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In March 2020, COVID-19 appeared in the State of Maryland, resulting in strict stay-at-home orders and the shutting down of physical business operations. These restrictions directly impacted College Park Academy (CPA), a public charter middle and high school in Prince George's County, MD that typically follows a hybrid approach to in-person and online instruction. The purpose of this qualitative study was to review CPA's transition to full online distance learning during emergency remote teaching. The research worked to establish a snapshot of the school's underlying structure and disaster preparedness strategies before evaluating the perceived viability of the online model and its effects on students, teachers, parents, and educational administrators. The researchers conducted interviews, as well as document analysis and online classroom observations. The findings reveal that despite strong infrastructure and communications during the transition, there remained issues with school readiness, including the maintenance of academic rigor and social emotional wellbeing. Overall, recommendations are made as to how the school would benefit from a shift in its approach to technology-enhanced learning, including the need for digital tools that better facilitate wellness checks, provide human touchpoints, and target collaborative, student-centered pedagogy. These lessons learned are relevant for other school administrators to consider as society continues to adapt to a new era of virtual learning during times of crisis.

: Objectives: Parenting is central to children's optimal development and accounts for a substantial proportion of the variance in child outcomes, including up to 40% of child mental health. Parenting is also one of the most modifiable, proximal, and direct factors for preventing and treating a range of children's problems and enhancing wellbeing. To determine the effectiveness of new approaches to parenting intervention, and to evaluate how to optimise reach and uptake, sufficient funding must be allocated for high quality research. Method: We reviewed funding awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council (ARC) for parenting intervention research during 2011–2020. Results: Parenting intervention research received 0.25% of the NHMRC and ARC research budgets. Conclusions: There is a substantial mismatch between the funding of parenting intervention research and the impact of improved parenting on short‐ and long‐term child outcomes. To rectify this, it is critical that Australian Government funding schemes include parenting interventions as priority areas for funding. Implications for public health: Changes in allocation of funding to parenting research will support the establishment of evidence for the effective development, implementation and dissemination of parenting interventions to maximise health outcomes for children and their families., Parenting interventions play a central role in promoting and protecting the health, wellbeing and educational outcomes of children, adolescents and families, as well as preventing and treating difficulties when they [...]

Child observation is a critical component of quality pedagogy in early childhood education and care (ECEC). The ORICL (Observe, Reflect, Improve Children’s Learning) tool was co-designed by ECEC researchers, policymakers, leaders, and practitioners to support this work. Educators rate the experiences of individual children, and responses of educators and peers on 118 items across five domains. In this study of the utility of ORICL, the tool was used by 21 educators across 12 ECEC services for a total of 66 children. Descriptive statistical analyses were used to determine how educators used the full range of the ORICL rating scale, and the psychometric properties of the tool were explored. Findings suggest that the ORICL items can be readily observed and rated by educators for children aged under 3 years, the rating scale is appropriate, and there is early evidence to support the domain structure of the tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increased focus on offshore wind (OSW) as a renewable energy resource in the United States and elsewhere, there are concerns about OSW impacts to wildlife, particularly birds and marine mammals. This study identifies technology gaps and technological research and development (R&D) priorities for monitoring marine mammals and birds for fixed and floating OSW. A synthesis of current monitoring technologies generated two databases (with over 100 technologies) that can be integrated in current technology repositories for renewable energy projects. Generally, the key technology R&D needs are similar for birds and marine mammals. The main exception is that some types of bird technologies are more likely to require direct integration with OSW infrastructure, whereas marine mammal systems tend to operate independently. Priorities to advance wildlife monitoring include improved early communication, harmonization of technologies and data collection for monitoring systems on OSW structures, battery/power access improvements, remote data transfer improvements, and advancements in automated collection and analysis of data. The successful integration of wildlife monitoring systems into OSW infrastructure and operations is dependent on remote access mechanisms for data collection, system maintenance, and data transfer, in order to minimize risks to worker safety in the offshore environment, as well as minimizing costs and disruption to normal operational activities. Application of the results of this study to prioritize and fund technology R&D will help to support statistically robust data collection and practicable integration of monitoring systems into OSW operations and infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Single-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) can be recorded using widely available devices such as smartwatches and handheld ECG recorders. Such devices have been approved for atrial fibrillation (AF) detection. However, little evidence exists on the reliability of single-lead ECG interpretation. We aimed to assess the level of agreement on detection of AF by independent cardiologists interpreting single-lead ECGs and to identify factors influencing agreement. Methods and results In a population-based AF screening study, adults aged ≥65 years old recorded four single-lead ECGs per day for 1–4 weeks using a handheld ECG recorder. Electrocardiograms showing signs of possible AF were identified by a nurse, aided by an automated algorithm. These were reviewed by two independent cardiologists who assigned participant- and ECG-level diagnoses. Inter-rater reliability of AF diagnosis was calculated using linear weighted Cohen's kappa (⁠ κ w ⁠). Out of 2141 participants and 162 515 ECGs, only 1843 ECGs from 185 participants were reviewed by both cardiologists. Agreement was moderate: κ w = 0.48 (95% confidence interval, 0.37–0.58) at participant level and κ w = 0.58 (0.53–0.62) at ECG level. At participant level, agreement was associated with the number of adequate-quality ECGs recorded, with higher agreement in participants who recorded at least 67 adequate-quality ECGs. At ECG level, agreement was associated with ECG quality and whether ECGs exhibited algorithm-identified possible AF. Conclusion Inter-rater reliability of AF diagnosis from single-lead ECGs was found to be moderate in older adults. Strategies to improve reliability might include participant and cardiologist training and designing AF detection programmes to obtain sufficient ECGs for reliable diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-regulation is arguably one of the most crucial predictors of school readiness, academic achievement, and lifelong well-being. While educators in the prior-to-school years have a pivotal role to play in stimulating growth in early self-regulation, less is known about their knowledge and practices in this area. This interview study was conducted with 71 kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the transcripts. We found that participants: (1) had a limited and superficial understanding of the notion of self-regulation; (2) estimated that approximately one quarter of their students displayed self-regulation problems; (3) had difficulties articulating what constitutes indicators for self-regulation problems in young children; and (4) lacked intervention strategies to strengthen children's self-regulation, specifically preventive strategies. Educational policymakers, researchers, curriculum designers, teacher educators and school leaders are urged to better prepare early childhood practitioners in this area. Limitations and future research lines are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How research is assessed affects what types of knowledge are valued, incentivized, and rewarded. An increasingly important element of contemporary research evaluation is the measurement of the wider impact of research (e.g. benefit to society, culture or economy). Although the measurement of impact has been highly contested, the area is under-theorized and dominated by pragmatic research policy imperatives. Informed by a sociological perspective, this article intervenes in this context by reframing research impact as the attainment and maintenance of capital (i.e. symbolic power or status) in various fields beyond academia. It argues that research impact occurs at the intersection of these fields of power. The article shows that impact involves various combinations of capital from the scholarly field, the field of politics, the field of application, the media field, and the economic field, which provide credibility, authority, utility, visibility, and weight, respectively. In exploring the forms of worth and value that underpin the pursuit of legitimacy in these fields, the article provides a new theoretical framework for understanding research impact and its assessment.

Background: When delivered in a safe space, programs effective in promoting positive youth development (PYD) involve key features termed the Big Three: (1) Positive and sustained adult-youth relationships; (2) Life-skill-building activities; and (3) Opportunities for youth contribution and leadership. However, no measures exist in the literature for assessing the Big Three. Objective: The present study sought to develop a quantitative measure of program quality. Method: Using data collected from Rwandese participants from the Compassion International (CI) Study of PYD, we developed a youth-report measure with two groups: 603 youth enrolled in CI-supported programs, and 320 youth not enrolled in CI but involved in other youth development programs (total N = 923, M[subscript age] = 11.81 years, SD = 1.68). We used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to refine the item pool. Using a propensity-score matched subsample, we added a measure of youth contribution to assess predictive validity of the measure, and tested for between-group measurement invariance across age, gender, and CI-enrollment status. We then compared CI-supported and non-CI-supported youth as an initial assessment using the measure. Results: We established a parsimonious and robust measure of the Big Three demonstrating strong psychometric properties. CI-supported-youth reported higher levels of each of the Big Three features. Conclusions: These results provide information about the usefulness of a measure assessing the Big Three attributes of effective PYD programs. We discuss how future research using this approach to understanding the content of youth development programs may provide evidence of how PYD may be promoted.

Early childhood teachers have a myriad of possible employment options, with birth to eight years degree qualifications preparing graduates to work in a range of early childhood settings, including prior-to-school. At the same time, early childhood workforce policies in Australia, and elsewhere, are increasingly requiring degree-qualified teachers to be employed in prior-to-school settings. A growing number of reports and studies make a compelling case that there is a shortage of early childhood, degree-qualified teachers who are willing to work in prior-to-school settings, including centre-based child care. This conceptual article focuses on the imbalances in workforce policy and employment for early childhood teacher graduates. We examine the complexities and considerations of these imbalances, through exploration of literature and existing research, including small-scale studies and existing graduate destination data (Australian Graduate Survey). The article concludes with a proposed research agenda and suggestions to redress the imbalance of early childhood graduate teachers who are prepared, though seemingly not willing, to operationalise policy requirements for teachers to work in centre-based child care.

Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect is a complex yet essential responsibility tasked to many professional groups working with children, including the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce. This paper provides a narrative review synthesising the empirical literature on factors influencing ECEC educators' reporting of child abuse and neglect, including knowledge and training, attitudes, thresholds for reporting, work experience and context, inter-organisational co-operation and self-efficacy. These factors can act as barriers and facilitators to effective reporting practice and are likely to interact in dynamic yet modifiable ways. Findings from the review may be useful for informing future education and training initiatives for the ECEC workforce. Further research is warranted in this area.

Interest has grown internationally in the concept of physical literacy [Dudley, D. 2015. "A Conceptual Model of Observed Physical Literacy." "The Physical Educator" 72: 236-260; Edwards, L., A. Bryant, R. Keegan, K. Morgan, and A. Jones. 2017. "Definitions, Foundations and Associations of Physical Literacy: A systematic Review." "Sports Medicine" 47 (1): 113-126] acknowledging holistic embodied learning. This notion of embodied learning resonates with the play based approach of the Foundation Phase in Wales for children aged 3-7. With early childhood being the optimum age for developing Fundamental Motor skills, the primary purpose of this paper is to describe a programme (SKIP-Cymru) for developing pupils' motor skills in the Foundation Phase. Drawing on Successful Kinaesthetic Instruction for Pre-schoolers (SKIP) [Goodway, J. D., and C. F. Branta. 2003. "Influence of a Motor Skill Intervention on Fundamental Motor Skill Development of Disadvantaged Preschool Children." "Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport" 74 (1): 36-46] and playful pedagogy [Howard, J., and K. McInnes. 2010. "Thinking Through the Challenge of a Play-based Curriculum, Increasing Playfulness via Co-construction." In "Thinking about play," edited by J. R. Moyles. Berkshire: Open University Press], SKIP-Cymru combines advocacy with leadership, training and mentoring for staff and parental engagement. Early exploratory data from an initial evaluation suggest SKIP-Cymru is a positive experience for staff and parents which improves pupils' motor competence in both locomotor and object control skills. Limitations of the research design are discussed along with implications for future research.

Higher education teaching certificate programs can improve graduate students' and postdoctoral scholars' teaching while preparing them for their future roles as faculty, providing a multi-tiered benefit to universities' teaching goals. This article documents the decision points and initial success of a redesign of one such teaching certificate program." As part of the redesign process, 10 universities' programs were reviewed and used as a benchmark. The programs' learning objectives and assessments, along with their connections to the literature, are discussed in detail. A new flexible pathway through the certificate program emerged, tapping into courses, workshops, and online resources for content delivery, effectively expanding access to more participants. Preliminary outcomes include increased enrollments from a wide range of disciplines and new opportunities for partnerships with academic departments.