Search

Encouraging involvement in school-based extracurricular activities (ECA) may be important for preventing high school dropout. However, the potential of these activities remains underexploited, perhaps because studies linking ECA involvement and dropout are rare and based on decades-old data. Previous studies also ignore key parameters of student involvement. The present study expands and updates this limited literature by using recent data from a high-risk Canadian sample (N = 545) and by considering a range of involvement parameters. Results showed that consistent involvement in the past year was associated with lower odds of dropout (OR = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.17-0.61). However, adolescents who interrupted their involvement during this period (e.g., because of cancelations or exclusions) were as much at risk of dropout as those who were not involved at all. Findings notably imply that excluding students from ECA (e.g., because of No Pass/No Play policies) may heighten their dropout risk.

This study describes policies and practices implemented in 12 high schools (Quebec, Canada) that more or less effectively leveraged extracurricular activities (ECA) to prevent dropout among vulnerable students. Following an explanatory sequential mixed design, three school profiles ("Effective," "Ineffective," and "Mixed") were derived based on quantitative student-reported data. Qualitative interviews with frontline staff revealed that in "Effective" schools, ECA had a unique overarching goal: to support school engagement and perseverance among all students, including vulnerable ones. Moreover, in these schools staff had access to sufficient resources--human and material--and implemented inclusive practices. In "Ineffective" schools, ECA were used as a means to attract well-functioning students from middle-class families, and substantial resources were channeled toward these students, with few efforts to include vulnerable ones. Schools with a "Mixed" profile had both strengths and weakness. Recommendations for school-level policies that bolster ECA's ability to support students' perseverance are provided.

Background and Objectives Maximal surgical blood order schedules (MSBOS) are prepared to assist surgeons and anaesthesiologists with pretransfusion test orders. The literature on the prevalence and usefulness of MSBOS in international settings is lacking. We developed a survey to understand the prevalence of MSBOS in hospitals and to analyse compliance with MSBOS recommendations. Method and Materials A survey tool was developed by the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusions (BEST) collaborative. The survey link was distributed to BEST members who were encouraged to forward the link to colleagues. Survey respondents were asked to contribute data regarding their hospital’s MSBOS and MSBOS compliance. Results There were 174 completed surveys. Greater than half of respondents did not have an MSBOS. The total number of beds was significantly different (P = 0.04) in hospitals with (N = 81) or without (N = 93) an MSBOS. Less than a quarter of respondents felt that their MSBOS was being followed despite widespread access to the MSBOS. Over 60% of type and screen orders were MSBOS compliant; however, just 42% of cross-match orders were compliant. There was a significant difference between the number of red-blood-cell units returned to the blood bank when comparing MSBOS compliant and MSBOS non-compliant cross-match orders (227 versus 788 units, respectively, P = 0.0026). Conclusions An MSBOS could be a useful tool to help with pretransfusion test orders; however, the majority of respondents lacked a MSBOS. In hospitals with a MSBOS, it was reported to be under-utilized, which might contribute to the low compliance rates seen for cross-match orders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]