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School System (school + system)
Selected AbstractsTherapeutic Use of Parental Stories to Enhance Mexican American Family Socialization: Family Transition to the Community School SystemPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2001B.S.N., Kathleen J Niska Ph.D., M.P.H. An ethnographic study was carried out in Hidalgo County, Texas, among 23 Mexican American families to field-test a methodology of using parental stories to enhance family socialization when a firstborn child enters the community school system. Thirteen of the 23 families shared their parental concerns about the child beginning school in audio-taped interviews in 1998. In 1999, the investigator assessed the parental concerns of the remaining 10 families who were about to have their children enter the school system. The investigator elicited parental stories of how the 13 experienced families managed their parental concerns during 1998, transcribed 65 parental stories verbatim, and shared the parental stories that addressed the specific concerns of each of the 10 inexperienced families. The assessment showed the stories addressed concerns that were similar, the inexperienced parents acquired new ways of managing their parental concerns, and their overall concern was lessened as a result of listening to the stories. [source] Indian residential school survivors and state-designed ADR: A strategy for co-optation?CONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 3 2007Neil Funk-Unrau The history of the Indian residential school system, which began officially in Canada in 1879, is marked by the persistent neglect and abuse of children and, as a result, of Aboriginal communities in general. The residential schools were an attempt to undermine the existence of Aboriginal communities and families. The federal government wanted Aboriginal people to assimilate into Canadian society. According to Duncan Campbell Scott, the principal architect of Indian residential school policy, "Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic, and there is no Indian question and no Indian Department. , I want to get rid of the Indian problem" (Titley, 1986, p. 50). In many communities, every child between the age of five and eighteen was taken from his or her family and put in residential schools. [source] Implementing peer support in schools: using a theoretical framework in action researchJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 6 2004Maretha J. Visser Abstract The implementation of a peer support project in 13 schools from a disadvantaged background is discussed using the social ecological, systems and social construction theory as a theoretical guide in action research. The goal was to establish an alternative helping system in schools that was sustainable within the school system. In the implementation of peer support attention was given to the integration of the project into the existing context; encouraging participation on all levels, facilitating change and creating shared meanings, supporting the process of reorganizing and restructuring and providing feedback to facilitate further change. From a process evaluation of the programme implementation challenges in the implementation process were identified and recommendations made that could contribute to the optimal functioning and sustainability of the project to address the needs of learners and enhance well being in the school community. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The efficacy of computer-based supplementary phonics programs for advancing reading skills in at-risk elementary studentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN READING, Issue 2 2006Paul Macaruso In this study we examined the benefits of computer programs designed to supplement regular reading instruction in an urban public school system. The programs provide systematic exercises for mastering word-attack strategies. Our findings indicate that first graders who participated in the programs made significant reading gains over the school year. Their post-test scores were slightly (but not significantly) greater than the post-test scores of control children who received regular reading instruction without the programs. When analyses were restricted to low-performing children eligible for Title I services, significantly higher post-test scores were obtained by the treatment group compared to the control group. At post-test Title I children in the treatment group performed at levels similar to non-Title I students. [source] A case study of one school system's adoption and implementation of an elementary science programJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 1 2005Michael P. Kelly In this investigation we employed a case study approach with qualitative and quantitative data sources to examine and discover the characteristics of the processes used by a midwestern U.S. school system to adopt and implement a new K,6 science curriculum. Analysis of data yielded several results. Elementary teachers received what they requested, a hands-on science program with texts and kits. Teachers as a group remained in the early stages of the Concerns-Based Adoption Model profile of concerns. Many K,6 teachers remained uncomfortable with teaching science. Teachers' attitudes regarding the new program were positive, and they taught more science. Teachers struggled with science-as-inquiry, with a science program they believe contained too many concepts and too much vocabulary, and with their beliefs that students learned more and loved the new hands-on program. Traditional science teaching remained the norm. Administrative support was positive but insufficient to facilitate full implementation of the new program and more substantial change in teaching. Standardized science achievement test scores did not show an observable pattern of growth. It is concluded that a systematic, ongoing program of professional development is necessary to address teachers' concerns and help the district realize its goal of standards-based K,6 science instruction. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 25,52, 2005 [source] Development of Mathematics Interest in Adolescence: Influences of Gender, Family, and School ContextJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2010Anne C. Frenzel This study investigated adolescents' developmental trajectories of mathematics interest and explored related effects of gender, family, and school context. Latent growth curve modeling was used to analyze longitudinal data of N=3,193 students (51% female) from grades 5 to 9 from all 3 ability tracks of the German state school system. Annual assessments involved student questionnaires on interest in mathematics, perceptions of classroom characteristics (classroom values for mathematics, mathematics teacher enthusiasm), as well as parent questionnaires regarding family values for mathematics. Results indicated a downward trend of students' mathematics interest that plateaued in later years, with high variability in mean levels, but little variability in the shape of the growth trajectories. Boys reported higher mathematics interest than girls, but similar downward growth trajectories. Students from the lowest ability track showed more favorable interest trajectories than students from the middle and highest tracks. Family values and classroom characteristics were positively related to within-person levels of interest over time and to average individual levels of interest, but not to growth parameters. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [source] A Culturally Appropriate School Wellness Initiative: Results of a 2-Year Pilot Intervention in 2 Jewish SchoolsJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 8 2010Maureen R. Benjamins PhD BACKGROUND: Despite the growing number of school-based interventions designed to reduce childhood obesity or otherwise promote health, no models or materials were found for Jewish schools. The current study describes an effort within a Jewish school system in Chicago to create, implement, and evaluate a school-based intervention tailored to the unique characteristics of Jewish religion, culture, and school structures. METHODS: Two schools (with approximately 600 students) were selected for the 2-year pilot study. The schools were required to form a wellness council, write a wellness policy, and implement policy changes or activities in 5 target areas (health education, physical education, school environment, family involvement, and staff wellness). Objectives were measured using pre- and postintervention surveys for students, as well as the School Health Index and other tools. RESULTS: Findings showed several significant increases in student knowledge, as well as an increase in the percentage of older students regularly meeting physical activity guidelines. Few changes in attitudes, other behaviors, or environmental factors were seen. CONCLUSIONS: Due to a strong partnership between researchers, schools, and community organizations, meaningful changes were made within the pilot schools. These changes were reflected in a limited number of improvements in student knowledge and activity levels. Future work is needed to determine how to bring about behavioral changes, how to increase the sustainability of all of the changes, and how to disseminate the model and products of this intervention to other day schools. [source] Building a Partnership to Evaluate School-Linked Health Services: The Cincinnati School Health Demonstration ProjectJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 10 2005Barbara L. Rose Partners from the Cincinnati Health Department, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati wanted to determine if levels of school-linked care made a difference in student quality of life, school connectedness, attendance, emergency department use, and volume of referrals to health care specialists. School nurses, principals and school staff, parents and students, upper-level managers, and health service researchers worked together over a 2.5-year period to learn about and use new technology to collect information on student health, well-being, and outcome measures. Varying levels of school health care intervention models were instituted and evaluated. A standard model of care was compared with 2 models of enhanced care and service. The information collected from students, parents, nurses, and the school system provided a rich database on the health of urban children. School facilities, staffing, and computer technology, relationship building among stakeholders, extensive communication, and high student mobility were factors that influenced success and findings of the project. Funding for district-wide computerization and addition of school health staff was not secured by the end of the demonstration project; however, relationships among the partners endured and paved the way for future collaborations designed to better serve urban school children in Cincinnati. (J Sch Health. 2005;75(10):363-369) [source] Freedom of religion in the Irish primary school system: a failure to protect human rights?LEGAL STUDIES, Issue 3 2007Alison Mawhinney In the Republic of Ireland nearly all primary schools are state-funded but the vast majority of these schools are owned and managed by religious bodies. There is no system of state-run schools. This paper discusses the protection of freedom of religion within this unique system of schooling. In particular, it examines the notion of ,the integrated curriculum' whereby all schools in receipt of state funding are legally obliged to ensure that a religious spirit informs and vivifies the whole work of the school. The paper identifies the international human rights standards relevant to the teaching of religion in schools. Through empirical evidence based on interviews with parents, teachers and pupils, an assessment is made of how far Irish law and practice respect these standards. The outcome of this evaluation of the use of religious bodies in non-state service provision is discussed. [source] Getting on the college track in fifth gradeNEW DIRECTIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Issue 138 2007Rosanne Druckman The Hartford Consortium for Higher Education has emphasized the issue of college access since 1986 and maintains the importance of also addressing issues that affect the public school system in Hartford, Connecticut. [source] School re-entry of the pediatric heart transplant recipientPEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 8 2006Constance M. Weil Abstract:, Pediatric cardiac transplant has become increasingly frequent in the last decade and survival rates have improved remarkably. Outcome research on this population suggests that the majority of children have the capacity for healthy adaptation although 25,40% have been shown to have some type of psychiatric difficulties. As school plays a major role in these children's lives, early intervention and close liaison with schools is indicated to reduce psychological morbidity, enhance adaptation within the school environment and enhance overall adjustment. This paper proposes a model for a school re-entry program for this population. The school re-entry program is aimed at children who are undergoing cardiac transplant and will be entering or re-entering the school system. They may range in academic age from preschool to college level and have been attending private or public schools with placements in regular education programs, regular education programs with resource support, special education programs, and alternative school programs. Others may not have been attending school because of the severity of their medical condition and have been receiving in-home tutoring. Each child is offered school re-entry assistance by a multi-disciplinary team composed of members from the Cardiology Transplant Service. The re-entry program includes cognitive and psychosocial assessment, liaison with the child's school pre- and post-transplant, academic planning and provision of academic, emotional, and behavioral support before, during, and immediately after transplant, a school re-entry visit, and an ongoing school consultation. The goal is to address issues necessary for a successful school re-entry including appropriate academic placement and support, psychosocial adjustment, education of school personnel and ongoing health needs of the student. The next step is to formally evaluate the efficacy of this program in successful school re-entry. [source] Therapeutic Use of Parental Stories to Enhance Mexican American Family Socialization: Family Transition to the Community School SystemPUBLIC HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2001B.S.N., Kathleen J Niska Ph.D., M.P.H. An ethnographic study was carried out in Hidalgo County, Texas, among 23 Mexican American families to field-test a methodology of using parental stories to enhance family socialization when a firstborn child enters the community school system. Thirteen of the 23 families shared their parental concerns about the child beginning school in audio-taped interviews in 1998. In 1999, the investigator assessed the parental concerns of the remaining 10 families who were about to have their children enter the school system. The investigator elicited parental stories of how the 13 experienced families managed their parental concerns during 1998, transcribed 65 parental stories verbatim, and shared the parental stories that addressed the specific concerns of each of the 10 inexperienced families. The assessment showed the stories addressed concerns that were similar, the inexperienced parents acquired new ways of managing their parental concerns, and their overall concern was lessened as a result of listening to the stories. [source] Sleep patterns, electronic media exposure and daytime sleep-related behaviours among Israeli adolescentsACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 9 2010Tamar Shochat Abstract Aim:, The aim of this study was to assess weekday and weekend sleep patterns and their relationships with electronic media (television and computer) exposure and with daytime sleep-related behaviours, including sleep problem behaviours, sleepiness and fatigue in Israeli adolescents. Methods:, A cross-sectional survey, which includes 470 8th and 9th grade middle school students (mean age 14 ± 0.8) in the normative school system, was performed. Students completed the modified School Sleep Habits Survey (SSHS), and the modified Electronic Media and Fatigue Questionnaire (EMFQ). Results:, Adolescents went to bed at 23:00 and 01:45 hours, and slept <7.5 and nearly 10.0 h on average, during weekdays and weekends respectively. Average electronic media exposure per day was about 3 h for television and 2.5 h for internet. Adolescents with a bedroom television went to bed later, had longer sleep latency and slept less than those without a bedroom television. Increased electronic media exposure and poor daytime sleep-related behaviours predicted later bedtime, longer sleep latency during weekdays and later wake-up time during weekends. Conclusion:, Poor sleep patterns in Israeli adolescents are related to excessive electronic media habits and daytime sleep-related problems. These findings raise a public health concern regarding lifestyle and functioning in young individuals. [source] Using Technology to Teach Health: A Collaborative Pilot Project in AlabamaJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 10 2002Brian F. Geiger ABSTRACT: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified six adolescent risk behaviors that contribute to chronic diseases and disorders, including poor dietary habits, sedentary lifestyle, and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. This project pilot-tested a "train-the-trainer" model to diffuse an interactive health education software program into Alabama middle schools during a school year. Developmentally appropriate content included nutrition, physical activity, and prevention of substance use. Twenty-four site facilitators selected from 18 public school systems trained 364 colleagues and 2,249 students to use the software. During a school year, facilitators created 150 student assignments; they reported increased interest among students in health instruction. An essential feature of the project involved an active partnership among the funder, state department of education, university, and public schools. Planners provided technical assistance through face-to-face interaction, distance learning, telephone and e-mail communications, and a Web site. Planners and facilitators worked together to overcome barriers to the use of technology for health instruction. [source] A Ten-Year Chronicle of Student Attitudes Toward Foreign Language in the Elementary SchoolMODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL, Issue 2 2007AUDREY L. HEINING, BOYNTON This article reports the results of 2 studies conducted over a 10-year period that researched student attitudes toward early foreign language learning. These studies are unique because of the long time frame in which the students were followed, and the large data sets collected at the elementary school level. Surveys of students in the Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES) programs examined the attitudes of all children in 2 school systems in North Carolina: one suburban and one urban. The students studied either French or Spanish. The number of responses to the survey questions ranged from 22,549 to 52,227 for a 4-year period. The results indicated that boys and girls had positive attitudes when responding to 2 questions about enjoyment of their FLES classes and teachers. The girls were positively inclined, and the boys were neutral, in their desire to continue with foreign language study in the next grade. Two items about the use of foreign language outside the school venue and comprehension of foreign language teacher input revealed negative attitudes for both genders. As a follow-up to the quantitative study, qualitative data about attitudes toward foreign language speakers, foreign cultures, and their own education with respect to foreign language study were gathered through structured interviews. The participants were the same students who had completed the original surveys 10 years earlier. In corroboration of the quantitative data, a qualitative analysis revealed that, for a majority of the students, foreign language study was viewed positively, as were foreign language speakers and their cultures. [source] Middletown High School: Equal Opportunity for Academic AchievementLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 3 2006Cynthia Mata Aguilar Middletown High School is a comprehensive high school with 1,970 students, located in the environs of Washington, DC. It is distinguished by an open enrollment policy for all courses; a strong emphasis on inclusion of students with learning disabilities (LD) in general education classrooms; block scheduling that allows for more in-depth and meaningful study of important concepts and ideas; and team teaching in English, mathematics, science, and social studies. In a schoolwide 30-minute daily Learning Seminar, all students learn study skills, do homework, take tests, or go to the library, and teachers have opportunities for departmental meetings and problem solving. A visual representation of a "percolator" frames the school's system of opportunities and supports. Through case studies of two students with LD and analyses of 55 transcripts of recent graduates, we describe the academic and social opportunities, support structures, and strategies that make Middletown a "good high school" for students with disabilities. [source] | ||||||||||||||||