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We began the exploratory process of identifying knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are important for disability service professionals to possess in order to provide beneficial services to students with psychiatric disabilities in postsecondary education. Using a three-round Delphi survey, two groups of experts identified 54 knowledge, skill, and attitudinal items. A national sample of 402 disability service professionals then rated each item. A principal components analysis revealed five factors: (a) Ethical and Legal Considerations, (b) Accommodations and Supports, (c) Disability Aspects, (d) Community Resources, and (e) Campus Considerations. Findings are discussed in regards to implications, assumptions, limitations, and recommendations for future research.

This study endeavored to investigate the impact of education on rural women's participation in political and economic activities. Six hundred rural women and 12 gender Activists were selected for this study from three Zones of Amhara Region, Ethiopia using multi-stage random sampling technique and purposeful sampling techniques respectively. Questionnaire and interviews were used as instruments of data collection. The findings indicated that as rural women's level of education increases, their involvement in political and economic activities and the possible advantages secured from their participation increase. That is, rural women with primary and secondary school educational experience have claimed significantly higher participation in political and economic affairs and highly benefited from their participation compared to the illiterate rural women. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the Ethiopian government has to introduce and expand integrated and functional adult literacy in the rural areas.

There are 1.2 million school-age children with military parents in the United States, and approximately 90% attend public schools. On average, military children move three times more often than their civilian peers. Tensions at home, enrollment issues, adapting to new schools, and a lack of familiarity with military culture by public school professionals may adversely impact the academic, social and emotional growth of these students. Public school faculty and staff need to understand the challenges that multiple school transitions impose on military children in order to effectively meet the needs of this student population. In this article, the authors review the literature concerning obstacles and challenges mobile military children face, and discuss positive interventions that professional school counselors can employ to ease these transitions.

This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of high school students from a diverse, low-income urban community in Toronto, Canada. Findings revealed a strong sense of community, reinforced by the interlocking racial and class oppression and stigmatization participants experienced within the broader society, including school. The argument is made that students' strong sense of community stands in contrast to the individualistic ethos that characterizes mainstream schools where educators frequently fail to cultivate the "community cultural wealth" (Yosso, 2005) such students possess. The article concludes with a discussion of strategies educators can utilize to cultivate the strengths that marginalized youth bring to the classroom, highlighting the potential benefits of service learning, in particular.

Faculty and staff health promotion is a cost-saving component of coordinated school health, but little is known about the comprehensiveness of these programs. Self-insured school districts require employees to contribute directly to the district's health insurance pool. The purpose of this pilot study was to identify the prevalence of self-insurance within Texas school districts and compare districts' health promotion efforts to agency-insured counterparts. Using an electronic questionnaire, human resource personnel described the characteristics of their district's insurance status, health insurance coverage, health promotion program components, and considerations when planning health-promoting activities or services for school faculty and staff. Thirteen percent of respondents reported their school districts as self-insured. No significant differences between self-insured and agency-insured districts were discovered regarding health insurance coverage, district-offered health promotion, physical activity promotion, planning considerations, or utilization of community resources. Regardless of insurance type, findings indicated an overall lack in comprehensiveness of district-offered health promotion services. This study supports the need to further investigate this school health component so that district employees can financially and physically benefit from health promotion activities or services.

Background: The colonial origins of schooling and the implications these origins have on leadership is missing from educational leadership literature. Indeed little has been published on decolonizing and indigenous ways of leading schools. Purpose: In this article, we synthesize the literature on indigenous, decolonizing education leadership values and practices across national and international spaces that have been informed to various degrees by colonial models of schooling. Methodology: Through a review of the research and keywords including colonialism, educational leadership, indigenous communities, and decolonization, we identify two overarching themes. Findings: First, we found that the literature revealed a critique of the way in which Westernized Eurocentric schooling serves as a tool of imperialism, colonization, and control in the education of Indigenous peoples. Second, we discovered that the literature provided unique, but overlapping worldviews that situate the values and approaches enacted by Indigenous leaders throughout the globe. Within this second theme, we identify five strands of an Indigenous, Decolonizing School Leadership (IDSL) framework that can contribute to the development and reflection of school leadership scholars and practitioners. Specifically, we found that the five consistent and identifiable strands across IDSL include prioritizing Indigenous ancestral knowledge, enacting self-reflection and self-determination, connecting with and empowering the community, altruism, and spirituality as expressed through servant leadership, and inclusive communication practices. Conclusion: Based on the identified worldviews and values, we conclude by offering insights on the structure and policy of post-colonial schooling, as well as implications for the theory, research and practice needed to reclaim the co-opted contributions of Indigenous leaders in ways that decenter Western colonial approaches to leadership.

Exposure to community violence is thought to create risk for the social and emotional development of children, including those children living in low-income, conflict-affected countries. In the absence of other types of community resources, schools may be one of the few community resources that can help buffer children from the negative effects of community violence exposure. We sampled 8,300 students ranging in age from 6-18 years in 123 schools from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to examine whether and how two distinct dimensions of positive school climate can protect two key features of children's social-emotional development in the presence of community violence. Multi-level models tested the hypothesis that students' perceptions of a positive school climate moderated the relation between community violence and self-reported mental health problems and peer victimization. Findings support the hypothesis. Specifically, a positive school climate protected against mental health problems and peer victimization in the presence of high community violence. Students who experienced high community violence and a negative school climate generally demonstrated the worst development. We find complex interactions between the dimensions of school climate and exposure to violence on student social-emotional development that highlight the salience of children's contexts for developmental studies in low-income countries. We use dynamic developmental systems theory and differential impact to discuss the dual potential of schools as a buffer against the effects of violence or as a source of compounded risk.

Based in participatory action research, this project had the aim of building capacity in treatment and support for individuals and families impacted by autism spectrum disorder in remote and rural communities of Canada. Communities were selected based on their rurality and willingness to engage in change efforts for enhanced service delivery within their region. Fifteen discussion groups with key stakeholders were convened in seven communities with ~200 community stakeholders. Based on analyses of these data from the stakeholders, themes were distilled through interpretive description, which in turn were presented to community stakeholders for reflection and collective action. Findings indicate broad thematic domains consisting of: insufficient services, protective factors in community, change efforts via collectivity within community, limitations and benefits of residing in rural communities relative to care associated with autism spectrum disorder, a sense of "community" in rural contexts, and engaging in focused dialogue as a pathway to advancement. Opportunities for building capacity for support in autism spectrum disorder emerged within intersecting layers of leadership, contextual factors, and community collaboration. Consistent with participatory action research principles, emerging local knowledge was supported with strategies for improved autism spectrum disorder service development.

In this study, we compared the types of texts found in two metropolitan areas (Santiago, Chile, and San Antonio, TX, USA) as a way of documenting the sponsorship of literacy within these two communities. We found (roughly) equal number of texts across the sites but interesting patterns within each. San Antonio's texts were primarily sponsored by industry and the military and Santiago's texts by political and religious sponsors. Similarly, there were statistically significant differences in the types of texts across neighbourhoods based on how well they were historically resourced. Our findings have implications for teaching early literacy through environmental print.

Yosso's community cultural wealth (CCW) shifted conversations about educational inequality from deficit perspectives to those that acknowledge the assets People of Color bring to school. CCW represents the accumulation of students' unique forms of capital, many of which have historically gone unrecognized by schools. This study applies CCW to the schooling experiences of bilingual middle school students who achieved English proficiency and enrolled in advanced coursework. Observations and in-depth interviews with students and their teachers revealed that merely possessing and identifying forms of capital is not enough to guarantee academic success. While students in this study benefitted from some forms of capital, they also possessed resources that lie dormant. Activating capital to transform into wealth required both student agency and support from outsiders. Implications from this study call for educators and researchers to work in spaces between capital and wealth.

Currently there is a lack of understanding of dementia by the general public in Taiwan, and more importantly, those who care for dementia suffers. The aim of the current Educational Programme (EP) was to help the participants increase their knowledge of dementia, and thus to strengthen their caring skills for dealing with the Older Adults with Dementia (OAwD). The programme involved 282 participants and took 15 months to complete. All those participated were non-professional, private carers who looked after their family members that suffer from dementia. It was demonstrated that such a programme was greatly beneficial to participants in gaining knowledge about dementia, learning more caring skills, and other valuable information included in the educational programme curriculum. It was evident that after completion of the programme, the participants became more aware of the available community resources and more likely to access those additional support. All participants showed strong interest in repeating the educational programme to further enhance their caring skills.

Research Findings: This study examined Mexican caretaker roles, beliefs, and practices around their child's language and literacy development. Twenty-six parents in three preschools representing three socioeconomic strata located in Querétaro City, México completed questionnaires and participated in focus groups. We used convergent parallel mixed methods to analyze and compare parent questionnaire quantitative data and qualitative focus group data with a grounded theory approach to identify focus group discussion themes. Four themes were emerged: (a) Goals and expectations regarding reading and socioemotional development, (b) Perceptions and beliefs about children's oral and written language, (c) Caretaker's perceived role in children's language and literacy development, and (d) Home and community learning-related resources and practices. Findings highlighted that Mexican parents highly value supporting their children's education both socioemotionally and through engagement in literacy routines--evidence of duality in the "educacíón" value among native Mexican families. These literacy routines were complementary and responsive to teacher classroom instruction. Practice or Policy: Understanding how Latino families instantiate literacy practices to respond to American schooling expectations may be a way to address home-school discontinuities that often reflect lack of familiarity with the U.S. educational system.

This qualitative case study examined the homeschool STEM educational activities and the role of the parent in those activities. Twenty-nine homeschooling parents from within a purposefully selected homeschool cooperative learning group in a southern community in the United States participated in the study. Data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire, which was then followed up with observations, interviews, and collection of documents. Analysis of the data pointed to an eclectic mix of STEM educational activities including both curricular activities such as online courses, tutors, and self-study, as well as curriculum extensions such as field trips and local STEM clubs and teams. Parents in this case study depended heavily on community resources available to them to provide these educational activities for their students. Parents played multiple roles in their child's education including the role of facilitator, the role of counsellor, and the role of presenter or lecturer.

Undocumented students continue to face unique barriers in American higher education. Community colleges are being challenged to enhance the ways in which they serve, support, and advocate for undocumented students in order to become undocu-competent. Through qualitative document analysis, this study evaluated Texas community colleges' institutional responses to the announcement of the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The findings of this study demonstrate that although there were themes discovered in the institutional responses, there were differences in the superficiality or depth with which they were presented. Further, we propose the Undocu-Competent Institutional Response (UCIR) Framework -- a practical framework for administrators to consider utilizing when crafting future undocu-competent institutional responses on major issues impacting undocumented students.

As educators committed to preparing teachers to teach effectively across differences and in ways that actively resist perpetuating injustices, we have found that designing opportunities that take teachers into the children's community is the best way to learn about the cultural wealth existing in homes and to understand the importance of including parents in the education of their children. College students from a graduate program at a public institution were asked to engage in community, neighborhood and home visits to reflect on their understanding of the relationship among community, home, and schools. As a result of these interactions, the students came to a new and deeper understanding of the importance of bringing together communities, schools, and homes to create an optimum environment for student success.

Effective social work practice with Aboriginal peoples and communities requires knowledge of operational communication skills and practice methods. In addition, there is also a need for practitioners to be aware of the history surrounding white engagement with Aboriginal communities and their cultures. Indeed, the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) acknowledges the importance of social workers practising cultural safety. Engendering knowledge of cultural safety for social work students is the opportunity to listen and talk with Aboriginal people who have experienced the destructive impacts of colonisation and the subsequent disruption to family and community. This article discusses the use of field experiences within a Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) Program (MSW) as an educational method aimed at increasing student awareness of contemporary Aboriginal issues and how to practice effectively and within a culturally safe manner.

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the relationships among a range of specific barriers and facilitators of parent involvement and a variety of types of school involvement within a diverse group of immigrant parents of English Learners (ELs) in four elementary school districts. In-home types of educational involvement such as monitoring homework and asking children about their school day were the most commonly reported behaviors, and utilizing community resources was found to be the least common type of parental involvement. Involvement type was predicted by parental demographic factors such as comfort with English language, educational background, and ethnicity, as well as perceptions of barriers and overall school climate. The findings of this study have implications for the design and implementation of interventions (e.g., parent programs, school policy changes) aimed at increasing the parental involvement of EL children. (Contains 3 tables.)

In order to help each student to be successful in school, as outlined in the ASCA National Model, professional school counselors are called to partner with military families in order to work for their children's social, emotional, and academic success during deployments. Possible school-family partnerships that may occur before, during, and after deployments are explored. In addition, the roles of the professional school counselor in these partnerships, which include facilitating educational and emotional preparation, providing emotional support for both children and family members, identifying mental health concerns, and connecting families with needed resources in the community, are discussed.

The purpose of the study was to make a qualitative assessment of the impact of school consolidation on several rural Nebraska communities that have recently lost their schools. This research uses a multiple-case study design with interviews conducted in three Nebraska communities. The data from this research fell into four broad themes: social capital changes resulting from consolidation, the effect of the consolidation on the children of the community, the future of the community, and circumstances driving consolidation. Data indicates very differing views about consolidation; respondents with children in school were generally supportive of the consolidation and felt that it benefited their children; the respondents all expressed a concern about the loss of the community although, the majority of the respondents did not have an alternative to the loss and decline of the community; the consolidations in the study were all second or third consolidations and respondents believed the original consolidation were the beginning of the decline of the community.

Inquiry into the academic achievement of Latino/a youth in the United States should be of major interest to teachers, administrators, families, communities, scholars, and policy makers committed to equitable multicultural education in schools. Although the diversity of Latinos is well documented, academic achievement discourse continues to lump the group together and compare achievement outcomes between Latino students and White students. In this article, that all too common narrative is challenged by presenting the voices of a group of Latino/a public high school seniors who are graduating and will be attending four-year colleges and universities. As first-generation college-bound students, their voices tell of the immense excitement and responsibility that they feel as a result of achieving this academic goal while also revealing the challenges they have overcome and the support systems they have utilized to get to this place. Their voices are presented to show that there are success stories to be told about the academic achievement of Latino youth, and to reveal the strong cultural pride that they feel as students who have beaten the odds and who want to share their successes with their families and communities. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)

The growing population of young English language learners (ELLs) in American schools creates an urgency for educators to understand, value, and support the wide array of students' native language practices as a way to support both the ELLs' first language and their native cultures and communities. Considerable research shows the importance of first language (L1) education in the development of ELL identity. This includes access to community resources and English language development. To support L1 education at home, parents first need to believe in the value of the L1 home language and its corresponding culture and then they must be informed about how to support it. Very few studies exist either on parents' beliefs about the role of their home language in their children's education, or on how to support such language learning at home. This study examines ELLs' parents' beliefs about L1 education and their home language literacy education practices. These beliefs and practices are then linked to the development of ELL identity and language skills and show how families are affected differently across households. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)

The purpose of this case study was to examine random student drug testing in one school district relevant to: (a) the perceptions of students participating in competitive extracurricular activities regarding drug use and abuse; (b) the attitudes and perceptions of parents, school staff, and community members regarding student drug involvement; (c) the perceptions of high school parents regarding random student drug testing and its impact on drug and alcohol use; and (d) the patterns and analyses of data collected regarding the use of random student drug testing as a preventative tool. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected for inclusion in an analysis of the study in order to strengthen the results. The findings indicated that during a period of grant funding, the use of drugs decreased during a program of random student drug testing in the public school district studied. Furthermore, the random student drug-testing program initiated discussion among parents, school staff, community members, and students regarding drug use, community resources, and the importance of early intervention. (Contains 2 tables.)

This community-based participatory research (CBPR) project utilized a mixed-methods survey design to identify urban (Tulsa, OK) American Indian (AI) strengths and needs. Six hundred fifty AIs (550 adults and 100 youth) were surveyed regarding their attitudes and beliefs about their community. These results were used in conjunction with other community research efforts to inform program development, support proposals for external funding, and develop a comprehensive service system model to be implemented in the community. (Contains 3 tables.)

This article synthesized current research on effective communities for English Language Learners (ELLs). The findings are discussed under the following categories: parents, community resources, and peers. The results of the review indicate that parenting programs are effective, but they must be carefully developed and often require specific resources that challenge a typical school. Furthermore, there is no single effective method to assist ELL families. Whereas the positive effects of well designed community programs are unequivocal, it is uncertain how such programs transfer to different communities or how participation directly affects school achievement. The benefits of peer interaction have been promoted as an especially effective tool for assisting ELLs, however, adequate preparation for such interaction is necessary. Finally, the paper addresses the role of the community in a historical context, inviting readers to consider the work of Jane Addams and other progressive educators whose efforts helped an earlier generation of immigrant children adjust to life in the United States.

The western Canadian province of Alberta has used some of the proceeds from exploitation of its extraordinary natural resources to make available a range of post-secondary training and education opportunities to residents. While these provisions appear comprehensive, this study examined how well they actually suit the express needs of the residents of remote, Northern areas of the province, many of them Aboriginal. The literature shows that while Aboriginal people are underrepresented in Canada in university enrollments, they are no longer underrepresented in college or other institutions, suggesting that gains have been made for some residents of rural and remote parts of Canada. Further, when Northern residents (especially Aboriginal males) complete advanced training, Statistics Canada reports they are highly successful in employment and income. Access is the pivotal issue, however: leaving the local community to attend training programs elsewhere is often disruptive and unsuccessful. As will be seen, the issue of access arose in this study's findings with direct implications for distance delivery and support. This study was conducted as part of Athabasca University's Learning Communities Project (LCP), which sought information about the views and experiences of a broad range of northern Alberta residents concerning their present post-secondary training and education opportunities. The study addresses an acknowledged gap in such information in relation to Canada in comparison with other OECD countries. Results are based on input from 165 individuals, obtained through written surveys (some completed by the researchers in face-to-face exchanges with the respondents), interviews, discussions, and observations, conducted with full-time or part-time residents of the study communities during 2007 and 2008. The four northern Alberta communities studied were Wabasca, Fox Lake, Ft. McKay (sometimes MacKay), and Ft. Chipewyan, totaling just over 6,000 residents. While respondents had varied backgrounds in relation to training and education, consensus emerged on several points: training in the studied communities must be flexible to be realistic; the negative emotional and economic impacts on families and individuals when they are forced to leave the local community to take training can be enormous; alternatives such as distance education may now be acceptable to and technologically feasible for many; and certain subjects (especially business-related courses, pre-employment preparation, such as safety and computer skills, trades training, and basic skills upgrading programs in essential skills such as math, English, writing, and life skills) were of broad interest to these residents. The LCP was cautioned that future programming inspired by this research should avoid mistakes made by others in relation to northern learners and their local realities: not considering students' preferences for programming, employing inappropriate technologies, failing to provide adequate orientation and support to the learning system, and failure to use existing, proven delivery models. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

To creatively and competently utilize community resources and to work successfully for the benefit of all students requires that educational leaders develop positive diversity dispositions. This study explores the effect of school community relations instruction in enhancing educational administration candidates' skills, beliefs, and connections to the community. As a pretest and posttest, candidates completed the Diversity Dispositions Index to self-assess their perceptions. While these dispositions were generally reported to be positive, cultural proficiency instruction and activities, along with reflection upon a school community service project, resulted in significant gain in community connection dispositions regardless of the service learning setting. (Contains 2 tables.)

The recent increase in prison populations has given rise to an unprecedented number of children in the school system with incarcerated parents. To cope with stressors before, during, or after parents' incarceration, children can exhibit a range of problematic and maladaptive behaviors. This article explores the negative behaviors these children can exhibit during various stages of their parents' incarceration and the implications of such behaviors in school and learning environments. In addition, the paper argues for the critical role counselors can have in providing relevant therapeutic interventions, reducing stigma of incarceration in the schools, and integrating community resources.

Childhood obesity is a national public health crisis. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), the National Institutes of Health and Kaiser Permanente have developed community tools and resources for children and families to lower their risk for obesity through healthier, active lifestyles. The authors describe innovative practices and community mobilization case studies from the NDEP "Move It! and Reduce Your Risk for Diabetes" program and the NIH "We Can![TM]"--Ways to Enhance Children's Activity and Nutrition, and programs from Kaiser Permanente for the promotion of healthier lifestyles for children and families. Replication of these creative programs can be modified to be implemented in communities throughout the United States.

Schools often struggle to build partnerships with homeless and highly mobile (HHM) families. These families are not homogeneous; they live in and engage with schools from diverse residential contexts. Using Epstein's theory and framework and drawing from 132 interviews with HHM parents, school personnel, and community stakeholders in an urban district, results suggest that (a) interviewees had divergent experiences with family, school, and community partnerships; (b) some school actors were better positioned to engage HHM families than others; and (c) the diverse residential context of HHM families molded partnership building in unique ways. Theoretical implications and recommendations for practice and policy are discussed.

Objectives: Cardiovascular health continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the USA. An interprofessional collaborative team comprising university faculty and undergraduate students developed and presented a community outreach event to provide education and health screening to a diverse group of local residents. Design: An event entitled "Rhythms of the Heart" was planned and implemented to reach community members. Setting: The event took place on the campus of a private college in Central Florida, USA. Methods: Clinical services, including health screening for blood pressure and body fat, were provided, along with information on the benefits of smoking cessation, physical activity, weight management, healthy diet alternatives and stress reduction. Local community resources and educational materials were supplied to event participants. Results: The event attracted approximately 275 guests. An analysis of feedback from attendees indicated a greater appreciation of music to enhance one's understanding of cardiovascular health. Students and attendees perceived the "Rhythms of the Heart" concert as 'smart and creative,' 'cleverly conceived' and 'well thought out.' Conclusion: This interprofessional outreach event provided a novel means by which to undertake community education and health screening.

Community asset mapping is an approach that school counselors can use to locate resources to meet the needs of families, schools, and communities. This article provides step-by-step instructions on how school counselors might use community asset mapping to address the needs of their population(s), illustrated with an example of implementation in a rural high school. The authors address implications for school counselor practice.

Comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) are one way to help students achieve most, if not all, of the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Early in the process, one can use asset mapping to help enhance CSPAP efforts. Asset maps provide a valuable opportunity to identify potential partners in physical activity promotion, as well as disseminate knowledge of existing physical activity opportunities in the community. The purpose of this article is to provide a description of asset mapping and the related methods that teachers can use during the process.