Search

As our nation and society becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, college campuses are experiencing a dynamic shift in the student demographic on campus as well. Purposes of the study were to: (a) analyze the beliefs of kinesiology academic unit leaders (i.e., chairs, directors, heads) regarding faculty and student diversity within their programs and departments and (b) inquire about strategic goals for faculty and student diversification within their programs and departments. The participants were 68 administrators (43 men, 25 women) and all current members of the American Kinesiology Association (AKA) as of 2015. Thematic content data analysis of the open-ended probes exposed the recurrent themes: (a) advocacy, motives, and actions; (b) diversity identified, but rarely defined; and (c) history, status, and outlook. Implications of the findings are that issues associated with diversity in kinesiology programs and departments should be addressed with vigor and progressive actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While competitive balance literature is robust when addressing professional sport from an economic perspective, little empirical work has focused on understanding what shapes interscholastic competitive balance policies. Using the theory of distributive justice as a framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to examine the perceptions of top administrators regarding sociocultural influences on interscholastic competitive balance. Qualitative interview data collected from six state commissioners/executive directors revealed four predominant findings: (a) policy is driven by a philosophical approach that is aligned with the theory of distributive justice; (b) an overemphasis on winning strongly influences policy; (c) political influence through legal threats and state educational policy shapes committee decisions; and (d) the prevailing challenges of policy creation include school size, geography, public/nonpublic status, tradition, sport-specific characteristics, and lack of knowledge. Implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to identify the role of the principal in establishing a whole school approach for health and wellbeing. Two questions are asked: (1) What do successful Swedish principals do when they take on a whole school approach? (2) How do these results relate to previous research on successful school leadership? Design/methodology/approach: This paper focuses on the complexity of organisational processes and considers the role of successful leadership in managing a whole school approach to health promotion. It presents findings from two different but interlinked projects, and draws on document studies and interviews with principals, student health team members and teachers in Sweden. Findings: This paper argues that successful school leaders are crucial in establishing a whole school approach, because of the work they do to synchronise the health-promoting activities in schools. The study identifies four aspects of coordination that need to be enacted simultaneously when leading health-promoting processes. The fifth aspect identified is that a whole school approach is not limited to the school, but the whole local school context, i.e. a synchronisation between different system levels. Originality/value: Although limited in scale, this paper reports key findings that could have practical implications for school leaders. The study suggests that successful school leadership research needs to use a health-promoting lens in order to make leadership practices health-promoting practices. It also proposes extended comparative research from different fields and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic reflection is understood as a paradigm that is a key component for processes of school change. Reflection includes knowledge, beliefs and experiences of teachers that are reconstructed and used as inputs to rethink their practices. This article presents the results of an investigation carried out in the period 2018–2019. It was proposed to investigate the reflective practice of secondary school principals who go through processes of school change. The research question was: What do school principals who are going through a process of change reflect on? We analyzed the narratives presented by school principals, organized in a portfolio that recovers the processes of each of the schools. The results provide knowledge about school principals as agents of change and the link between innovation or school change and reflection. It identifies a leadership that corresponds to high levels of reflection and is a key factor in going through the processes of school change. Leadership appears as a task that is shaped according to the needs of the school community, so a relationship is established between school leading and innovation processes. Thus, leadership is legitimized as a place for research during practice and construction of knowledge about the processes of school change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Socioeconomic status, especially during childhood, is known as one of the key factors affecting health. This study's objective was to investigate the association between childhood socioeconomic and mental health status in adulthood. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2062 employees of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Depression, stress and anxiety were measured using the validated DASS-42 questionnaire. A self-rated question was used to assess childhood socioeconomic status. Other variables including age, sex, marital status, and also wealth index, were measured. Linear regression models were used to analyze the data. Results 24.6% of men and 33.8% of women had degrees of depression (mild, moderate, severe or very severe). 32.9% of men and 29.4% of women had mild, moderate, severe or very severe anxiety. 36.3% of men and 45.2% of women also exhibited mild, moderate, severe or very severe stress. Results showed after adjusting for the current socioeconomic status, childhood socioeconomic status has a relationship with the mental health of individuals. Conclusion People with a suboptimal childhood socioeconomic status seem to be a high-risk group for depression, stress and anxiety in adulthood. Strategies need to put into practice to improve the mental health of these people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to increasing dependence on US Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 scores for resident selection, and to improve medical student well-being and education, the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners announced that no sooner than 2022, Step 1 score reporting would change from numeric to pass/fail. To gauge the impact that this change will have on the residency application process in physical medicine and rehabilitation, an anonymous survey was electronically distributed to program directors of all accredited physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs in the United States. A response rate of 49% was obtained. In total, 13% of program directors agreed that the scoring change was a good idea. Eighty percent of program directors felt that the change would increase emphasis on Step 2 clinical knowledge in the application process and that it will be more difficult to objectively compare applicants. Among free-text responses to the survey, 70% disapproved, 10% approved, and the remaining 20% were neutral to the change. The results of this survey show that many physical medicine and rehabilitation program directors are concerned about the implications of the Step 1 score reporting change. These data can serve as a helpful guide to program directors and students preparing for a pass/fail Step 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore superintendents' perceptions of the athletic training profession and knowledge related to athletic trainers' roles and responsibilities. Methods: A concurrent mixed-methods design was used with a cross-sectional online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics summarized demographics and knowledge and perception-related variables. Open-ended responses were analyzed inductively. Results: Six hundred seventy-nine superintendents (7% response rate) completed the questionnaire. The majority of superintendents identified injury prevention (n = 674, 99.3%), first aid/wound care (n = 647, 95.3%), therapeutic interventions (n = 606, 89.2%), and emergency care (n = 596, 87.8%) as skills performed by athletic trainers. Superintendents viewed athletic trainers positively, but they lacked knowledge of the medical services that athletic trainers can provide and the educational training required for autonomous practice. Cost remained a prohibitive factor to athletic trainer employment. Conclusions: Superintendents demonstrated positive perceptions of athletic training, particularly the value athletic trainers have on injury prevention and immediate care. Future educational interventions should focus on the structured educational requirements for certification and how athletic trainers benefit student-athletes and the entire district. [Athletic Training & Sports Health Care. 2021;13(6):e432–e442.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: A statewide 6‐month school administrator health and wellness program encouraged participants to use a fitness tracker to self‐monitor their physical activity and sleep patterns. The purpose of this study was to examine participants' experience in a school administrator health and wellness program and their perceptions of the impact on health‐related behaviors, including activity/movement, nutrition, and sleep. METHODS: Each of the 45 participants completed a semi‐structured interview at three points in the program. Questions were designed to discern school administrators' perceptions of their ideal health and wellness balance at home and work. RESULTS: School administrators reported new insights into their own well‐being, benefits of social supports in their personal wellness journey, an expanded understanding of their ideal health and wellness balance at home and work, and a stronger sense of serving as a role model who needs to take care of him/herself. CONCLUSIONS: Although the program was helpful in establishing an ideal health and wellness balance at home and work for some school administrators, future programs should better emphasize nutrition and scaffold opportunities to maintain new habits following program completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work describes the development of a new measure of school counselors' perceived self-efficacy regarding their knowledge of information and processes necessary to effectively guide their students through the college transition process. Researchers developed the School Counselor Efficacy for College Knowledge Questionnaire and examined data from a national sample of 600 school counselors to determine its psychometric properties and factor structure. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported use of a modified five-factor model. Results showed strong internal consistency and preliminary evidence for convergent and divergent validity of the resultant scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While recent scholarship generally emphasizes how public school principals' perceptions influence various school safety practices, far less is understood about how principals' perceptions of school crime risk and academic climate informs schools' decisions on specific school safety outcomes, including a school's SRO/police presence and policies on whether to report student disciplinary incidents to law enforcement agencies. Using data drawn from the 2017–18 School Survey on Crime and Safety and 2,500 public schools in the United States, this study examines these questions. The results make clear that the influence of principals' perceptions vary across different school safety outcomes. Equally important is that the variation appears to be nonrandom. While the uneven salience of principals' perceptions does not necessarily dilute their importance to school policies, it does underscore the need for a more granular accounting and understanding of how various important school-level safety outcomes arise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND School equity refers to the extent to which students are treated fairly, ensuring that each student receives what they need to be successful. School staff can play a vital role in creating an equitable school climate for adolescents, but little is known about how staff perceive equity in their school and how this in turn may relate to students' perceptions. This study sought to explore congruence between teacher and student perceptions of school equity and how congruence or incongruence related to students' sense of connectedness to school. METHODS: Data for the study came from the Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools Climate Survey, which was administered online to 5523 school staff and 59,218 students across 104 middle and high schools. RESULTS: Multilevel models indicated that, compared to high staff and high student ratings, there was lower connectedness among the schools with low staff, low student ratings of equity as well as the schools with high staff, low student and low staff, high student ratings of equity. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that staff perceptions of school equity are often higher than students and incongruence in perceptions may have a negative impact on students' connection to school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Secondary schools are an important setting for preventing obesity in adolescence. Headteachers and chairs of governors are identified in national guidance as crucial stakeholders for school-based preventative action. Despite this, their views remain unexplored and unrepresented. Methods A sequential mixed method study was conducted. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of 22 secondary school headteachers and chairs of governors in England. Data were thematically analysed and informed the development of a descriptive cross-sectional survey, completed by 127 participants from the same population. Results Unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviours were viewed as a more significant problem than adolescent obesity. Obesity was perceived as complex and multi-causal, and a range of stakeholders were deemed to have responsibility for its prevention, most notably parents. Support was identified for the role of secondary schools, although this was not an explicit priority and extensive internal and external barriers exist, which hinder preventative action. Conclusions Whilst secondary school settings in England remain an important setting for the prevention of adolescent obesity, it is crucial for policy makers and public health professionals to recognize the factors affecting school leaders' ability and willingness to contribute to this agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Schools are a promising site for influencing the dietary intake of children and adolescents. The US Department of Agriculture recently released flexibilities to requirements for whole‐grains, sodium, and low‐fat milk in schools who demonstrated difficulty meeting nutrition standards for school meal programs. The support of School Nutrition Directors (SNDs) is vital to the success of school food environment changes; however, few studies have explored SNDs perceptions to changes in nutrition standards. METHODS: Experiences and perspectives toward nutrition standards of 10 SNDs, and their satisfaction with flexibilities for whole‐grains, sodium, and low‐fat milk were explored using a semi‐structured interview. Responses were analyzed using an inductive approach with thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three broad categories emerged challenges with the Healthy, Hunger‐Free Kids Act, food preferences and acceptability, and support and representation. A greater need for internal and external support, assistance in equipment and staff, procurement of foods compliant with regulations and acceptable to students, and more input on federal decisions and policies were perceived as important. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide critical insight into the implementation of nutrition standards. Future research and changes to school nutrition programs should consider these challenges as they strive to meet the needs of this important population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the examination of School Resource Officers as an Approach to Reduce Social Disturbances in Schools, and focuses on the evidence from a National Longitudinal Study. It mentions that the Trends of social disturbances can be assessed through an annual joint report by the National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics which compiles information from national surveys of students, teachers, and principals.

In Australia, school-based immunisation programmes (SBIP) provide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations to secondary school students. However, despite such free programmes, around 20% of girls and 25% of boys do not complete all doses. This formative study identified barriers and enablers to vaccine completion. Online surveys were conducted with senior school administrators and nurses from Western Australian secondary schools across all three school sectors. Year 8 students participated in focus group discussions. Parents participated in one-on-one interviews (n = 22). Administrators were supportive of vaccination and the SBIP. Nurses and administrators perceived lack of parental awareness, issues around consent and school absenteeism as the main barriers to completion. Parent and student knowledge concerning HPV, the HPV vaccine and immunisation in general were low. Despite this, students and parents were supportive of the SBIP and wanted the opportunity to learn more about HPV, the vaccination and immunisation in general. There are opportunities for targeted school-based work to increase awareness and provision of consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the real-time personal/employee safety experiences and perspectives of school nutrition professionals ranging from frontline staff to state leadership across the US as they responded to the initial weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was administered electronically March 31–April 20, 2020, to school nutrition staff, managers, directors, and state agency personnel. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and a thematic analysis of an open-ended item was conducted. School nutrition professionals (n = 504) from 47 states responded. Most (86.6%) reported that ensuring employee safety was somewhat or much more difficult during the pandemic, and they were unaware of an emergency plan. Themes from open-ended responses regarding employee safety concerns included, exposure and transmission risk, processes, and personal concerns. Attention to the safety and concerns of school nutrition employees is vital for continuation of these programs during this pandemic and for future emergency situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death from trauma. The Stop the Bleed (STB) initiative provides basic education about bleeding to potential immediate responders. The present study aimed to assess the perceptions of self-efficacy and school preparedness related to responding to a life-threatening bleeding emergency in school personnel at an urban high school. Methods : High school personnel from an urban high school (N = 156) completed a 1-hour STB course that included a didactic and hands-on component. Participants rated their agreement with statements about self-efficacy and school preparedness on a 5-point Likert-type scale, responded to items regarding how school personnel could be better prepared for life-threatening emergencies, and had the option to provide written responses pre- and post-course. Findings : Independent samples t tests revealed that perceptions of self-efficacy and school preparedness increased after the course (p <.001). Before the course, 87% of participants felt they needed training, 80% felt the school needed clearer procedures, and 74% felt the school required more equipment for a life-threatening bleeding incident compared with 63%, 69%, and 78% post-course, respectively. Thematic analysis of written responses revealed that participants desired higher frequencies of STB training, more equipment, clearer school procedures, and realistic training scenarios with students. Conclusions/Application to Practice : The STB course increased both perceptions of self-efficacy and school preparedness in a sample of high school personnel. Qualitative analyses provided insight to personnel's opinion of STB's effectiveness and what is necessary to maintain or follow through with this knowledge after completion of the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Resilience is crucial for students in health schools as care becomes more complex and as the adjustment to meet patient, environmental, and professional demands with success can seem a daunting challenge. Self-care activities can support the development of resilience in the student population. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe self-care practices, health-promoting behaviors, and resilience among students, faculty, and staff of the health professional schools at a large metropolitan university. Method: This was a cross-sectional study of data from 148 participants. Analysis included descriptive statistics, t tests, analysis of variance, crosstabs, and Pearson correlations. Results: Resilience was lower among students than among faculty and staff. The most frequent self-care activities were humor and music. Resilience was significantly correlated with the self-care behaviors of praying (p =.006), healthy sleeping habits (p =.024), reading (p =.007), and mindful acceptance (p =.025); yoga and meditation were not significantly correlated with resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about principals' perceptions and their links to how school safety practices operate. Using data from School Survey on Crime and Safety from 2,009 public schools in the US, the current study examines the extent to which principals/administrators' perceptions of academic climate and crime risk are related to school practices regarding safety and discipline. Results show that principals' perceptions directly relate to school safety practices when controlling for school characteristics, and also explain how selected school characteristics relate to safety practices.Overall, the present study highlights the importance of principals' perceptions of crime risk and academic climate in school safety practices. Policy implications and potential limitations of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disciplinary incidents at U.S. public middle- and high-schools are a public policy concern. Although businesses popularly give credence to leaders' subjective intelligence, principals' reports of their schools' strengths and weaknesses are questioned. To determine whether principals' reports carry legitimacy as indicators of student offenses, the current study utilized a nationally representative survey of principals who reported on their sense of the institution and the number of disciplinary incidents in the past year (N = 1,872; replication cohort, N = 1,833). Findings showed that the more institutional shortcomings a principal endorsed, the higher total number of incidents occurred, even after controlling for institutional strength and several indicators of school crime. These findings have policy and intervention implications for improving student outcomes, and so would be of interest to funding agencies, school administrators, teachers, and parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural school principals continue to have difficulty hiring and retaining qualified teachers. Researchers have sought to determine the preferred type of preparation programs and the specific characteristics of teacher candidates, but few have specifically focused on the perceptions of the rural principal. The purpose of this study was to understand current rural school principals' perceptions regarding various factors affecting the selection of teacher candidates. Using an online, cross-sectional survey of rural school principals, data were collected to understand their perspectives regarding various factors that may affect the selection of potential teacher candidates. Results indicate that rural principals prefer to hire applicants who have completed a traditional 4-year college/university preparation program. In addition, when reviewing applicant materials they look for specific factors such as experience, those who are known in the community, cooperating/lead teacher evaluations, and areas of licenses held among teacher candidates. Rural school principals specifically reported a preference toward hiring applicants who hold a dual license in elementary and special education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined school personnel's engagement in bystander action in situations of teen dating violence (DV), sexual violence (SV), and sexual harassment (SH). We conducted focus groups with 22 school personnel from three high schools in New Hampshire. School personnel identified their own barriers to intervening in situations of teen DV, SV, and SH (e.g., not having the time or ability to intervene). School personnel also discussed the ways in which they intervened before (e.g., talking with teens about healthy relationships), during (e.g., breaking up fights between dating partners) and after (e.g., comforting victims) instances of teen DV, SV, and SH. These data can be used to support the development of bystander training for school personnel as one component of comprehensive DV, SV, and SH prevention for teens. In addition, these data provide information that can be used to develop measures that assess school personnel bystander action barriers and behaviors in instances of teen DV, SV, and SH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the factors that influence support for campus carry laws among a sample of approximately 2,700 faculty/administrators, staff, and students at a large, public university in Georgia. Although previous research suggests that support for campus carry may differ across groups on campus, there have been no studies that have examined why these differences may exist. In order to shed light on this understudied issue, this study estimated the extent of support for campus carry and examined if the predictors of support varied across campus populations. Results indicated that there were differences in the proportion of each group that supported campus carry with students (57%) reporting a higher level of support than staff (39%) and faculty/administrators (19%). Further, results from multivariate analyses indicated that there are some differences in the factors that predict support for campus carry for faculty/administrators compared to staff and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, including JUUL, has risen to epidemic levels among high school and middle school students in the United States. Schools serve as a key environment for prevention and intervention efforts to address e-cigarette use, yet little is known about the awareness of and response to e-cigarettes in schools. This national survey of middle and high school teachers and administrators (n = 1,420) measured JUUL awareness, e-cigarette policies, and barriers to enforcement in schools. While two thirds of respondents had heard of a product called JUUL (67.6%), less than half accurately identified a photo of a JUUL as a vaping device/e-cigarette (47.3%). Awareness of JUUL (80.9%) was higher among high school teachers (83.3%) than among middle school teachers (78.3%). A large majority of respondents reported that their school had an e-cigarette policy (82.9%), but less than half of the sample worked in a school with a policy that specifically included JUUL (43.4%). Those working in a school with an e-cigarette policy in place noted that e-cigarettes' discreet appearance (65.6%) and difficulties in identifying origin of vapor or scent (46.1%) made the policy difficult to enforce. Efforts to increase middle and high school staff awareness of the ever-evolving e-cigarette market are essential to help prevent youth use. Adoption and enforcement of policies will be critical to ensure that schools remain tobacco-free spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents findings from qualitative research conducted as part of the European Commission supported HOMBAT (Combating HOMophoBic And Transphobic bullying in schools) project in Cyprus. Thematic analysis was used to analyse extracts of interviews from three focus groups: two groups with professionals who work in primary and secondary education as teachers, school psychologists and school counsellors; and one group with parents and children attending primary and secondary education in Cyprus. Findings from the study reveal how homophobic and transphobic bullying is becoming more visible in schools and both school staff and children frequently witness incidents of bullying on the basis of differing sexual and gender identity/self-expression. Professionals report having a sense of powerlessness to combat homophobic and transphobic bullying within the school community. Implications for practice that link to school professionals' needs are explored and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Lyme disease is a common tick‐borne disease in the northeastern and midwestern United States. School‐aged children aged 5‐15 years are at high risk for contracting Lyme disease. Many school campuses in the mid‐Atlantic United States are in areas that are near, or border with, wooded habitat. METHODS: We surveyed school administrators to determine the perception of risk of tick encounters and tick control methods implemented on school campuses in the mid‐Atlantic. RESULTS: Responses from Pennsylvania and New Jersey districts indicate school district administrators had knowledge of Lyme disease and blacklegged ticks, but knowledge of other tick species and tick‐borne diseases was limited. Overall, the results suggest that targeted communication of educational information regarding ticks and tick control to school districts could encourage increased participation in organized tick control or other preventative measures. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, respondents were aware of ticks and Lyme disease, but were not aware or had limited awareness of many other tick‐borne diseases, and how tick bite risk could be reduced. Targeted communication of educational information regarding ticks and tick control to school districts could provide a framework for reducing tick‐borne disease risk in mid‐Atlantic school districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Secondary schools that implement smoke-free policies are confronted with students who start smoking outside their premises. One solution is to complement smoke-free policies with prohibitions for all students to leave the school area during school hours, technically making school hours a smoke-free period. However, there are strikingly few Dutch secondary schools that implement this approach. This study explores why staff members in the Netherlands decide not to implement smoke-free school hours for all students. Method: We interviewed 13 staff members, with different functions, from four secondary schools. The analysis was informed by the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to delve into the values, rationales, and assumptions of staff with the aim to identify deep core, policy core, and secondary beliefs. Results: We identified six beliefs. Two deep core beliefs are that schools should provide adolescents the freedom to learn how to responsibly use their personal autonomy and that schools should only interfere if adolescents endanger or bother others. Three policy core beliefs identified included the following: that smoking is not a pressing issue for schools to deal with; that schools should demarcate their jurisdiction to intervene in adolescents' lives in time, space, and precise risk behavior; and that implementing smoke-free school hours would interfere with maintaining positive student-staff relationships. One secondary belief identified was that smoke-free school hours would be impossible to enforce consistently. Conclusion: This paper was the first to demonstrate the many beliefs explaining why schools refrain from voluntary implementing far-reaching smoke-free policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a well-documented need for school health programs (SHPs) among schoolchildren, there is little school health funding in California and limited research on the role of those who manage SHPs. This qualitative study investigated the work of a selected group of school health administrators (SHAs) in California. Study aims were to explore SHA job pathways and responsibilities, the contextual factors influencing their work, and how they get their work done, given limited funding for SHPs. Thirty in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with SHAs and their staff, supervisors, and deputy SHAs. The main themes and subthemes are (1) district hierarchies marginalize SHAs and (2) in response to this marginalization, SHAs engage in brokering strategies to get their work done, including (a) raising awareness, (b) cultivating powerful allies, and (c) adjusting to working conditions. Despite structural disempowerment, SHAs have developed strategies to secure political support for SHPs and school nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Whilst underage drinking in the UK has been declining in recent years, prevalence is still higher than in most other Western European countries. Therefore, it is important to deliver effective interventions to reduce risk of harm. Methods Semi-structured interviews with staff delivering an alcohol screening and brief intervention in the high-school setting. The analysis was informed by normalization process theory (NPT), interviews were open coded and then a framework applied based on the four components of NPT. Results Five major themes emerged from the analysis. The majority of participants felt that the intervention could be useful, and that learning mentors were ideally suited to deliver it. However, there was a feeling that the intervention should have been targeted at young people who drink the most. Conclusions The intervention was generally well received in schools and seen as an effective tool for engaging young people in a discussion around alcohol. However, in the future schools need to consider the level of staffing in place to deliver the intervention. Furthermore, the intervention could focus more on the long-term risks of initiating alcohol consumption at a young age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine primary school administrators' and teachers' views about the organisational citizenship behaviours in their schools. Qualitative research method was employed. The participants consisted of 15 teachers and 5 school administrators working in primary schools in North Cyprus, which were selected through maximum sampling method. Content analysis was done to analyse the data. The findings indicate that the majority of teachers report that the number of teachers who are eager to help is unsatisfactory, and that the participants do not have positive opinions about the reactions they face when they encounter a problem in school. Attention was paid to issues pertaining to disabled students. Since disabled students need extra attention and care, teachers and school administrators expressed the view that to interact with disabled students, organisational citizenship behaviour is necessary. Results further show that organisational citizens are eager to guide, to make extra effort and to empower themselves in order to be more useful and efficient. This study recommends that organising in-service training to improve organisational citizenship behaviour may be effective in improving schools and contribute to the awareness of the importance of the organisational citizenship in terms of disabled students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to establish a robust measurement to obtain a comprehensive understanding of perceptions of programming education (POPE) of teacher and principal groups. In this study, the POPE scale contains three dimensions: (a) understanding in programming (UP), (b) support for programming (SP), and (c) expectation of programming (EP). Self-reported questionnaires were administrated among 258 teachers and 229 principals. Multigroup analyses were used among the two groups. The results of measurement invariance tests show that configural and metric invariance are fully supported, and scalar invariance is partially supported, suggesting the factor structures, loadings, and most item intercepts of the POPE scale are equivalent across the groups examined. Implications of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Researchers have documented inequities in garden-based learning opportunities for students in lower-income, racially and ethnically diverse school districts. Purpose: This study examined principals and teachers' perceptions of garden-based learning in a lower-income, ethnically diverse, urban community. Methods: For this qualitative study, we used a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were conducted with elementary principals (n = 12) and teachers (n = 9) in a lower-income, diverse urban school district. Using Atlast.ti qualitative software, data were coded and reviewed to identify code categories, which could be taken to represent themes. Results: Principals and teachers identified challenges to school garden programming including limited resources and a focus on standardized testing. Perceived facilitators included: school garden lessons which align with their school district's curriculum, garden supply donations, and community member involvement. Participants discussed how many of their students live in poverty, are immigrants, and speak multiple languages. These student characteristics presented both challenges (eg, transient study body) and opportunities (eg, immigrant families with rich gardening heritage) for their school garden programs. Discussion: The findings identify opportunities for developing and enhancing school garden programs in lower-income, diverse, urban communities. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health educators can use the findings to advocate for, and implement, school garden programming. A AJHE Self-Study quiz is online for this article via the SHAPE America Online Institute (SAOI) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although school-business partnerships are essential elements of high-quality, community-based transition experiences, little is known about the perspective of employers on their work with schools and students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). OBJECTIVE: We conducted in-depth interviews with 13 diverse businesses providing community-based work experiences to local transition students. METHOD: We examined the perspectives and recommendations of employers regarding their partnerships with local community-based transition programs. RESULTS: Employers identified key factors leading them to participate, described the benefits they experienced, and highlighted challenges they encountered. They also offered advice for other employers and educators pursuing similar partnerships. CONCLUSION: We offer recommendations for future research and practice aimed at strengthening the quality and impact of school-business partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The frequency of being exposed to work-related violence and threats is high in employees working in the human service sector. The question is whether certain employees are particularly exposed to violence and threats than others. OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether particular employees were especially exposed to work-related violence and threats due to personal characteristics, coping styles, attitudes or participating in violence prevention training. We also examined the role played by supervisors. METHODS: Questionnaire data were collected in 2010 and 2011. In all, 3584 employees from special schools, psychiatric wards, eldercare and the Prison and Probation Service participated. We used multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: We found persons high on the extroversion and introversion scales were associated with statistical significant increased risk for work-related threats. Furthermore, accepting attitudes concerning work-related violence were also statistical significant associated with increased the risk for both work-related threats and violence. Associations between coping styles and work-related threats and violence were very small and statistically non-significant and we found no effect of violence prevention training. The risk for work-related threats for persons high on the extroversion scale was decreased if supervisor violence prevention behaviour was high. Furthermore, if supervisor prevention behaviour was high, prevention training decreased the risk for work-related violence. However, these associations weren't statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The results stress that effective prevention requires involvement of both employees and supervisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how Jewish senior staff at orthodox Jewish primary schools in North-West London experience therapeutic services such as counselling for their students and community. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with seven female orthodox Jewish participants was employed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Results highlighted six broad themes covering the school's view of counselling and other therapeutic services. Uptake of counselling was often low. Negative parental attitudes, stigma, fear of local authorities and lack of culturally appropriate signposting were some of the factors determining whether counselling services were accessed or not, and why. The importance of the therapist's own religion and the language used to describe therapy was also significant. Further research into increasing awareness of mental health needs for orthodox Jewish schools and to increase uptake of therapeutic services should be undertaken and has implications cross culturally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Health educators in public high schools can provide educational interventions to reduce teen unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Characteristics of teachers and schools influence their decision to provide condom education. Studies to determine characteristics must be conducted so HIV/sex education can be improved. If schools do not participate in these studies, barriers must be identified so researchers can collect sufficient data to produce information for curriculum reform. METHODS: A study was conducted to identify teacher characteristics that influence their decision and intention to provide appropriate condom education. Follow‐up e‐mails were sent to administrators who opted out of the study to request more information about their decision to not participate. All responses were submitted via e‐mail correspondence. RESULTS: Six superintendents and 6 principals provided a reason for their decision to opt out. Superintendents cited being busy with district initiatives, time constraints, and lack of interest in participating in the study as reasons they did not wish to participate. Principals cited competing requests for participation in research, participation in other surveys, and time constraints. CONCLUSIONS: Securing administrative approval for human sexuality research is challenging. Administrators contend with many priorities, do not wish to overburden teachers, consider participation in voluntary research as a low priority, and may be more likely to respond to telephone requests. Administrators may not want to disclose that human sexuality or HIV education courses may not be taught by certified or qualified health educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic review was conducted to assess the types of school-based interventions commonly used for adolescents (10 to 21 years) to reduce challenging behavior. A total of 40 articles were identified through the database search and ancillary searches. Participant, implementer, and intervention characteristics were recorded during descriptive coding. This review found that antecedent-based interventions were most commonly used within the school setting. School personnel reported antecedent-based interventions to be acceptable and feasible within the school setting. Results of the descriptive coding found that around 70% of participants were ages 10 to 13 years old, with limited research being conducted with students older than 13; therefore, additional research is needed with this age group. Based on What Works Clearinghouse standards, 25 articles Met Standards or Met Standards with Reservations and 22 articles provided moderate to strong evidence for the efficacy of these interventions within the school setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the development, initial implementation, and formative evaluation of Arkansas’s plan to reduce suspensions and expulsion from early care and education (ECE) settings. We describe how Arkansas used multifaceted implementation strategies to facilitate change in six areas: policy, workforce development, specialized supports, family partnerships, child screening, and data tracking. We also highlight key findings from the formative evaluation. For example, needs assessment data revealed that 40.8% of ECE providers suspended at least one child in the past year, and 9% expelled one or more children. We evaluated efforts to educate ECE providers on new nonexpulsion policies and new supports, and results indicate that 89.5% of directors agreed that they understand why young children should not be suspended or expelled, though the majority reported concern about implementing a nonexpulsion policy. Initial utilization data from a new ECE provider support system indicate that in the first quarter, 53 requests were submitted for help with challenging classroom behavior. Most requests involved male children over the age of 3, and one-third of the requests referenced traumatic events experienced by the children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Concussions are a public health concern and concussion management in school requires a team approach. We examined schoolteachers' and administrators' perceptions of concussions, management, and implementation of return‐to‐learn (RTL) guidelines. METHODS: We audio‐recorded and transcribed semistructured interviews with teachers (N = 16) and administrators (N = 6) from a public school system. We analyzed data using an analytic induction and constant comparison approach. RESULTS: Two themes emerged: different understanding, and school context. Participants with no sport coaching experience were less familiar with concussions than those who coached a sport. Participants with personal experience with concussions were more sympathetic toward concussed students' needs. Teachers expressed feeling ill‐equipped to implement RTL guidelines without specific instructions in the complex school environment. However, school administrators had minimal understanding of teacher‐described challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Teachers and administrators recognize that concussions are a health concern, but differ in their perceptions of concussions, management, and implementation of RTL guidelines. Personal experiences mediate individual perceptions about concussions. The daily realities of a school environment complicate teachers' capacity to implement RTL guidelines. Conversely, school administrators did not express awareness of any challenges with concussion management. To best facilitate students' recovery schools should include all stakeholders when devising concussion management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Although outdoor smoking bans at school are becoming important, it remains unclear whether successful implementation is feasible and what conditions promote it. Therefore, this study evaluates the implementation process by identifying important factors. METHODS: Interviews were held with directors of 24 secondary schools that had decided to implement an outdoor school ground smoking ban, to identify important factors during implementation. Additionally, observations were made before and (about 4 weeks) after implementation to evaluate adherence to guidelines. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: During implementation, the following items were important: smoking ban (eg, guidelines), school (eg, policy, enforcement, environmental factors, resources, etc), and external factors (eg, social environment). Four schools were unable to implement the ban, 20 schools implemented the ban but student adherence was low, and at 4 schools, staff members still smoked on school grounds. CONCLUSIONS: Although implementation is feasible, there are challenges. Schools need to apply a phased/dynamic process with ample lead time and clear communication of the policy. Directors should deal with offenders by strictly enforcing the ban and helping them stop smoking. This study offers information to help institutes implement an outdoor smoking ban to further protect adolescents from the harm of smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Following changes in federal regulations, the current study was an examination of differences in institutional responses to sexual violence among Georgia colleges and universities during 2013 and 2014. Participants: A total of 24 four-year institutions located in the state of Georgia were included. Method: Data were collected from various sources in phases from March 2013 to December 2015 and included institutional characteristics from each college website, a content analysis of college annual security reports and sexual misconduct policies, and a college administrator online survey. Results: Seventy percent of the institutions were deemed "Clery compliant" in 2013 but only 12%, in 2014. There was substantial variability in definitions used in sexual misconduct policies and with respect to the description of investigation and adjudication procedures. Conclusions: There is extensive variability in institutional responses to sexual violence across universities and colleges despite recent media attention and federal guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The principal's leadership style is one of the most common ways of conceptualizing school leadership behaviours. We lack understanding, however, of how the effectiveness of school leadership styles varies across degrees of challenging circumstances. Data obtained from a quantitative survey of primary school teachers in Israel (N = 570) and from the Ministry of Education database were used to account for principals' leadership styles and their effectiveness in schools facing more challenging circumstances (N = 15) and in those facing less challenging circumstances (N = 46). Differences were found in the relations between principals' transactional behaviours on one hand and the teaching dimension of school culture and principals' perceived effectiveness on the other, as a function of challenging school circumstances. The study also found a difference in the relations of principals' transformational behaviours and the safety dimension of school culture, by level of challenging school circumstances. The data also revealed that in schools facing less challenging circumstances, principals' passive behaviours were related to students' achievements and principals' perceived effectiveness, but not in schools facing more challenging circumstances. The findings and their implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reintegration into school is a decisive time for children who have been absent from school due to health problems, such as survivors of brain tumours and other types of acquired brain injury or cancer in childhood. Parents, school staff and healthcare providers are important stakeholders during this phase of transition.Objective: To study the perspectives of parents, school personnel and healthcare providers on communication and collaboration following the child’s return to school, to gain insight into their experiences, and to develop recommendations for each stakeholder.Method: We reviewed the literature on school reintegration in accordance with the configurative approach for research synthesis. Search and selection processes ended in 22 articles published between January 2000 and September 2015, consisting of quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods research. Data analysis resulted in themes with emphasis on communication and collaboration.Results: Knowledge about the child’s condition, education and support are the main topics of consultation between parents, school personnel and healthcare providers. Based on their experiences, practices of communication and collaboration are variable and mostly inadequate. They report clear and complementary needs and expectations on how to effectively work together. Especially the need for a school liaison as connection between family, education and healthcare is commonly discussed.Conclusion: The often suboptimal communication and collaboration between parents, school personnel and healthcare providers needs more coordination and consistency, starting from the child’s return to school. In addition, all stakeholders should be aware of related factors that facilitate or hinder the child’s reintegration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much research has documented the elevated levels of stress experienced by families of autistic children. Yet remarkably little research has examined the types of support that these families perceive to be beneficial to their lives. This study, co-produced by researchers and school-based professionals, sought to establish these families’ support needs from their own perspectives. In total, 139 parents of autistic children with additional intellectual disabilities and limited spoken communication, all attending an inner-city London school, participated in an initial survey examining parental wellbeing, self-efficacy and the extent to which they felt supported. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subgroup of parents (n = 17), some of whom reported in the survey that they felt unsupported, in order to gain their in-depth perspectives. The results from both the survey and the interviews suggested that existing support (particularly from formal support services) was not meeting parents’ needs, which ultimately made them feel isolated and alienated. Parents who were interviewed called for service provision that adopted a relational, family-centred approach – one that understands the specific needs of the whole family, builds a close working relationship with them and ensures that they are supported at times when the parents and families feel they need it most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Principals are school leaders who experienced stress while leading their schools towards excellence. However, principals stress experiences are always ignored and least studied. This mixed-methods study investigates primary principals’ stress experiences and their Islamic coping strategies used in incapacitating the stress experiences. A total of 216 Muslim primary principals across different gender, types of schools and years of experiences as school leaders responded to the administrative stress and the Islamic coping strategies items. In addition, seven primary principals were purposefully selected and interviewed in exploring their reasons of using Islamic coping strategies for their relieving process. Results discovered that primary principals experienced fairly stress level and they perceived managing students’ academic achievement was the most stressor followed by managing teachers’ capabilities. Although findings revealed that no significant differences in terms primary principals’ demographics; male primary principals, and experienced between 6 and 10 years and positioned in schools with least students (SLS) category have slightly higher level of stress. In terms of Islamic coping strategies used by primary principals, saying dhua to Allah, performing dhikir and reciting the Yassen are selected coping approaches employed in handling their stress. From interviews, primary principals also revealed that they used Islamic religious approaches as part of meaningful activities not just to overcoming their stress but also as part of religious approaches in remembering Allah, thinking back their past mistakes as part of the Muhasabah process. Therefore, we believed that religious approaches should be taken into consideration in principals’ training as it provides peaceful and treatment in managing principals’ stress issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent bullying is linked to numerous adverse psychosocial effects that can persist into adulthood. In response to this problem, in 2007 Iowa adopted an antibullying statute requiring all school districts to adopt an antibullying policy. From 2013-2014, 47 semistructured interviews were conducted with school and district administrators in Iowa. Administrators identified many policy implementation challenges including limited funding and staff, and difficulties selecting prevention programs, applying the law’s bullying definition in investigations, and understanding the school’s jurisdiction for policy enforcement. Contextual barriers to implementation (e.g., media portrayals of bullying and parental attitudes) also emerged. This is the first study to use the interactive systems framework to examine antibullying law implementation, highlighting the importance of coordination among research translators, supportive organizations, and on-the-ground implementers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to develop a scale that can measure the general critical thinking dispositions of teachers and administrators in a valid and reliable way. In the scale development process, the literature was firstly searched, the critical thinking related scales were examined, the item pool was established and the draft scale were arranged in the direction of the expert and teacher opinions. The scale development study, 410 teachers participated in 2016-2017 academic year in Istanbul Province of Pendik. The KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) and Barlett test values were calculated to determine whether the collected data were appropriate for factor analysis. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis made to determine the factor structure of the scale, a structure consisting of 6 factors and 28 items was obtained. Factors derived from the exploratory factor analysis were called as reasoning, reaching judgment, search evidence, search the truth, openmindedness and systematiccity. The 6-factor scale explained 56.35% of the total variance. The correlation coefficients between the factors were found to be significant. The general reliability of the scale was calculated as Cronbach alpha internal consistency coefficient 0.91. The item-total and item-remainder correlation coefficients are found significant. The lower and the upper %27 independent sample t-tesi were determined to be distinguishing the items. In the test-retest analysis, the subscales and the general of the scale and the correlation coefficients for were significant. The developed scale is called "Marmara Critical Thinking Tendency Scale (MEDEÖ)". It is concluded that in the light of the studies and analyzes done, teachers and administrators are a valid and reliable scale that measures the general critical thinking dipositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School resource officers (SROs) are commonplace in schools, but little research has examined students' views of these officers. This study used a large school-based sample (N = 126,868) to test associations between the awareness of presence and perceptions of SROs, school safety and disciplinary experiences, and differences by race/ethnicity. 71% of students reported awareness of an SRO and perceptions were fairly neutral. Four of six racial/ethnic groups had no statistical difference in feeling safe associated with SRO presence, and perceptions of SROs were associated with feeling safe (OR = 1.08) and small decreases in discipline experiences (OR = 0.87). Interaction terms indicated that students of Color had smaller benefits related to SROs than White students. SRO programs may deserve critical review and further training to improve well-being among students of all backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School administrators play an important role in shaping teaching and learning. However, very little is known regarding how school administrators perceive instruction for students with severe disabilities and how those perceptions shape expectations and visions for instruction. Semistructured interviews were used to interview 12 administrators responsible for evaluating teachers of students with severe disabilities across a variety of educational settings. The interviews were designed to ascertain administrators' perceptions about teachers' expertise and their ideal vision of instruction for students with severe disabilities. Findings highlight administrators' varying visions of instruction, which reveal the ways these visions might influence their expectations for teachers and students. Implications for inclusion and instructional practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]