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This case study investigates aspiring school leaders' perception of political literacy in educational leadership, offering critical recommendations for principal preparation programs, policymakers, and future research. As a qualitative study, the case addresses integrating political literacy policy, developing relevant professional development opportunities, and initiating future research to gauge the possible impact of political literacy as a practice and subject. Moreover, findings reveal the challenges and strategies for implementing political literacy in school settings through the lens of experienced teachers with aspirations to be school leaders. The research suggests that a comprehensive approach emphasizing political literacy may empower aspiring school leaders, improve school-community relations, and promote an informed citizenry. This study signifies a crucial step towards cultivating politically literate school leaders equipped to foster democratic engagement and critical thinking within school communities.

This study explores and explains crisis leadership through surveys and experiential narratives of school principals in the State of Delaware. The study focuses on the lived experiences of school principals for decision-making and responding to the impact that the pandemic (i.e., COVID-19) has had on the educational concerns of students, schools, and communities. The aim is to understand deeply what and how building leaders view their experience leading schools during the crisis, mainly related to COVID-19. Finally, the study aims to contribute to academic literature on improving leadership practice amid the global crisis.

Over the last several decades, the opioid crisis has had an increasing impact on the educational environment of schools. The role that principals and superintendents have in leading schools that have been affected by opioids has been mostly overlooked in the research. The present study was conducted in Ohio, a state with areas that have some of the highest death rates due to opioid-related incidents in the nation. Purpose: This study collected data on the perspectives and perceptions of school leaders in Ohio to better understand how principals and superintendents frame their decisions regarding the opioid crisis. Design: We analyze data collected from a survey of 217 Ohio school leaders (n = 164 principals and n = 53 superintendents). The survey required principals and superintendents to rate their perception of the opioid crisis in their schools based on their socioeconomic status, school typology as rural or non-rural, and school location within or outside the Appalachian region. Results: Findings emphasize that opioids remain a factor negatively impacting schools of varying typologies, economic levels, and geographical locations.

At a large suburban high school in the United States, the first home football game was taking place after missing a full season due to the pandemic. The stands were packed as the school community gathered to celebrate the return to some normalcy. Shortly after the third quarter began, a beloved coach/teacher collapsed on the sideline. Paramedics arrived within 10 minutes, CPR was administered, and 20 minutes later, he was transported to a local hospital, and within a few days, he passed away. This case captures the lived experiences of a school principal and how she was able to lead her school community through a devastating event witnessed by so many. It also highlights the challenges that school leaders face when dealing with an unexpected tragedy to include the quick decisions that must be made, the importance of timely and accurate communication, privacy considerations, and ensuring social emotional support is in place for all who have been impacted. This experience is based on a real event, however, all identifying information (names, etc.) has been changed along with some of the circumstances surrounding the event. This case provides school leaders an opportunity to apply cognitive resource theory to unexpected tragedies that many will undoubtedly face at some point in their career.

Recent studies have provided insight into the schooling experiences and lives of Black girls. These studies highlight the challenges that Black girls face in the school environment including underachievement, disproportionality in school discipline, deficit ideologies, and educator and counselor bias. The current study centers the voices on high achieving Black girls in an effort to center their unique and nuanced experiences in high school. Data was collected using in-depth individual interviews and analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. We found that high achieving Black girls must navigate deficit thinking and negative stereotypes similar to their peers while they also pull strength and resilience from their intersecting identities. Further, high achieving Black girls were tenacious in their pursuits and found familial and teacher relationships to be paramount in their success. These findings support the importance of developing intentional and systemic supports to counter intersectional oppression to meet the needs of high achieving Black girls.

BACKGROUND: The problem of loneliness has garnered increased attention from policymakers, payors, and providers due to higher rates during the pandemic, particularly among seniors. Prior systematic reviews have in general not been able to reach conclusions about effectiveness of interventions. METHODS: Computerized databases were searched using broad terms such as loneliness or lonely or social isolation or social support from Jan 1, 2011 to June 23, 2021. We reference mined existing systematic reviews for additional and older studies. The Social Interventions Research & Evaluation Network database and Google were searched for gray literature on Feb 4, 2022. Eligible studies were RCTs and observational studies of interventions to reduce loneliness in community-living adults that used a validated loneliness scale; studies from low- or middle-income countries were excluded, and studies were excluded if restricted to populations where all persons had the same disease (such as loneliness in persons with dementia). RESULTS: A total of 5971 titles were reviewed and 60 studies were included in the analysis, 36 RCTs and 24 observational studies. Eleven RCTs and 5 observational studies provided moderate certainty evidence that group-based treatment was associated with reduced loneliness (standardized mean difference for RCTs =  - 0.27, 95% CI - 0.48, - 0.08). Five RCTs and 5 observational studies provided moderate certainty evidence that internet training was associated with reduced loneliness (standardized mean difference for RCTs =  - 0.22, 95% CI - 0.30, - 0.14). Low certainty evidence suggested that group exercises may be associated with very small reductions in loneliness. Evidence was insufficient to reach conclusions about group-based activities, individual in-person interactions, internet-delivered interventions, and telephone-delivered interventions. DISCUSSION: Low-to-moderate certainty evidence exists that group-based treatments, internet training, and possibly group exercises are associated with modest reductions in loneliness in community-living older adults. These findings can inform the design of supplemental benefits and the implementation of evidence-based interventions to address loneliness. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO ( CRD42021272305 ).

Abstract Microsatellite instability is responsible for the human repeat expansion diseases (REDs). The mutagenic process differs from classical cancer-associated microsatellite instability (MSI) in that it requires the mismatch repair proteins that normally protect against MSI. LIG4, an enzyme essential for non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), the major pathway for double-strand break repair (DSBR) in mammalian cells, protects against expansion in mouse models. Thus, NHEJ may compete with the expansion pathway for access to a common intermediate. This raises the possibility that expansion involves an NHEJ-independent form of DSBR. Pol θ, a polymerase involved in the theta-mediated end joining (TMEJ) DSBR pathway, has been proposed to play a role in repeat expansion. Here we examine the effect of the loss of Pol θ on expansion in FXD mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), along with the effects of mutations in Rad52, Rad54l and Rad54b, genes important for multiple DSBR pathways. None of these mutations significantly affected repeat expansion. These observations put major constraints on what pathways are likely to drive expansion. Together with our previous demonstration of the protective effect of nucleases like EXO1 and FAN1, and the importance of Pol β, they suggest a plausible model for late steps in the expansion process.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor decline. Studies of electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during rest and motor execution have captured network changes in ALS. However, the nature of network-level impairment in the pre-motor activity in ALS remains unclear. Assessing the (dys)function of motor networks engaged prior to motor output is essential for understanding the motor pathophysiology in ALS. We recorded EEG in 22 people with ALS (PwALS) and 16 age-matched healthy controls during rest and isometric pincer-grip tasks. EEG spectral power and coherence were calculated during rest, pre-motor stage, and motor execution. In PwALS, significantly higher event-related spectral perturbations were observed compared to controls over electrodes representing a) contralateral prefrontal and parietal regions in theta band during pre-motor stage, b) contralateral parietal and ipsilateral motor regions in high-beta band during motor execution. Similarly, spectral coherence revealed abnormal EEG connectivity within 1) sensorimotor network during rest in theta band, 2) (pre)motor networks during pre-motor stage in low-alpha and high-beta bands, 3) Fronto-parietal networks during execution in high-beta band. Furthermore, the abnormal EEG connectivity during rest and execution (but not during pre-motor stage) showed significant negative correlation with clinical ALS-functional-rating-scale scores. Combining abnormal EEG connectivity from rest, pre-motor, and execution stages provided more powerful discrimination between patients and controls with a uniquely higher contribution of measures pertaining to the pre-motor stage. The results indicate that pre-motor functional activity reflects a different and unique aspect of network impairment, with potential for inclusion as biomarker candidates in ALS.

Abstract Background Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are among the most challenging conditions to accurately diagnose in children, and many TBIs are underdiagnosed. Patients with maxillofacial injury may be at risk for TBI. The objective of this study was to analyse the association between maxillofacial injuries and TBI among paediatric patients. Analysis of the factors associated with the occurrence of TBI among paediatric patients with maxillofacial injuries was the secondary objective. Method This case-control study included 192 cases defined as paediatric patients with maxillofacial injuries and 192 controls defined as all paediatric patients with traumatic injuries to other body locations and with no maxillofacial injuries. The medical records of patients aged 0–18 years, who underwent treatment at a tertiary care hospital were screened. Patient demographic data, causes of trauma, and the presence, type, and severity of TBI were recorded. For the cases, the presence of facial fracture, type and severity of the maxillofacial injuries were recorded. The odds ratio was obtained to determine the association between maxillofacial injuries and TBI. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to study the associations of all the recorded study variables with the occurrence of TBI in patients with maxillofacial injuries. Results A statistically significant difference was seen between the cases and controls for TBI occurrence, with 53% of cases recording TBI, compared to 32% among controls, with an odds ratio of 2.5. Multiple logistic regression analysis with the presence/absence of TBI among the cases as the dependent variable revealed a significant association of road traffic accidents (RTA), longer duration of hospital stays, and dentoalveolar fracture with TBI. Conclusion Paediatric patients with maxillofacial injuries need to be screened for TBI, as the risk of occurrence of TBI is 2.5 times greater in these patients than in those with injuries involving other parts of the body. RTA and prolonged hospitalization are factors associated with TBI among paediatric patients with maxillofacial injuries. The presence of only dentoalveolar injuries decreases the likelihood of a TBI.

Introduced by Alyssa Lowery, the Recommended Reads spotlight four multimodal texts that could facilitate in-depth English learning and encourage responding creatively to engaging stories.

Objectives: Hybrid stage I palliation has been used in many clinical scenarios including initial palliation in single ventricle heart disease, a bridge to biventricular repair, a bridge to transplant, and as a destination therapy. There is considerable hybrid stage I palliation practice variation, which we aimed to better understand in this study. Methods: Survey-based assessment of practice variation related to hybrid stage I palliation was sent to congenital heart centers across the United States and Canada. Results: Of the 106 centers surveyed, responses were received from 54 centers (50.9%). Of respondents, 45 centers perform hybrid stage I palliation. Centers most commonly (97.7%) perform hybrid stage I palliation on “high-risk” patients with single ventricle heart disease. Regarding the technical aspects of hybrid stage I palliation, most centers (95.3%) accomplish restrictive pulmonary blood flow using pulmonary artery bands and primarily use changes in oxygen saturation (34.1%) to identify appropriate restriction. Ductal stents are most often used (67.4%) to maintain ductal patency. Only 10 centers (23.3%) routinely enlarge the atrial septal defect. Indications for atrial septal defect intervention varied widely. Most centers (71.9%) discharge patients home to follow with a formal “interstage” program. Conclusions: There is significant variation in practice patterns for hybrid stage I palliation indications, technical aspects, and postoperative care. Therefore, generalizability of single-center studies on outcomes after hybrid stage I palliation is limited. Future multicenter studies are needed to best delineate which patients benefit most from hybrid stage I palliation and to further define optimal approaches to caring for these patients.

This research comprises a collaborative auto-ethnographic narrative inquiry study conducted by a doctoral student and four undergraduates at a university in the Southwest of the US over two years -- between 2017 and 2019. The intent of this study was to uncover ways internalised racism influenced the researchers in their earliest socialisation years. The authors' interest in anti-racism provided the impetus to co-create a pedagogy of discomfort, which may be of value to teacher educators, as well as those who seek to do the work of excavating deeply-rooted internalised racism. Using a Critical Race Theory theoretical framework, the authors share their findings as a bricolage of synergistic stories. Their conclusions show how racism is passed down in families, the impact of whiteness on the sense of self, and how facing internalised racism can be simultaneously painful and healing. This article provides an exemplar of a process to conduct anti-racism inner work.

School principals must play a vital role in facilitating homeplace and Black joy by promoting, modeling, and holding educators responsible for their roles in contributing to homeplace. We argue that principals can enact homeplace by embodying the tenets of culturally responsive school leadership (CSRL). The purpose of this paper is to make meaning of the concept of homeplace, conceptualized by bell hooks, through storytelling and explanation of an acrostic. Homeplace creates "H"olistic "O"pportunities for "M"eaning, "E"xpectations on high, "P"urpose, "L"ove, "A"chievement, and "C"ommunity "E"ngagement. We explain each construct by including: (1) a story that connects to one of our personal experiences; (2) a general overview of how we make sense of the construct; (3) how we connect the construct to extant research about homeplace, joy, and CRSL; and (4) possibilities for application of the construct by school principals.

This research investigates the effects of a success coaching program by examining the timing of the first appointment and the frequency of additional coaching. Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity approach, we provide Local Average Treatment Effects of the program when students make appointments early in the semester. Students with appointments scheduled before discontinuity had an average of two additional meetings compared to students who waited to make their first appointment. We find each coaching session yields an effect of about 0.2-0.3 grade points and approximately 0.8 additional credits earned. This article contributes to understanding of the timing and frequency effects for success coaching and recommends programs aim to have first interactions with students happen before the sixth week of classes and offer four to six appointments per semester for maximum impact.

Previous research suggests that children's ability to label visual features (e.g. "red") and dimensions (e.g. "color") impacts attention to visual dimensions. The goal of this study is to investigate variations in the quality of the neural system supporting dimensional label comprehension and production in relation to children's dimensional attention skills. The current study recruited 3- to 4-year-olds from the East Tennessee area to complete dimensional label tasks for color labels while recording functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in order to measure hemodynamic changes in left frontal, left parietal, and left temporal cortices previously implicated in dimensional attention. Different aspects of dimensional attention were evaluated using the dimensional priming task (measuring attentional stability), the dimensional change card sort (DCCS) task (measuring flexible dimensional attention), the triad classification task (measuring selective attention), and the matching task (measuring dimensional understanding). Dimensional label learning was measured using a color Production and color Comprehension task. Results indicated that the temporal cortex was activated during the dimensional label tasks. Further, we found that activation in parietal cortex during the dimensional label tasks increased with better performance on the dimensional attention tasks. On the other hand, activation in the temporal cortex and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex during the dimensional label tasks decreased with better performance on the dimensional attention tasks. These results suggest that dimensional attention skills can reveal variations in the quality of neural representations supporting dimensional label learning.