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It has been no secret that today's schools are faced with many challenges. U.S. schools are struggling with low test scores, high drop-out rates, and unequal quality public education. These schools are also struggling to meet the needs of an ever changing population of students. The changing demographics in schools present challenges to teachers and administrators. In addition to working to improve grades, schools are faced with the challenge of building relationships with families to ensure that the needs of all students are met. Schools that strive to create better learning environments for children strive to empower "all" parents--not just ones from traditional families. In order to build successful schools it becomes crucial for schools to build partnerships with diverse families. Teacher education programs have the unique challenge of training students interested in becoming teachers (pre-service teachers) to build partnerships with "all" families including those from diverse structures. Many who teach pre-service teachers struggle with ways to go beyond the textbook with the goal of providing quality, memorable learning experiences for their students. This article describes a project that examines the effectiveness of moving beyond the textbook and bringing families and pre-service students face-to-face in an effort to begin to build a much needed understanding and to allow for perspective taking. Results proved that the panel discussion format is a powerful tool that can be used to teach pre-service teachers to appreciate and respect diverse family structures. More than a lecture or reading a book, the panel discussion allowed students to actually meet the families and hear their true life stories. This hands-on strategy allowed students to hear and understand the perspectives of others and to appreciate the differences.

A content analysis of early adolescent X-bar = 12.02 years) Latino girls' (n = 44) responses to open-ended questions embedded in an electronic survey was conducted to explore strategies girls may use to resist peer pressure with respect to sexual behavior. Analysis yielded 341 codable response units, 74% of which were consistent with the REAL typology (i.e., refuse, explain, avoid, leave) previously identified in adolescent substance use research. However, strategies reflecting a lack of resistance (11%) and inconsistency with communication competence (e.g., aggression) were also noted (15%). Frequency of particular strategies varied depending on the situation described in the open-ended question, suggesting a variety of strategies may be needed to resist the peer pressure that puts early adolescent girls at risk of engaging in sexual behavior. Study findings extend the typology of resistance strategies identified in adolescent substance initiation and use research to the context of early adolescent sexual behavior.

This study investigated children's tonal awareness by measuring their abilities to detect dissonance in major tonality using the author-created "Tonal Dissonance Detection Test." A two-way analysis of variance of 312 elementary school subjects' Tonal Dissonance Detection Test scores revealed that first- and second-graders' dissonance detection abilities were significantly weaker than those of their third- to sixth-grade counterparts. Subsequent analysis revealed neither a significant gender effect nor interaction between grade level and gender. Findings are consistent with related study of the perception of tonality and tonal expectancies in children and adults. Given the homogeneity of the sample, the longevity of the music instructor, the school's sequential Kodaly-based curriculum, and conclusions of prior research, discussion considered the impact of musical instruction and musical development on the ability to perceive tonality. The author suggested the two aforementioned constructs might be studied by comparing the same perceptual skills of children from both Western and non-Western cultures. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Erikson's construct of generative concern for future generations seems a plausible structure for supporting environmental behavior and socialization in the family. The present study of 44 Canadian middle-class families with a focal child aged 14-16 years, examined variations in generative concern among parents and their children and tested how such variations were related to differences in environmental values and behaviors in the family, as measured by a number of standard and novel scales and self-reports. Results showed that adolescent generative concern on the Loyola Generativity Scale predicted positively adolescent environmental and prosocial behaviors and was, in turn, predicted by an authoritative parenting style and maternal generative concern. Furthermore, an emphasis on environmental-socialization values and practices by parents was associated positively with higher parent-generativity scores, and parents' environmental actions and values, in turn, predicted adolescent behaviors. This study provides preliminary support for the role of generative concern in supporting environmental socialization in the family context. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)

For years, instructors have used talks, speak-outs, and panel discussions so that students could hear the perspective of others. Bringing panel discussions into the classroom can provide valuable experience for students. They allow students to hear viewpoints and arguments of others, in contrast to traditional classroom discussions that only allow students to state their own points of view. The purpose of this project was to examine the effectiveness of moving beyond the textbook and bringing families and pre-service students face to face in an effort to build an understanding and to allow for perspective taking. For this project, a panel of parent volunteers from diverse family structures was assembled to speak to the students. Information was gathered to determine the future of using a panel discussion as a teaching strategy on diverse family structures. Informal information was also collected from the panelists and students. This article shows that panel discussions help teachers build partnerships with families.

This article explores realistic ways with which ensemble conductors can facilitate the conceptual acquisition of their students via creative activities. Creativity, as included in the National Standards, is presented through the "eyes" of comprehensive musicianship. (Contains 2 figures, 2 tables, and 9 notes.)

Context: Thrombolytics are currently the most effective treatment for stroke. However, the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke criteria for initiation of thrombolytic therapy, most notably the 3-hour time limit from symptom onset, have proven challenging for many rural hospitals to achieve. Purpose: To provide a snapshot of stroke care at rural hospitals in Idaho and to investigate the experiences of these hospitals in expediting stroke care. Methods: Using a standard questionnaire, a telephone survey of hospital staff at 21 rural hospitals in Idaho was performed. The survey focused on acute stroke care practices and strategies to expedite stroke care. Findings: The median number of stroke patients treated per year was 23.3. Patient delays were reported by 77.8% of hospitals, transport delays by 66.7%, in-hospital delays by 61.1%, equipment delays by 22.2%, and ancillary services delays by 61.1%. Approximately 67% of hospitals had implemented a clinical pathway for stroke and 80.0% had provided staff with stroke-specific training. No hospitals surveyed had a designated stroke team, and only 33.3% reported engaging in quality improvement efforts to expedite stroke care. Thrombolytics (tPA) were available and indicated for stroke at 55.6% of the hospitals surveyed. Conclusions: Rural hospitals in Idaho face many difficult challenges as they endeavor to meet the 3-hour deadline for thrombolytic therapy, including limited resources and experience in acute stroke care, and many different types of prehospital and in-hospital delays.

Obtaining and submitting documentation related to disabilities to instructors is a known barrier to students accessing necessary accommodations. We assessed whether the implementation of a universal course design procedure, an automatic re-weight for students who missed a midterm exam without requiring documentation, was associated with differences in midterm examination attendance relative to a previous course offering when documentation was required for such an absence. In 2018, a large (n = 1897) first-year course introduced a fall midterm examination that required documentation for assessment reweights resulting from a missed exam, and in 2019 (n = 1795) assessments were automatically (i.e., no documentation required) re-weighted for students who missed the exam. We expected that the midterm attendance rate for the 2019 (no documentation required) exam would be significantly lower than the 2018 fall midterm exam attendance rate. However, our results revealed that removing the requirement for documentation was not associated with an increase in exam absences. These findings indicate that flexible practices can be effective in promoting accessibility while not significantly affecting student engagement and completion of summative assessments. However, we did not assess for any differences in learning because of this missed testing practice, and there are limitations such that these findings may not generalize to other student populations. We call for further discussion and research with respect to the learning-related consequences of re-weighting assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine sight-singing requirements at junior and senior high school large-group ratings-based choral festivals throughout the United States. Responses to the following questions were sought from each state: (1) Are there ratings-based large-group choral festivals? (2) Is sight-singing a requirement? (3) Are there specific levels or classes of difficulty? (4) Is musical content specified for each level or class? (5) Is there an overall rating that includes both the performance and sight-singing ratings? Data revealed that less than half of all states require sightsinging at large-group festivals at both the junior high and high school levels. Fewer states delineate levels of difficulty, outline musical content to be assessed, and use the sight-singing rating in an overall final rating. Frequency of "yes" responses to all questions was consistently lower at the junior high level. The author suggested further analysis of the most evolved state sight-singing assessment systems to develop a more uniform, sequential system of content, materials, and assessment.

Current efforts to address the severe and worsening shortage of rural physicians include attracting and preparing rural students for medical school, enhancing medical school curricula, and placing and retaining rural physicians. Recommendations include creating incentives for successful rural training programs, encouraging innovation in rural training programs, removing disincentives from rural medical practices, and supporting rural hospitals and telemedicine programs. (TD)

Explores the validity of reproduction tonal memory tests by examining the relationships among performances on an existing reproduction tonal memory test and several recognition tonal memory tests. Tested 210 fifth through twelfth grade students. Concludes that there is a moderate relationship among performances on the tests. Includes references. (CMK)

Interviews with 1,435 urban, low-income African American and Hispanic youth about sexual experiences and behaviors revealed that interviewer age affected the reporting of sensitive behaviors. The strongest effects were observed for Hispanic women, who reported more sexual activity to younger interviewers. (Author/SV)

Climate-driven disturbances threaten the sustainability of coastal communities in the Great Lakes Basin. Because such disturbances are unpredictable, their magnitude, number and intensity are changing, and they occur at varying temporal and spatial scales. Consequently, communities struggle to respond in effective ways. The expected intensification of climate-driven disturbances will require that community capacity and governance structures match the spatial and temporal scales of these disturbances, as the most sustainable social and economic systems will be those that can respond at similar frequencies to key natural system drivers. The Climate Governance Variability in the Great Lakes Research Coordination Network (CGVG-RCN) was recently established to address questions about the relationship between climate-driven disturbances and community response. The objective of this short communication is to introduce the ideas behind the CGVG-RCN, outline its goals, and facilitate engagements and collaboration with social and natural scientists interested in social-ecological systems in the Great Lakes Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although several different contouring instructional programs are available to radiation oncologists and trainees, very little is known about which methods and resources benefit learners most, and whether some learners may need alternate forms of instruction. This study aimed to determine the factors that were predictors of learners' success in anatomy, radiology, and contouring education. Participants in the online and face-to-face Anatomy and Radiology Contouring (ARC) Bootcamp completed pre- and postintervention evaluations that assessed anatomy/radiology knowledge, contouring skills, self-confidence, and spatial ability. Baseline factors were assessed as predictors of outcomes across multiple educational domains. One hundred and eighty (face-to-face: n = 40; online: n = 140) participants enrolled in the ARC Bootcamp, and 57 (face-to-face: n = 30; online: n = 27) participants completed both evaluations. Of the participants enrolled, 37% were female, and most were radiation oncology residents (62%). In the anatomy/radiology knowledge testing, all quartiles (based on baseline performance) improved numerically; however, the largest improvements occurred in learners with the lowest baseline scores (P <.001). At the end of the Bootcamp, learners with lower-performing scores did not reach the level of learners with the highest baseline scores (Bonferroni-corrected P <.001). Regarding the contouring assessment, improvements were only evident for the participants with lower-performing baseline scores (P <.05). Spatial anatomy skills, as measured by the spatial anatomy task, were correlated to contouring ability. Overall, the greatest improvements were seen for learners in postgraduate year 1 to 3, those with no previous rotation experience in a given discipline, and those who attended from other programs (ie, medical physics residents and medical students). The ARC Bootcamp improved all levels of performers' anatomy and radiology knowledge but only lower-performers' contouring ability. The course alone does not help lower-performing learners reach the abilities of higher-performers. The ARC Bootcamp tends to be most beneficial for participants with less radiation oncology experience. Curriculum modifications can be made to help support ARC Bootcamp participants with lower performing scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interviewed 30 Hispanics and 34 African Americans in Detroit, aged 15-21, to identify condom beliefs that may influence condom use in young minority populations. Also explored the utility of the construct accessibility model in explaining condom-use behavior. Condom intentions were reported to be accessible by more African Americans than by Hispanic participants. (KS)