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Background: In many low-income countries, enhancing the health of school-aged children is often impeded by insufficient or limited knowledge regarding their health status. Further, hands-on health promotion interventions are nearly non-existent due to the lack of designated health workers. The disconnection between schools and primary care facilities further exacerbates this issue. To address these challenges, the World Health Organization has introduced the Health Promoting School (HPS) framework, a comprehensive model designed to integrate health into all aspects of school life and promote physical, mental, and social well-being. We sought to assess the perceived health status of school-aged children, identify associated factors, and explore the role of community health workers (CHWs) in public schools in rural Rwanda. Methods: We carried out a convergent mixed methods study among teachers and community members in rural areas of Musanze, Rwanda. Data collection instruments were adapted from the World Health Organization's HPS framework and the literature. We conducted six in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions. We performed a logistic regression analysis to examine the factors associated with perceived health. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Results: A total of 479 individuals participated in this survey. Of these, 425 (89%) were community members, while 54 (11%) were employed as teachers at Nyabirehe or Rwinzovu public schools. Almost half of respondents 221 (46%) described the children's health as poor. Many factors were associated with perceived children's health, including having an established leadership team for school-based health promotion (OR = 1.97, 95%CI: 1.01,3,84), and being familiar with school-based health promotion (OR = 4.77, 95%CI: 2.27,10.0). Qualitative results described the CHW as a bridge between communities, schools, and primary healthcare centers. Conclusion: This study revealed that the health of schoolchildren needs particular attention. In resource-limited settings, HPS presents a promising opportunity to address the health and well-being of children at rural public schools. However, adapted policies, the establishment of health promotion teams, and hands-on orientation for teachers and community members are necessary to ensure an effective implementation of HPS. In Rwanda and other low-income countries where public schools lack nursing staff, CHWs could play a vital role in enhancing HPS and the linkage between schools and primary healthcare facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Exposure to arsenic (As) in well water is a well-documented public health issue for Maine and New Hampshire, as well as for other states in the United States and abroad. Arsenic contamination of well water in these locations is primarily attributed to metasedimentary bedrock that leaches As into groundwater. However, As can also enter groundwater reserves from soils contaminated by the historical use of arsenical pesticides. Approximately half of the households in Maine and New Hampshire rely on private wells, many of which have elevated As. Arsenic exposure has been associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, reduced infection resistance, and lower intelligence quotient in children. Despite these known health impacts, well water testing and treatment are not universal. OBJECTIVES: We have approached the problem of low well water testing rates in Maine and New Hampshire communities by developing the All About Arsenic (AAA) project, which engages secondary school teachers and students as citizen scientists in collecting well water samples for analysis of As and other toxic metals and supports their outreach efforts to their communities. METHODS: We assessed this project’s public health impact by analyzing student data relative to existing well water quality datasets in both states. In addition, we surveyed private well owners who contributed well water samples to the project to determine the actions taken to mitigate As in well water. RESULTS: Students collected 3,070 drinking water samples for metals testing, and 752 exceeded New Hampshire’s As standard of 5 ppb. The AAA data has more than doubled the amount of information available to public health agencies about well water quality in multiple municipalities across both states. Students also collected information about well types and treatment systems. Their data reveal that some homeowners did not know what type of wells they had or whether they had filtration systems. Those with filtration systems were often unaware of the type of system, what the system was filtering for, or whether the system was designed to remove As. Through interviews with pilot survey participants, we learned that some had begun mitigating their exposure to As and other toxic metals in response to test results from the AAA project. DISCUSSION: A school-based approach to collecting and analyzing private well water samples can successfully reach communities with low testing rates for toxic elements, such as As and other metals. Importantly, information generated through the program can impact household decision-making, and students can influence local and state policymaking by sharing information in their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on providing practical guidance for early-career teachers preparing for the school year. Topics include emphasizing organization, classroom management, and community-building strategies; and creating a back-to-school checklist for syllabi and materials, tips for building rapport and managing classrooms effectively, and strategies for planning engaging activities for the first days of school to foster a positive learning environment.

Importance: Contextual elements at school playgrounds compromise the right to play. An occupation-based social transformation project to foster occupational justice in play at a school playground was conducted. Objective: To better understand barriers to and facilitators of children's participation in occupations at the school playground to co-create actions that enable play. Design: A participatory methodology—Photovoice—was used. The research consisted of four phases: involving the community in the research design, community-led data generation and analysis, discussion of findings to increase the community's awareness, and a community agenda for changing the playground. Setting: Public primary school playground in northwest Spain. Participants: All children (n = 450, ages 3–12 yr), families (n = 12), and teachers (n = 15) participated. A thematic analysis of visual, textual, and oral material was conducted, including member checking. Results: The study revealed several barriers to play, including the short recess duration, poor floor (surface) conditions, jail-like atmosphere, and violence. However, participants identified an ad hoc lending games system and playground murals advocating for children's rights as facilitators. These findings have direct implications for improving the play environment. Conclusions and Relevance: Conflicting priorities between children's and adults' desires and needs for the playground were unveiled, displaying the relevance of invisible contexts (i.e., social or institutional contexts) in shaping play opportunities. A critical occupational stance combined with a participatory and playful methodology generated space to unveil these conflicting priorities, reconcile agendas, raise awareness, and propose collective actions to transform the playground. Plain-Language Summary: Playing is fundamental to children's development and inclusion. This study focused on making school playgrounds better places for kids to play. Researchers found that things such as short playtimes, bad playground conditions, and violence made it tough for kids to enjoy playing, but they also discovered some good things, such as a system for borrowing games and colorful murals promoting children' rights. These findings show that changing the playground's physical and social environment can make a big difference for kids. By listening to kids and working together, adults and children can create playgrounds where all kids can play meaningfully and safely. Occupational therapists can promote such processes. Changing a playground's physical and social environment can create better places for kids to play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the associations between gifted children's stress management and parental stress level. A sample of 78 primary school children and their 76 parents took part in this study. Children were screened for intelligence and emotional quotients, while parents were tested for stress levels. Results show that the more children are aware of their stress-management skills, the less parents are stressed out. Moreover, the intelligence quotient is not significant in mediating this association, supporting the idea that it is not an a priori protective factor from a developmental perspective. The study findings suggest that when a child is equipped with the skills to handle stress by harnessing their emotional intelligence, it can have a beneficial effect on the entire family's well-being. Given that these skills can be developed, and the significant positive influence they have on a child's growth and adaptation, it is essential to offer specialized educational programs to gifted children. These programs should aim to enhance their emotional skills, which, in turn, can indirectly bolster the psychological health of the family unit as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preschool teachers' read-aloud and writing practices were investigated using a questionnaire about how activities were planned and organized, and what their purpose was. The results indicate that early literacy practices were not planned systematically. Most of the preschool teachers (77%) reported having storybook read-alouds at least three times per week. A large minority (45.5%) reported never or seldom using writing activities, and rarely in play. The main aims of read-alouds were to promote learning and development, create a sense of community, and regulate group activities. The main aims of writing practices were to learn about letters, understand the function of print, and arouse interest in writing. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to a need for a didactic approach, where play is the core of early literacy practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on how Indigenous educators at Chokecherry Hill School supported each other in implementing Community-Based Inquiry to improve educational outcomes for Native students. Topics include the challenges of using non-relevant curricula, the importance of including Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho languages and cultures in the classroom, and the benefits of collaborative efforts among Indigenous teachers to address systemic educational issues.

Based on the theory of change, we gather, organize, and synthesize the evidence on the impact of three language of instruction (LOI) choices (teaching in mother tongue [MT] with later transition, teaching in a non‐MT language, or teaching in two or more languages at one time) on literacy and biliteracy outcomes. We focus on quantitative and qualitative studies of LOI interventions in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) and consider languages that are commonly spoken in the developing world. As such, we include studies that examine transfers from local languages to English, but not those evaluating transfers from local languages to languages that are less spoken in LMICs (e.g., Swedish). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot feasibility study applies the RE-AIM Implementation Science Framework to examine the implementation and preliminary signals of the effectiveness of integrating the Group–Early Start Denver Model (G-ESDM) in an early childhood education center serving under-resourced communities. Five preschoolers diagnosed with autism, their caregivers, and teachers participated for 6 months. Standardized assessments documented improvements in adaptive, cognitive, and communication functioning for most participants. The majority of parents reported reduced daily stress and a greater ability to maintain their employment. A staff survey indicated high perceived feasibility and acceptability of the intervention along with a strong intent to continue treatment after the study concluded. Fidelity improved over time with staff integrating G-ESDM techniques at an acceptable fidelity level (>70%) by the second half of the study. Findings across all RE-AIM Implementation Science Framework domains indicate that incorporating the G-ESDM into this setting was feasible, acceptable, and potentially beneficial for children and their families in underserved communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First Nations and Eurocentric approaches in the field of psychology and mental health are rooted in different worldviews which creates incongruencies as to what may be deemed as effective standards of practice. This autoethnography describes the experience of a school psychology intern navigating through practice particularly as it pertains to the principle of dual relationships. With a first-person perspective the journey of exploration into this matter brings together the research found in academia and the guidelines formally set as well as the beliefs and values of local community members which were brought forth through a series of interviews and conversations. There are three main themes which arose that are highlighted and they are the embodiment of a spiritual orientation, substantiation of trust and integrity, and obligation to community. These themes explicate the differences in and implications for practice when working with First Nations people, particularly in remote spiritually connected communities. The practice of psychology in and with First Nation people needs to be rooted in their beliefs, values, and customs to be effective, to reflect the experience of Indigenous ways of helping, and to decolonize approaches in the field of psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Scientiae (1517-4492) is the property of Acta Scientiae and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The significant disruption of COVID-19 on schooling has heightened concerns about its impact on educators' wellbeing. The current study examined how educators' worry regarding the COVID-19 pandemic compared to their worry about other extreme events, such as natural disasters and critical incidents (a death or suicide of a child, young person, or colleague). Educators report that they were most worried about COVID-19. Educators working in preschools were more worried about COVID-19 and natural disasters than those in primary and secondary schools. However, worry regarding critical incidents increased with the age of students taught. Worry was influenced by socio-economic advantage (SEIFA), whereby educators working in higher SEIFA communities were less worried about natural disasters and critical incidents but shared similar levels of worry about COVID-19 as educators in lower SEIFA communities. With a better understanding about how different types of worry and levels of worry vary across different educator groups and different contexts, more effective supports can be developed and offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaboration, critical friendship, knowledge communities, generous scholarship, reflection, storying/restorying. [Extracted from the article]

Increasing children's physical activity engagement has short- and long-term health benefits. Developing physical competence is a key component of children's engagement in physical activity. The purpose of our study was to assess if a 12-week home, school, and community-based physical literacy intervention improved the physical competence of children in kindergarten and grade one. Four schools were either assigned to receive the intervention (n = 2 schools) or continue with their usual practice (control sites) (n = 2 schools). Physical competence was evaluated pre- and post-intervention in 103 intervention (41 female) and 83 usual practice (36 female) children using PLAY Fun. PLAY Parent and PLAY Coach tools measured parent and teacher perspectives of children's physical competence, respectively. The intervention effect was assessed with repeated measures MANOVA to evaluate change in physical competence, with alpha set at p < 0.05. Children in both groups improved their locomotor, object control, and overall physical competence (p < 0.05) over the 12-week intervention. There was a significant intervention effect for locomotor and overall physical competence (p < 0.05). Interestingly, parents did not perceive these changes in physical competence (p > 0.05). However, teachers perceived improved physical competence for children in the intervention. Our physical literacy intervention improved the physical competence of children in kindergarten and grade one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students learned to perform first-person presentation to display information researched through an inquiry process. Teachers helped students learn inquiry during instructional time. Teachers, parents, and guardians worked together to support student learning in a high poverty and low educational attainment Appalachian community. The character the students selected represented democratic citizenship to the audience of friends, visitors, parents, guardians, and community members. Reading in the content area supported decision making about the difference between celebrity and democratic citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hip-hop culture has been an influential force on a large segment of this generation's teachers and a tool for building relationships with students. The contemporary hip-hop of today's generation differs from that of many hip-hop educators/pedagogues. This case study explored how one hip-hop generation teacher attempted to cross this generational divide rather than discount youth culture in the classroom. The findings of this study focus on how the teacher's personal identification with hip-hop culture informed his relationships with students and how he drew from key narratives and ideas in hip-hop to communicate his views of his classroom community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many teacher educators (TEs) see their role as influencing radical change in K-12 classroom teaching. And yet, many TEs might characterize their own growth as steady and measured experimentation. In this paper, we explore sudden and drastic changes to praxis that TEs experienced when reorganizing their courses and programs around Mediated Field Experiences (MFEs). Using an open-ended questionnaire data from 13 TEs having recently adopted MFEs, we utilize Shulman and Shulman's (2004) framework for teacher learning as a lens for analyzing how TEs developed in praxis – understanding, motivation, vision, practice, reflection, and community - when enacting MFEs in their contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study tested a moderated mediation model of school leadership effects on teacher instructional practices. Specifically, the authors focused on the mediating effect of teacher professional communities and the moderating effect of instructional climate on the relationship between school leadership and teacher instructional practices. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected data from 958 teachers working in 72 middle and high schools in Türkiye and employed multilevel structural equation modelling (MSEM) with Bayesian estimation to predict structural links between the study variables. Findings: Results affirmed a full mediation model where school leadership practices exerted indirect effects on teacher instructional practices through promoting teacher professional communities. The authors also found significant moderating role of instructional climate in the effect of school leadership on teacher professional communities and instructional practices. Originality/value: This study illuminates the contextualized nature of school leadership by concluding that the effect of school leadership on teacher professional communities and instructional practices is closely tied to the extent to which a high-quality instructional climate is established in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International & Comparative Education is the property of International & Comparative Education Editorial, Beijing Normal University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the last two years, the obligatory use of technologies due to the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the technostress suffered by education professionals. This study investigates the relationships between technostress and perceived organizational support and the influence of certain socio-demographic variables. An online survey was administered to 771 teachers working in different educational stages in various autonomous communities in Spain. Perceived organizational support was found to be significantly correlated with technostress. Women tend to experience more technostress in general and significant gender differences were also found in the dimension of anxiety. The analyzed data also suggest that perceived organizational support is higher in private schools. In urban centers, teachers' technostress increases in higher educational stages, such as secondary education and baccalaureate. Further work is needed to develop school policies that address the needs of teachers and provide support for those at risk of technostress. In addition, there is a need to design coping strategies and prioritize the most at-risk sectors to improve their overall health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open educational resources (OER) are disproportionately created and/or accessed by institutions of higher education as compared to K-12 even though teachers confront the challenge of outdated teaching materials or, worse, an increasing trend by school districts to discontinue textbook adoption altogether. In this paper, we describe a sustainable and innovative example of OER-enabled pedagogy (OEP) that partners teachers and students across institutional boundaries to address these problems. The Pathways Project (PP) is a higher education and K-12 community of 350 world-language teachers, students, and staff that engage in the 5Rs (retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute) of OEP with a repository of more than 800 OER ancillary activities that support standards-based pedagogy for 10 world languages and cultures. The PP is innovative because it fosters renewable assignments for the entire disciplinary ecosystem unlike most OEP studies that discuss renewable assignments limited to a single course. Teacher education is one of the best places to engage OEP because teachers are trained to personalize and contextualize OER materials for their local classroom needs. In so doing, the PP community receives timely discipline-specific professional development that is in high demand, especially in rural communities where teachers are isolated. Higher education-K-12 OEP partnerships are rare, and yet teacher education programs exist in most universities and can be a logical place to start. This paper provides concrete examples and practical steps that are transferable to other disciplines looking to engage in similar types of OER-OEP collaboration and community engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The affordances of Open Educational Resources (OER) have resulted in various initiatives around the world, but most of them cease to exist once the initial project funding stops. Communities might be a means to create sustainable practices, yet, such communities can only function if their members perceive these communities as valuable. We applied the value creation framework of Wenger, Trayner, and De Laat to examine the value teachers ascribe to their engagement with an inter-institutional community on OER. In this community, 15 universities of applied sciences collaborated on sharing knowledge and resources across their institutional barriers. We collected data through user statistics, an online questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. Major value creation occurred from teachers' personal needs, with dominant immediate and potential values. Findings on applied and realized values denote that it became easier for teachers to connect with peers, and to initiate collaboration projects across institutes. The framework we used is helpful to inform actions to further promote value creation in communities on OER. Recommendations relating to communities' aspirations, its relations with the wider organization, and adoption of OER are formulated to inform sustainable practices of inter-institutional communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Education Research (1680-6360) is the property of Angle Publishing Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

this article is based on a five-year action-research project implemented in elementary school in Mauritius, which mobilized members of the educational community as well as various partners, and which revealed the challenges and stakes of a pedagogical experimentation that promotes well-being in the perspective of an inclusive educational community. The qualitative and quantitative survey that mobilized the different actors made it possible to measure the impacts of the experimentation, particularly on the school environment, the well-being of the children and that of the teachers. It also showed that the successful implementation of such an educational innovation was correlated to the consideration and support of all school stakeholders: students and their families, teachers and their supervisors, and outside contributors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This year-long multiple case study examines how three elementary-level ESL teachers understood their advocacy for emerging bilinguals, what tensions arose during their advocacy, and how they dealt with those tensions. Interviews, teaching artefacts, and observations were analyzed using a theoretical model informed by third space theory and existing research on teachers' critically conscious advocacy. The way that these teachers conceptualized their advocacy (i.e. non-critical, critically emerging, and critically conscious) was tied to the tensions that they encountered as advocates (i.e. advocacy as core versus marginal ideas; advocacy beliefs versus actions; ideological alignment versus misalignment). Teacher participants often dealt with tensions by engaging with stakeholders in third spaces, which are hybrid zones between formal and informal spaces of social interactions. Some of the actions that teacher participants took within third spaces included co-constructing new cultural knowledge with emerging bilinguals' families; building bridges between the school and their students' communities; and reimagining alternative practices. This study shows that third spaces can help teachers and stakeholders to jointly identify tensions stemming from divergent goals and help them to collaborate in advocating for emerging bilinguals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Aula Abierta. Revista de Investigación, Formación e Innovación en Educación (RIFIE) is the property of Universidad de Oviedo, Servicio de Publicaciones and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

From a cluster randomized control trial in 610 villages, the study evaluates the impact of a community-based information campaign on school outcomes in three Indian states. The campaign consisted of eleven to fourteen public meetings over two rounds in treatment villages to disseminate information to the community about its state-mandated roles and responsibilities in school management. No intervention took place in control villages. The paper reports on the final follow up survey two and half years after the campaign. Providing information improved teacher effort and learning outcomes in schools. Bigger gains were seen in the two states, Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Uttar Pradesh (UP), where baseline level of outcomes was lower than in the third state, Karnataka. The impact on teacher effort, primarily for civil-service teachers with permanent jobs and therefore lower accountability, was between 16%-43% in MP and UP. The shares of children able to do basic mathematics competencies improved. Due to low baseline learning levels, the magnitudes of the percentage increases were much larger compared to the absolute increases in shares. Fewer improvements occurred in language. This can be because of low teaching effectiveness as well as more time needed for larger and wider impacts on learning. School councils became more active after the campaign. Focus group discussions indicated discussions within communities and communities actively bringing up issues with teachers and school councils. Impacts were generally larger or broader than those at midline survey 2–4 months after one round of intervention. Overall providing information holds promise in improving public services via worker accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart schools prioritise work in the educational community, identifying the participation of families as an opportunity, rather than a form of intrusiveness. There are currently a multitude of ways of sharing education with families, ranging from communication to training, with teachers being the driving force in promoting the different roles that families can assume. In this respect, the aim of this cross-sectional, evaluative, non-experimental and quantitative study is to establish the family participation facilitation profiles of 542 teachers working in schools in a multicultural municipality in the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, in south-eastern Spain. They completed a validated questionnaire with 91 items regarding the different dimensions of family participation, carrying out a cluster analysis to determine the teacher facilitation profiles. The results obtained from the application of the questionnaire show two statistically differentiated teaching profiles. The first of these, with a smaller number of teachers, with fewer years of experience and linked to the pre-primary and secondary stages in public schools, shows less participation in all the modalities considered. In contrast, the profile with the greatest commitment to promoting participation is characterised by having a greater number of teachers, predominantly from state-subsidised centres, that are experienced and linked to the primary stage. In relation to the previous literature, it was possible to confirm the presence of a differentiated profile, finding, on the one hand, teachers interested in the involvement of families and, on the other hand, teachers who do not identify the family–school relationship as a priority. This highlights the need to improve the prior and ongoing training of teachers to raise awareness and sensitise them to the inclusion of families in the educational community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores a growing trend in the politics of education: the intersectional frontline organizing work of educators' social justice unions on behalf of a woman‐dominated workforce and local students, families, and communities, many of whom experience racial and economic disparity. I show that educators' social justice unions have tended to coherently employ intersectional language to articulate student, family, and community need along racial and class lines during the COVID‐19 crisis, but have struggled to explicitly tie a gendered analysis of educators' working conditions to the raced and classed public school experiences of the populations they serve. In the spirit of supporting the growth of educators' social justice unions in the educational justice movement, I bring together the theoretical work of Angela Davis, David McNally and Nancy Fraser to argue that long‐term movement growth requires enhanced intentionality in naming systemic identity‐based linkages across worker and student experiences of public schooling while highlighting how "advanced neoliberalism" co‐opts identity‐based rhetoric to maximize capitalist accumulation for the few while limiting educational equity for the many. In other words, I assert that movement growth requires intentional articulation of the systemic identity‐based relations linking working with learning conditions in late‐stage capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyse the effects of leisure-based community activities in improving neighbourhood support and social cohesion, data were collected in two neighbourhoods of Barcelona (Spain) through questionnaires and interviews. The results indicate that promoting neighbourhood support requires a different strategy from promoting participation in leisure-based activities aimed at developing social cohesion within a community. The study also suggests various useful strategies to strengthen the effects of leisure-based community activities. The strategies recommended revolve around networking, use of the public space, recognition of diversity and conflict management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has established long-term benefits for children's successful transition to kindergarten. Yet a majority of the research focuses on teacher and school practices that occur before the first day of school, and less is known about instructional practices teachers use to build community and establish procedures at the beginning of the school year. The current study involves indepth observations of one highly effective kindergarten teacher during the first six weeks of school. Results indicate the teacher intentionally spent time building relationships with individual students from the moment they arrived. She modeled respect and kindness throughout the day and gradually introduced procedures in an interactive and engaging manner. The study has important implications for practitioners and for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past research suggests that a sense of belonging to a community is developmentally important for adolescents and affects their engagement in school, especially during the transition to high school. However, little research examines the teaching practices that simultaneously foster classroom belonging and behavioral engagement to create a classroom community of engaged learners. This study investigates the association between specific teaching practices (i.e., lesson organization and structure, academic support, and student-teacher trust) related to students perceiving they are in a classroom community of engaged learners. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze survey responses of 16,137 ninth grade students in a large urban school district. Results show a positive relationship between the way a teacher organizes their classroom lessons and activities, the level of academic support, and student-teacher trust towards students perceiving they are in a community of engaged learners. These findings differ across student characteristics (e.g., race, sex, living in a high poverty neighborhood, special education status, grades). The findings suggest that teaching practices that are generally considered by educators within the profession as good instructional practices may also be key for creating a community of engaged learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an exploratory study on the use of ontologies for student assessment during a focus group with teachers in student-centred learning environments. The work is framed by a theoretical argument about coherence between instructional values and assessment systems, and how this may be achieved through a "community of judgment" with teachers at the centre. The purpose of the study was to understand the process and perceived usefulness of collaborative ontology development, at a narrative and conceptual level without grades or detailed probabilistic relationships. Findings of two kinds are discussed. First, we identified a set of framework-building moves used by teachers during ontology-based reasoning. Second, we present evidence that participants perceived the ontology development process to be useful and empowering in sharpening their ability to communicate nuanced assessment arguments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on early childhood teachers' narrative identities in the North, based on the concept of narrative identities in place. The aim of the study is to deepen understanding of early childhood teachers' work in the culturally diverse North by approaching the teachers' narrative identities as closely connected with place. The research question guiding this study is: How do early childhood teachers from the culturally diverse North narrate their identities? The research material consisted of 12 peer interviews (24 teachers). The findings show that early childhood teachers' narrative identities in place are shaped in between three crucial dimensions: meaningful places, temporality, and (un)belonging to multiple communities. The study contributes to international research on teachers' narrative identities, place-based education, and early childhood education both theoretically and methodologically. The findings of the study challenge teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers to recognise the significance of place for teachers' identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study emerged from a desire to understand the motivation of teachers to teach in challenging school contexts on the Cape Flats of South Africa where the legacy of apartheid continues to impact the quality of teaching and learning as the communities experience abject poverty, violence, and gang activity and have little regard for schooling, teachers, or education. This qualitative study employed an interpretative paradigm to understand the personal, lived experiences of teachers teaching in three purposively selected primary schools in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. The participants agreed to at least one semi-structured interview with follow-up questions for clarity if required. The findings suggest that the motivation of the teachers to teach at schools in a marginalised community is positively linked to the relationships they develop with their teacher community and the students and their families. If these relationships are positive, teachers are able to live out their beliefs and remain committed to the school community, which increases their perceived levels of self-efficacy and therefore their motivation to teach in the Manenberg area. Where they have support from the larger school community, their motivation is further enhanced. This motivation can be applied to countries with marginalised communities, particularly countries in the global south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social & Education History / Historia Social y de la Educación is the property of Social & Education History / Historia Social y de la Educacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The COVID-19 coronavirus affected all countries, changing living practices and patterns of social structures. Spain confined all citizens to their homes from 14 March until 21 June 2020. All schools were closed, and education was suddenly converted to an online format. This study is part of wider research and analyzes the ways in which teachers in the Valencian Community (Spain) have approached School at Home (SH) The approach of the study is based on mixed methods (quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups) and has an exploratory aim. Multivariate profiles of the gaps (represented by composite indicators) in both groups are analyzed based on k-means cluster analysis, as well as the variables associated with each profile, using non-parametric tests. The results show three groups of teachers, established according to four types of gaps, with different perceptions of the situation. ICT proficiency was very important, as well as family situation and support during confinement. The main lines of research derived from this study in relation to CSE and teacher outcomes are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research studies how educators help young people to be empowered. It is built from a pedagogical model of youth empowerment comprising nine variables: self-esteem, responsibility, critical capacity, efficacy, community identity, meta-learning, participation, autonomy and teamwork. Our aim is to analyze youth empowerment factors from the educators' perceptions of this concept, taking into account different educators' fields and different uses of methodological strategies. In this quantitative cross-sectional study, the survey technique is applied. We analyzed responses to a questionnaire obtained from 696 educators (including teachers and social pedagogy professionals), through structural equation models (multigroup analysis) and non-parametric techniques. The results suggest that both groups of educators see youth empowerment as a unitary concept, but with two dimensions: the individual and the community. Teachers and social education professionals share the same conception of empowerment and perceive their contribution to it in the same way. On the other hand, differences were detected in the use of methodological strategies when working with young people. The results are discussed in the light of the existing literature, and appear to confirm the need to revisit the differentiation between the formal and non-formal when characterizing educators' actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Androcentrism permeates reality and floods classrooms at all levels of education, which is why there is such an urgent need to implement feminist pedagogies that can provide a solution to these situations. The objective of this research is to analyze the presence of training in feminist pedagogies in the initial stages of the training of education professionals in the Autonomous Community of Galicia. This entails a review of the subjects taught on university degrees for training teachers, pedagogues and social educators, as well as master's degrees in secondary education at the three Galician universities. The results reveal a considerable lack of training in this area, with significant differences between the universities that are part of the study, as well as the desire, both of students and teachers, to receive such training. Finally, a series of proposals for improvement are offered and the need for teachers and other practitioners in the field of education to be trained in feminist pedagogies is reiterated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience is understood as a process that allows a person, system, or community to resist, adapt, transform and recover in a timely and efficient manner from an adverse situation; from the perspective of education, resilience allows knowing the threats to which the educational community is exposed and the capacities and resources it has to face them. The present research was of a mixed, descriptive type and its objective was to identify the competencies, practices, and strategies for strengthening school resilience from the perspective of teachers and children between 7 and 13 years of age in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. The study was carried out through surveys and focus groups with the participation of 230 teachers and 53 children from the state of Tabasco. According to the results, it is concluded that it is necessary to strengthen the processes of listening and systematization of the knowledge of the educational community in order to generate intervention strategies to reinforce school resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We analyse the role of changes in the geographic concentration of immigrants in shaping teachers' assessment of students' performance. By using data on Italian students attending the fifth grade, we adopt an IV estimation strategy and, by controlling for student performance in blindly scored tests of proficiency, find that an increasing presence of immigrants in the local population negatively affects the way teachers evaluate immigrant students, as opposed to their peers, in non-blindly graded tests. We also reveal that the effect is mainly driven by schools located in smaller communities and in areas with lower overall levels of educational attainment and that it is unlikely to be related to the conduct of immigrant students who live in the areas experiencing sizable increases in immigration flows. In addition, older teachers tend to be more biased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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