR, 2022: article 13.1); and the country's overreliance on non-renewable resources for its economic prosperity. The paper ends with some proposals for disrupting the ongoing neoliberalisation of higher learning in Colombia such as the replacement of the country's non-contingent loan scheme with an income-contingent model; improving the efficiency and accountability of state-run T&T programmes; the granting of student loans only for courses at accredited HEIs; the provision of loans to accredited private HEIs only in cases where no public alternative exists; the abolition of tuition fees in public HEIs for the poorest students; the introduction of stipend-supported internships; and the promotion of Civic Education.

This intervention study aimed to assess mothers' knowledge of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). It also measured the impact of a health education program on their level of knowledge and their infants' IDA rates in rural areas of Nablus Governorate. Using a randomized pretest--posttest control group design, the efficacy of 3 months' education program was examined against control group. Assessments were made at baseline and after 3 months of conducting the intervention. A structured interviewing questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge about IDA, and blood samples were collected from infants in both groups. Only 1.9% of mothers in the intervention group and 3.5% of mothers in the control group had good level of knowledge at baseline. After the educational intervention, a significant statistical difference was observed in the mean total knowledge score between the intervention and control groups (33.68 + 5.366 versus 26.12 + 5.243), and the intervention group was seven times more likely to have good knowledge (relative risk = 7.332). Regarding IDA rate, there was a decrease in the infants with IDA in the intervention group (relative risk = 0.671) compared to infants in the control group. The planned health education program was effective in improving mothers' knowledge and reducing the risk of IDA among their infants.

Policy makers in California intend to provide free preschool to all 4-year-olds solely within public schools by 2026, becoming the nation's second largest single pre-K program in the United States after Head Start. This initiative builds on the state's existing Transitional Kindergarten (TK) option that has served a modest share of 4-year-olds since 2010. Tracing the historical growth in TK enrollments, we find that just 30, mostly urban school districts, enrolled two-fifths of all children served by 2020, responding to funding incentives and displaying stronger organizational capacity. Meanwhile, one-third of California's nearly one thousand districts enrolled fewer than 12 TK children. Black, white, and Asian children remained disproportionally under-enrolled as a share of their respective populations, as enrollments climbed past 90,000 children prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying factors that may explain widely differing gains in TK enrollment, merging education and local census data, we find the suburbs began to catch-up with cities in serving additional 4-year-olds, as well as districts offering school choice (e.g., charter schools). We discuss implications for other nations attempting to rapidly expand preschool, including the inequities that may inadvertently arise.

Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) frequently experience depression and health care-related stigma. Health care satisfaction is important for seeking care, but little is known about SGM health care satisfaction, and especially as it relates to depression among rural SGM. From May 25 to July 2, 2021, we surveyed rural Illinois (IL) individuals aged [greater than or equal to] 18 years on the topics of demographics, depression, health care satisfaction, past health care experiences, internalized stigma, and victimization. Among the 398 respondents, the gender identity distribution included cisgender males and females (171 and 203, respectively) and transgender males and females (8 and 7, respectively), while sexual orientation included heterosexuals (114), gay/lesbians (143), and other orientations (141). Analyses were conducted with respect to both identity and orientation (and their interaction). In univariate analysis, transgender individuals were more likely than cisgender to screen positive for depression and less likely to report feeling accepted by their medical provider. Compared to heterosexual respondents, gay/lesbians and other orientations were more likely to screen positive for depression. In logistic regression, factors associated with increased risk of depression included nonheterosexual orientation and past poor health care experiences. In linear regression, factors most commonly associated with the seven satisfaction subscales include: sexual orientation, past poor experiences, and employment. There were significant differences in depression across both sexual orientation and gender identity, and in health care satisfaction by sexual orientation. Rural SGMs are more vulnerable to depression and less likely to report satisfactory care. As health care engagement is critical for screening and care adherence, engaging rural SGM in a routine and satisfactory fashion is needed.

This study assesses adults' perceptions of and predictors of intention to use prescription drug take-back boxes. This mixed methods study utilized focus groups and an online survey to examine factors related to intention to use a prescription drug take-back box. This study was conducted in [State] during the spring and summer of 2018. Themes identified in focus group data included the importance of take-back box location, benefits of take-back box use (such as reducing opportunities for medication misuse), and barriers to take-back box use (such as lack of awareness, stigma associated with law enforcement). Survey results indicate that pharmacies are the most preferred take-back box location and that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are statistically significant predictors of intention to use a take-back box. Results suggest that individuals are open to using take-back boxes in secure, convenient locations, but many arsoe unaware of take-back boxes as an option for safe disposal. These findings have implications for health communication and policy efforts designed to increase the use of take-back boxes for prescription drug disposal.

Background: The main goal of a health system is to maintain or improve people's health. The COVID-19 pandemic showed the fragility of health systems worldwide. In Mexico, the pandemic affected the performance of the health system, along with the presence of contextual conditions such as its segmentation and high prevalence of chronic diseases. Aims: To analyze from an approach to the functions of the health system, the service delivery, human resources, financing, and stewardship/governance in the local health services of five states of Mexico, from the perspective of the staff working in health centers. Methods: This is an exploratory qualitative study conducted from November 2020 to August 2021, involving 124 health professionals from 39 health facilities (18 rural and 21 urban). The technique used was the semi-structured interview. Interview guides were developed according to core topics. Subsequently, the thematic analysis method was used. Results: The lack of financial resources delayed prevention efforts and made it difficult for health centers to adapt to the crisis. Inequity was found in the distributive efficiency of staff between rural and urban areas and levels of care. In addition, there was evidence of capacity for coordination, capacity sharing, and joint participation between health institutions, civil authorities, and the population to face the emergency. Conclusions: We identified relevant public health actions that showed the capacity of local health services to organize a response to the pandemic at the level of the actors responsible for these services.

Families of children with developmental disabilities in rural and underserved areas may lack access to direct service providers. Global pandemics such as COVID-19 have further affected access to service providers for most children, often shifting services online and increasing the role of technology and involvement of parents and caregivers in intervention. Thus, there is a need to examine the characteristics and effects of caregiver implemented technology-based interventions for children with developmental disabilities. The present synthesis evaluates the research on caregiver implemented technology-based interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities aged 21 or younger. A systematic search of four electronic databases resulted in 14 single-case design studies which encompassed 58 participants with a developmental disability, along with 62 caregivers. Studies used a variety of technologies and involved strategies such as computer assisted instruction, self-management, and variations of video modeling. Interventions targeted a variety of outcomes and most incorporated behavioral strategies such as prompting or positive reinforcement. Results indicate positive outcomes without overly time intensive parent training; however, it is important to consider these findings within context of methodological strength, as only four included studies utilized strong experimental methods according to the evaluative framework provided by Reichow et al. (2008). Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are provided.

The need to foster resilience amongst young people with intellectual disabilities is increasingly recognised within policy. Critically, understanding of the actual means by which this aspiration might be most sensitively and effectively met is considered weak. This paper reports on an exploratory case-study of a social enterprise community café -- "The Usual Place" -- that through the promotion of employability, seeks to promote resilience amongst its young 'trainees' with intellectual disabilities. Two research questions were set: "how is 'resilience' conceptualized within the organisation" and "what features within the organisation are significant in fostering resilience"? We identify a range of significant features associated with being able to successfully foster resilience -- the need for a foundational 'whole organisation'(settings) approach based on high levels of participation and choice; the negotiation of a constructive dynamic tension between 'support' and 'exposure'; and the embedding of these actions in embodied actions and day-to-day organisational activities.

This study aims to provide a new perspective on the relationship between perceived teacher emotional support and externalizing problem behaviors among adolescents. Some studies have focused on the relationship between perceived teacher emotional support and externalizing problem behaviors. However, research on the underlying mechanism is still insufficient. Additionally, peer relationship, mental health, and parental knowledge have been ignored as a crucial factors. Altogether, 7101 Chinese rural adolescents aged 13-19 years completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire. The results show that: (1) perceived teacher emotional support has a protective effect against the development of externalizing problem behaviors; (2) peer relationship and mental health both have a mediating role in the relationship between perceived teacher emotional support and externalizing problem behaviors in rural adolescents; (3) perceived teacher emotional support can indirectly affect externalizing problem behaviors through the chain mediation of peer relationship and mental health; (4) parental knowledge has the potential to moderate the indirect impact by diminishing the association between perceived teacher emotional support and externalizing problem behaviors; and (5) the impact of perceived teacher emotional support on externalizing problem behaviors has significant gender differences. The protective impact was greater on boys than on girls. In relation to these findings, this study has discussed the possible reasons and made some practical suggestions to improve teacher emotional support among rural adolescents.

Increasing the health care work force is critical to underserved communities. Unfortunately, students in these areas lack accessibility to the clinical experiences needed to get an introductory understanding of careers in health care. Therefore, a health care experience (HCE) course was created for undergraduate students that included didactic training, active learning exercises, and coordinated shadowing experiences. To evaluate the effect of the HCE on student interest in science, health care, and rural health a study was performed on HCE participants. This study assessed student background, interest in health care, and plans for future careers in underserved settings. Students who enrolled in the HCE demonstrated high interest in science, health care, and rural health. Evaluation of student reflections indicated students attained novel learning, gained insights, and recognized the importance of communication. The HCE course students exhibited amplified confidence in HCEs and had a significant increase in understanding of health care compared with a control group of students who had not completed the HCE. Undergraduate institutions can include courses like the HCE into curricula to increase accessibility to career experiences for students interested in health care careers.

Numerous stereotypes of the veteran population miss the diverse backgrounds of veterans as a group, particularly that one quarter of known veterans are living in rural communities across the United States (VA, 2022). Despite the Federal focus on veteran rural health, there needs to be more literature available on veteran success in community colleges, particularly in rural-serving community colleges. Also, it is important to know more about how veteran student success influences the communities in which they live. This manuscript includes a comprehensive literature review examining rural veterans in the United States, particularly in higher education, and develops a framework for community colleges to better understand the needs of their rural veteran populations. We conclude by offering several promising practices to effectively serve this diverse population.

This paper aims to investigate whether online private supplementary education, also known as shadow education, can alleviate educational inequality and what types of mechanisms can help alleviate it. We investigate this using an online learning platform dataset (3,603 anonymous students from China) with additional data from multiple sources and employ geospatial analyses to measure students' socioeconomic, regional and rural/urban inequalities. We find that taking part in online education narrows the performance gap in mathematics between privileged and unprivileged students in terms of school status and regional disparity in China. Theoretically, two micro-level mechanisms explain the alleviating differences: (1) equal access mechanism: students from lower city tiers and low-status schools show greater score improvement when having equal access to online education; (2) equal quality mechanism: students from rural regions improve their in-class rankings more substantially if they receive equal quality online education with the same tutoring and learning environment alongside urban students. This study comprehensively looks at the different effects of two mechanisms of online education--equal access and equal quality--for alleviating various types of inequality. Thus we speak to both educational inequality and digital inequality theory, finding that equal access to online education is not enough for rural students, as they also need access to classes of equal educational quality with their urban counterparts.

Educational and socioeconomic disadvantage in remote communities, and the inadequacies of government action to bring about significant change needs to be addressed. This article presents a descriptive study examining the complexities of staffing remote and very remote schools in Australia with appropriately-qualified teachers. The findings of analysis of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on behalf of the Australian Government through the National Schools Statistics Collection (NSSC) indicate that the majority of students in remote schools in Australia live, and are educated in, Indigenous communities in three jurisdictions. This raises concerns of unacknowledged and unacceptable discrimination. Complexity within the current approach to resourcing of remote and very remote schools in Australia, especially in relation to economies of scale are explored. The analysis of existing data was discussed, and how this may be used to address the perennial failure to develop quality decisions, particularly in areas of resourcing in remote and very remote schools.