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Background: The optimal selection process for basic physician trainees (BPTs) is unclear. Aims: To assess an adult BPT selection process, including a standardised recruitment interview assessing clinical decision‐making and situational judgement. Methods: A retrospective multi‐year cohort study of applicants who were selected for interview during the annual recruitment for 2011–2015 clinical years in an adult basic physician training network in NSW. The predictive capacity of the final recruitment assessment score was compared with success in the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) adult medicine clinical examination within 2 years. Results: Four hundred thirty‐six applicants were selected for interview (84–91 in each year). Summary mean post‐interview scores ranged from 1.25 to 10, with the median ranging between 7 and 8. Median scores were higher in those who passed the examination than those who did not (7.75 vs 6.43, P < 0.0001). Those who did not sit for the examination in the relevant year or never sat for the examination had similar median scores (7 vs 6.75, P = 0.11). Those not deemed eligible for recruitment were less likely to pass the clinical examination within 2 years than those on the eligibility list (odds ratio (OR) = 0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.25–0.57). Applicants with mean scores lower than 8 were less likely to pass than those in the top band (8.1–10); scores between 6.1 and 8 OR 0.42 (95% CI = 0.26–0.68), 4.1–6 OR 0.23 (95% CI = 0.13–0.41) and 2.1–4 OR 0.24 (95% CI = 0.10–0.60). Conclusion(s): The predictive capacity of the selection process for success in the RACP clinical examination within the minimum time period is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractStudies using cross-country comparisons argue that the benefits of parental involvement depend on the educational setting in which it exists. However, contextual and cultural differences likely transcend the differences observed across educational systems. Instead, this study compares the educational advantages of parents’ school-based involvement across different admissions systems in a single society. I draw on the case of Taiwan, where high schools select students through both applications and exams. The findings show that parental involvement is positively associated with children’s high school placements in both admissions systems. However, students with privileged class backgrounds reap greater rewards from parental involvement in the application system than those in the exam system. The marginal effects of parental involvement in applications systems are also considerably stronger than those in exam systems. The results of direct comparisons illustrate that institutional settings critically shape the benefits students accrue from parental involvement. Conceptualizing parental involvement as a measure of cultural capital, this study highlights educational systems’ role in conditioning how cultural capital contributes to educational inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The School Admission System (SAE, the Spanish acronym for “Sistema de Admisión Escolar”) was recently implemented in Chile to mitigate the market logic in school admission. This system represents a drastic change in how families select schools. The following study analyzes the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics of parents, their consumption of information, and their attitudes toward the SAE. A latent class analysis and a multinomial logistic regression model used data from a survey administered to parents. Three attitudes toward the SAE were identified: positive, neutral, and hostile; those attitudes have been influenced by several factors, including region of residence, socioeconomic group, and the quantity and objectivity of consumed information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The demand for nursing professionals with advanced education and specialized knowledge is growing, which encourages nursing undergraduates to pursue postgraduate studies. Therefore, an in-depth investigation into the barriers and facilitators affecting the motivation of nursing undergraduates to take postgraduate entrance exams was necessary. This may provide more targeted recommendations for the formulation of relevant policies and the provision of student support. The purpose of this study is to explore the barriers and facilitators affecting the motivation of nursing undergraduates for postgraduate entrance examination. Methods: Data for this study were collected from in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 nursing undergraduates from Nantong University between October and December 2023. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. Results: Four barriers were identified, including study pressure and internship fatigue, self-doubt and fear of failure, employment pressure, and lack of information and resources. Four facilitators were also identified, including the desire to upgrade academic qualifications and professional skills, career development and transition, escaping clinical work and delaying employment, as well as the power of role models, and social support. Conclusions: The findings may help nursing undergraduates navigate the path to postgraduate entrance exams more effectively and ultimately succeed in their studies and future careers. The study underscores the importance of addressing these barriers and leveraging these facilitators to support the holistic development of nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providers' tendency to cream skim clients according to certain sociodemographic traits is widely believed to increase under marketization, and therefore also discrimination. However, due to a lack of experimental research, little is known about the presence of discrimination in marketized welfare services and of the potential drivers of such biased treatment. The lack of research is particularly evident in regard to socioeconomic status (SES) discrimination and publicly financed for-profit providers. Moreover, competition, an important aspect of marketization, has not been investigated. Focusing on the interesting case of the Swedish school sector, we aim to improve knowledge on these matters. In a field experiment, 3,430 elementary school principals were randomly contacted though e-mail by parents with Arabic- or Swedish-sounding names and in low- or high-socioeconomic professions. The fictional parents were interested in placing their children at the school. The Swedish school sector resembles marketized public services in several Western countries. The results show clear signs of ethnic as well as SES discrimination, particularly in regard to more qualitative aspects of the replies. However, we find no significant differences in discrimination between public and private/for-profit schools and depending on the degree of competition in the school market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can a mandate for inclusive school education translate into reality? What challenges can undermine it in the context of a stratified schooling system? We discuss this in the context of India's landmark Right to Education Act. A controversial clause of the Act mandates that private schools should reserve at least 25 percent of entry-level seats for disadvantaged sections of the society. This paper, drawing on a detailed survey of 1642 households, and interactions with parents over 2014–2019, unpacks the experiences of households who applied for admission in private schools through the mandate. Our results suggest that more resourceful households (in terms of ability to speak official language, wealth and education) are more likely to apply, and get admissions through the mandate. Acquiring eligibility documents (proofs for income and residence) is a major hurdle in completing the application process. Even after being allotted a seat, households continue to face several barriers that make it difficult for them to secure an admission and enrol or continue sending their child to the private school through the mandate. The results are sobering, and flag the possibility that transformative potential of the mandate may not be fully realised if the status quo prevails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a growing number of online nursing graduate degree programs to address the professional development needs of working nurses. Work-related antecedents of online student engagement in graduate nursing studies are under-explored in the literature. Aim: The aim of the study is to examine the relationship among demographic and work characteristics, work-life balance (WLB), and online student engagement (OSE) among registered nurses enrolled in online graduate studies. Methods: This study design is convergent-parallel mixed methods, utilizing a survey approach to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The target population is students of an online Master of Arts in Nursing program at a university in Cabanatuan City, Philippines. Respondents were recruited via email. Google Forms were used for data collection. Non-parametric, inferential statistical tests were used to examine relationships among variables. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used to draw insights from open-ended responses. Results: A total of 173 graduate students responded to the survey. Quantitative results indicate high levels of WLB (Mdn = 4.8, IQR = 1.5) and OSE (Mdn = 3.7–4.0, IQR = 0.5–1.0). WLB was significantly lower among females (U = 3297.5, p < 0.01). Emotion OSE was significantly higher for respondents with managerial positions (U = 2987.5, p < 0.05). WLB had significant low to moderate positive correlations with the domains of OSE (r = 0.22 to 0.32, p < 0.01). Qualitative findings reveal various appraisals of online learning and factors influencing work-life-study balance, such as work, personal life, and school. Conclusion: Work-life balance facilitates better online student engagement among graduate nursing students and is influenced by time management, work (i.e. job environment and stressors), personal (i.e. home life and leisure activities), and university factors (i.e. curriculum, modality, and professors). Impact statement: Empirical evidence on the link between WLB and OSE can inform graduate nursing academics in developing initiatives to ensure the timely completion of the degree program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an implementation of hierarchical clustering methods was conducted in schools' admission data. We aim to demonstrate that the hierarchical clustering method can be used to help analyze the membership changes of each cluster based on its achievement number of new students from different months period observations. This method can be used by decision-makers to make a strategy for each school which has decreasing achievement from the previous period. In this paper, we employ the hierarchical clustering method to cluster admission performance achievement from fifty Telkom Schools. Instead of clustering admission in one period directly, this paper tried to analyze the movement of clustering membership from one period to another. We observed the movement membership of the group from three categories period, such as monthly, quarterly, and semesterly. The experimental results demonstrate that the monthly scenario was the best clustering result. The monthly scenario achieves the best score for all metrics such as the Dunn index, Silhouette score, Davies-Bouldin index, and Calinski-Harabasz compared to the quarter and semester scenario. There are four schools which are consistent in the first cluster and seven schools which are consistent in the second cluster in all scenarios and all periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For university students, shifts to online models of learning, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have emphasized the importance of digital devices, such as smartphones, for university learning. Excessive smartphone use has been linked to symptoms of smartphone-related anxiety, or Nomophobia. The purpose of this study was to explore the levels of trait anxiety, nomophobia, and screen time of Canadian university students during the Winter 2021 semester (i.e. while COVID-19 was a prominent concern, and university courses across Canada were primarily online). An online survey was completed by 1,221 Canadian university students. Counter to what we hypothesized, both trait anxiety scores (STAI-T = 40.23 ± 11.04) and nomophobia sum scores (NMP-Q = 83.30 ± 23.17) were comparable to normative data pre-COVID-19 pandemic. Nomophobia, perceived screen time, non-binary gender, and weekday phone time significantly predicted greater trait anxiety (R2 = 0.178), while using social media apps less, using an iPhone or Android, being male, weekday laptop time, weekday tablet time, and enrollment at the host institution predicted lower nomophobia (R2 = 0.248). Overall, our findings suggest a relative stability in trait anxiety and nomophobia among Canadian university students during COVID-19, when compared with pre-pandemic work. Future work should seek to replicate these variables through longitudinal designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors comment on a study which aimed to determine whether adult nursing students felt more prepared for the delivery of palliative and end-of-life care (PAEOLC) as they completed their Bachelor of Science adult nursing programme. Cited are the variables that influence the quality of PAEOLC, the negative impact of the feelings of being ill-prepared on staff wellbeing, and the need to further explore the lived experience of pre-qualifying nursing students.

Objective: To investigate whether a gap year for either research or a master's degree is associated with interview offers or match outcomes among otolaryngology applicants. Methods: Using the Texas Seeking Transparency in Application to Residency (Texas STAR) database, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of otolaryngology applicants from 2018 to 2022. Applicants were stratified based on the presence and type of gap year during medical school. Applicant characteristics, signaling, research productivity, and application costs were analyzed, with primary outcomes including number of interview offers and match status. Results: Among 564 otolaryngology applicant respondents to the Texas STAR survey, 160 (28%) reported a gap year, including 64 (40%) applicants participating in a research year, 65 (41%) completing a Master of Public Health or Science (MPH and MSc), and 31 (19%) completing a Master of Business Administration, Education, or other degree (MBA and MEd). Gap-year applicants who completed a research year or MPH/MSc degree received more interview offers (P <.01) than MBA, MEd applicants, or those without a gap year. Applicants with a research year had the most publications, oral presentations, abstracts, posters, and research experiences (all P <.01). When controlling for USMLE scores, clerkship honors, and applications submitted, applicants completing a research year or an MPH/MSc-degree received increased interview offers (P <.01). No significant differences were seen in expenditures or match rates. Conclusions: Research and MPH/MSc gap years were associated with increased residency interview offers but not increased match success. Further longitudinal studies are needed to assess how yearlong experiences affect long-term career outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Physical therapist (PT) education professionals agree on promoting holistic admissions practices to increase student body diversity but lack consensus about what factors in an application should be part of this process. This systematic literature review aimed to understand the value of noncognitive variables in PT education admissions. Methods: The initial literature search identified 1,592 articles in databases and relevant journals. Of the 39 studies meeting the inclusion criteria, 29 reported on noncognitive variables. Results: Commonly used noncognitive variables (interviews, written essays, letters of recommendation, and clinical experiences) were insignificant or inconsistently associated with performance in the PT program or on the National Physical Therapy Examination. Sociodemographic variables appeared to negatively affect the academic qualifications of applicants who were older, identified with underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, and reported English as a second language. Finally, 5 studies identified personal attributes, such as emotional intelligence and grit, as having a significant relationship with successful student outcomes. Discussion and conclusion: Cognitive variables should serve as only one of several factors considered in admissions to achieve a more diverse class of students. Physical therapist education programs may use this evidence to reevaluate their admissions practices to include a balanced consideration of cognitive and noncognitive variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Physical therapist (PT) education programs seek to identify applicants who will be academically successful in the program and pass the licensure examination. Part one of this systematic literature review aimed to understand the value of cognitive variables in PT education admissions. Methods: The initial literature search identified 1,592 articles in databases and relevant journals. Of the 39 studies meeting the inclusion criteria, 31 reported on cognitive measures. Results: Seven studies identified one or more sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as significant predictors of students' academic performance in PT programs. Ten studies reported that one or more sections of the GRE predicted National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) performance, wheres 4 studies found no significant relationship. Undergraduate grade point average (GPA) predicted academic performance in the PT program and on the NPTE in more than 10 studies, whereas 4 found no significant relationship. Other components of the academic record, such as prerequisite course grades, undergraduate institution quality, undergraduate degree, and retaking prerequisite courses, had varying relationships with academic and NPTE performance. Discussion and conclusion: These outcomes appear to inform the policies and processes for admissions into PT education programs, evidenced by customary use of applicants' GRE scores and GPAs in admission decisions. The inclusion of both cognitive measures in admission decisions may help ensure that admitted students successfully manage the academic rigor of doctoral education and pass the NPTE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the implementation of the zoning-based New Student Admissions (PPDB) policy in State Middle Schools in Cirebon City, which is regulated by Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 44 of 2019. The aim of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of zoning policies in equalizing access to education, identify the challenges faced, and provide recommendations for improvement. This research used a qualitative descriptive approach, involving school principals, teachers, students and parents as respondents. The research results show that zoning policies have succeeded in increasing equitable access to education, but face challenges in communication, information consistency and socialization. Recommendations include increased coordination, ongoing training, and intensified outreach to support more effective policy implementation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study investigated the challenges and sources of community cultural wealth that underrepresented communication sciences and disorders (CSD) students leverage in navigating each application stage to master's level speech-language pathology (SLP) programs. Four surveys were distributed over 11 months via Qualtrics to CSD undergraduate seniors enrolled in 12 universities in California. This study included 88 eligible participants who completed at least one round of the longitudinal survey. Applicants recognized the underrepresentation of their identities in the field which served as both a challenge and motivator for becoming a practicing, culturally competent SLP. Obtaining application-related knowledge was the most significant challenge throughout the application process. Applicants' entrepreneurial nature allowed them to build their network, especially with people with shared identity-markers, to provide them with application and emotional support. Although participants experienced doubts in their application, they overcame this with their steadfast sense of purpose and commitment to their community. This study suggests that underrepresented students utilize a range of strengths that allow them to overcome the most significant challenges that arise at each stage of the application process. Although the challenges of navigating the application accumulate over time, the applicants' network and sense of self ultimately ease the stresses of applying. Several structures, including social media, ASHA STEP Mentoring, and student support groups were beneficial for underrepresented applicants and have implications for increasing diversity in the SLP workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Failure of students to pass the National Medical Licensure Examination (NMLE) is a major problem for universities and the health system in Japan. To assist students at risk for NMLE failure as early as possible after admission, this study investigated the time points (from the time of admission to graduation) at which predictive pass rate (PPR) can be used to identify students at risk of failing the NMLE. Methods: Seven consecutive cohorts of medical students between 2012 and 2018 (n = 637) at the Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine were investigated. Using 7 variables before admission to medical school and 10 variables after admission, a prediction model to obtain the PPR for the NMLE was developed using logistic regression analysis at five time points, i.e., at admission and the end of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th grades. All students were divided into high (PPR < 95%) and low (PPR ≥ 95%) risk groups for failing the NMLE at the five time points, respectively, and the movement between the groups during 6 years in school was simulated. Results: Medical students who passed the NMLE had statistically significant factors at each of the 5 time points, and the number of significant variables increased as their grade in school advanced. In addition, two factors extracted at admission were also selected as significant variables at all other time points. Especially, age at entry had a consistent and significant effect during medical school. Conclusions: Risk analysis based on multiple variables, such as PPR, can inform more effective intervention compared to a single variable, such as performance in the mock exam. A longer prospective study is required to confirm the validity of PPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interventions that aim to address equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within the health professions often strive to promote the retention, recruitment, and success of individuals from historically underrepresented groups, who often belong to the same groups experiencing underservicing in health care. A pilot study aimed to examine the impact of ongoing EDI initiatives at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada by exploring sense of belonging and curricular inclusion/representation from the perspectives of enrolled students. Intersectionality Theory was operationalized by way of considering the relational and contextual nature of marginalization. Results showed differences in perceptions of impacted sense of belonging and curricular inclusion/representation of diverse groups between respondents in the underrepresented subgroup as compared to their overrepresented counterparts. Differences in underrepresented and overrepresented subgroups' perceptions of impacted sense of belonging and curricular inclusion/representation suggest a need for further research to better understand the impact of EDI interventions on nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, the Chilean Ministry of Education implemented the new School Admission System (SAS) designed with the goal of equalizing access to schools for the most disadvantaged families and reduce educational segregation. Yet it is not clear if the SAS is sensitive to socio-cultural minorities and their particular conditions. Hence, in this article we explore the school choice experiences of parents from three socio-cultural minorities under the new SAS: Mapuche – indigenous families, Latin American migrant parents, and parents with children with disabilities. Using an intersectional theoretical approach and a qualitative research design, we show that while in some cases the implementation of SAS impedes previous discriminatory processes, in others this new system alone has not yet overcome long-established and inherent educational inequalities in Chilean education. Besides, SAS has also resulted in new challenges in the school choice processes of these parents. Their experiences with the SAS express the intersection of different axis of inequality, according to the conditions and historicities of each group of families. Finally, we reflect on the challenges that the policy faces in regard to develop an educational policy that is fairer to all families, in the context of the unequal and marketized Chilean educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The escalating conflict between the government and medical community, particularly the increase in medical school admissions by 2,000, has plunged Korea into a pressing healthcare crisis. This study delves into the heart of this dispute and proposes solutions to tackle critical issues in essential and regional healthcare. Current Concepts: Despite government assertions, the number of active physicians in Korea is increasing rapidly. With a similar physician-to-population ratio (2.65 per 1,000 inhabitants by 2022), Japan is reducing its number of medical school admissions. Korea is facing a severe shortage of essential medical fields crucial for public health, and significant regional healthcare disparities. These issues stem not from a lack of physicians, but from poor working conditions and inadequate payment systems of the National Health Insurance Services of Korea, leading to an inequitable medical ecosystem. It is crucial that policies affecting public health, such as increasing medical school admissions, are meticulously evaluated. This evaluation should consider future population projections, healthcare supply and demand systems, and financial aspects. Furthermore, any changes in medical policy should be grounded in scientific evidence and implemented in close collaboration with medical experts. Discussion and Conclusion: To effectively address imbalances in essential and regional healthcare, it is imperative to normalize the healthcare delivery system and foster an environment that motivates physicians to work voluntarily in these sectors. This change necessitates the implementation of supportive measures and financial strategies developed through extensive consultations with the medical community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving medical education is an important process that changes from time to time based on the development of medical science and practice, society's need for a certain number of quality doctors, better preparations, and better selection of candidates for admission into medical schools. In most European countries, partial preparation of students for admission is done in secondary schools, and additional preparation is achieved in the first year of medical school. Such preparations enabled more than 60% of students to complete their studies, before the German Federal Ministry of Science and Education implemented the Masterplan Medizinstudium 2020. However, after a 4-year university preparation in the United States, close to 95% of students finish their medical studies on time. We proposed a 2-year university preparation for each student before his enrollment into the medical school because this strengthens his medical study, and later on, he becomes a better doctor. Thus, the number of graduated students may increase, medical studies could be shortened to 1 year, and candidates who do not enroll in medical school may continue their previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widening participation outcomes in admissions to UK medical schools have not changed 2007–2018, partly due to inequity in selection. This study models the effects of changing selection, using a novel method of contextualising applicants, on widening participation. We studied 1084 English school leaver applicants to a single medical school over two years, using data from their public exams taken 2 years pre-application (GCSE) and recent admissions test (UCAT). Widening participation was defined by postcode. We modelled two shortlists for a pre-determined number of 500; one ranked on UCAT total score, and the other on a metric that contextualised applicants' GCSE grades against their schools' average GCSE performance. There was a significant difference in the postcode-defined widening participation characteristics of the two shortlists; 46% by contextualisation and 32.2% by UCAT (Chisquare p < 0.00001). As widening participation covers 42% of postcodes, the "contextualise everyone" method achieves equity. Conventionally, contextual admissions identify individuals belonging to under-represented groups and gives them preferential treatment. Changing the rules for everyone, by using a relative attainment instead of simple absolute attainment metric, benefits from treating applicants equally; and could promote equity through widening participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the extent, range, and nature of RN-to-BS nursing education research. BACKGROUND The state of nursing education science specific to RN-to-BS education is not available. METHOD Scoping review methodology was used to identify categories and types of published research related to RN-to-BS nursing education. RESULTS Eight categories were identified across the 41 articles that met the inclusion criteria: teaching strategies (n =11), curriculum (n = 9), enrollment/retention (n =8), benefits of a bachelor's degree (n =4), student characteristics (n = 3), professional values (n = 2), role transition (n = 2), and faculty/student expectations (n = 2). CONCLUSION Opportunities exist for researchers to study RN-BS students and faculty to better support evidence-based teaching practices and faculty development needs relevant for the increasingly hybrid and online student populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children whose families experience socioeconomic disadvantage are at risk for poor sustained attention, a foundational skill related to goal‐oriented behaviour, self‐regulation and kindergarten readiness. Maternal parenting behaviours and parenting stress are theorised developmental pathways linking socioeconomic status (SES) to children's sustained attention. However, research has yet to empirically test for these indirect pathways, thus limiting the relevance of extant findings to inform targets of parent‐mediated programmes addressing attentional disparities at school entry for low‐income children. Using a sample of mostly low‐income children from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 2214) and the process of parenting model, this study tested whether maternal parenting stress, harsh parenting and cognitive stimulation uniquely explained associations between SES and child sustained attention at age 5 years. Results from structural equation modelling revealed that SES was positively and directly associated with child sustained attention. Some of these effects were indirectly transmitted through the pathway of maternal cognitive stimulation; however, neither harsh parenting nor parenting stress helped to explain the relationship between SES and child sustained attention. Implications of the findings are explored in the context of early childhood prevention and promotion programmes serving low‐income families. Highlights: This study explores the direct and indirect paths of family SES on child sustained attention through the pathways of maternal cognitive stimulation, harsh parenting and parenting stress amongst socioeconomically disadvantaged children.Results from SEM revealed that SES was positively and directly associated with child‐sustained attention and some of these effects were indirectly transmitted through the pathway of maternal cognitive stimulation.Cognitive stimulation is a crucial pathway through which SES may promote or impede the development of children's sustained attention skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Merit-based school choice often presents an unfulfilled promise of educational mobility. In Ghana, where a standardized exam determines secondary school admission, students from low-performing elementary schools apply to weaker secondary schools than equally qualified students from high-performing elementary schools. This study investigates why students with the same academic potential make different application choices. I outline a theoretical model and empirical strategy to analyze heterogeneity in student demand. Using administrative data, I show that disadvantaged students value school proximity more and live farther away from high-performing schools, suggesting the interaction between demand and the spatial distribution of schools limits educational mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, we revisit our initial stance of eliminating standardized test scores from the college admissions process to improve equity and student diversity. With refreshed data about test-optional admissions, we address the import of institutional responsiveness to redress persistent equity gaps that impact our state's workforce diversity and hiring challenges. Leveraging data to inform advocacy is representative of the skillset cultivated in the CANDEL program for evidence-based decision-making. Moreover, the pre-pandemic position over standardized testing exemplifies how CANDEL encouraged us to explore novel approaches to address persistent and troublesome equity issues. With leadership roles in the community college and the University of California systems and a particular emphasis on workforce development, we reflect on the CANDEL ethos of scholar-practitioner leadership in our practice areas to promote equitable educational and career outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs Chilean administrative data to investigate the impact of school starting age on the characteristics of students' initial enrolled schools. Employing minimum age requirements and an RD design to mitigate endogeneity concerns, we identify benefits linked to commencing school at a later age. Our findings demonstrate that children starting school at an older age enroll in institutions with higher average scores in standardized tests and interact with older peers whose parents have higher education levels. Furthermore, they display a heightened likelihood of entering schools employing academic selection methods, a greater proportion of full-time teachers, and a larger percentage of instructors with a 4-year college degree. The analysis by level of education of the parents and gender reveals that most of our results are driven by parents with lower levels of education and girls. Subgroup analyses further reveal that many of our results are driven by parents with lower levels of education and parents of girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Article revisits the convention that equality demands race neutrality from one unexpected perspective: the experiences of poor white students from rural Appalachia, often derogatorily referred to as “poor white trash” (“PWT”). The recent Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard case, where race-based admissions were struck down by the Supreme Court, brought the intersection of race and education back into the spotlight. The Court’s decision and Justice Thomas’s concurring opinion both hailed the ideal of meritocracy and “objective grading scales” as “the great equalizer.” Marginalized white students’ exclusion from higher education was rhetorically recruited to argue in favor of race-neutral admissions. This Article challenges the notion that race-neutral decision-making in education benefits marginalized whites. By examining historical accounts of PWT and their stigmatization as intellectually inferior, the Article reveals how racist ideologies, including white supremacy, have perpetuated this group’s exclusion and segregation within the education system, precisely through “objective grading scales.” Centering the voices of self-identified PWT, as well as school ethnographies from recent years, this Article uncovers two mechanisms that perpetuate educational injustice of poor white students today: (1) the formation of ability-based groups; and (2) the classification of PWT students as having cognitive and behavioral disabilities. Together, this elementary-to-high-school segregative dynamic rigidifies path dependencies that inevitably influence college admission decisions. PWT educational segregation rests on allegedly neutral logic. It is based on educational ability, a seemingly relevant criterion for separation, and it segregates poor whites, who are not typically viewed as a distinct social group. Therefore, it generally evades accusations of bias or discrimination. Developing a novel methodological PWT lens—comprised of class, race, disability, and gender—this Article is the first to both expose and lift the veil of neutrality from the current practice of PWT educational segregation and to place it in line with other forms of discrimination. Moving beyond the descriptive, this Article develops a normative case against PWT educational segregation, arguing against the bias embedded in the initial classification of “abilities” and the social ramifications of such classifications. The argument raises doubts concerning seemingly meritbased classifications more generally. Finally, building on Justice Ginsburg’s groundbreaking strategy of promoting gender equality by centering male plaintiffs, this Article proposes recognizing PWT ability-based segregation as discrimination. Societal unawareness of PWT ability segregation, this Article argues, is the crack through which white supremacy, sexism, ableism, and classism sneak into the U.S. educational system, shaping its core logics around superiority and exclusion. Developing new approaches to combat PWT ability-based segregation could open avenues for advancing racial justice and dismantling other forms of discrimination in schools and in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article 24 of the CRPD guarantees inclusive education as a fundamental human right. In Japan, the education policy has shifted from a segregated education to an inclusive one with the ratification of the CRPD. However, recent lawsuits on children with disabilities and their school placement/attendance reveal such policy changes are not reflected in practice. In this article, we reviewed notable court cases in Japan to investigate how Japanese courts interpreted the reform of the legal system. We divide the article into two parts: Firstly, we describe the history of Japanese education reform. Secondly, we discuss the court cases with regard to Japanese education system reform and the schooling of children with disabilities over three time periods. Our findings show that the court continues to make judicial decisions based on the old notion of segregated education and fails to recognize or even understand that inclusive education is a fundamental human right. Inclusive education should be a human right, but many countries, including Japan, still have school systems where students are segregated. The history of changes in laws on Japanese schooling system is explained. This study analyzed the main purports of legal cases about school attendance of children with disabilities in Japan and its changes over time. This study found that the court's decisions made after the changes in laws to schooling system in Japan still did not adequately reflect its philosophy of inclusive education as a human right. The study recommends that it is necessary to have open discussions about 'inclusive education' as a human right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study challenges the claim that in a university, a discourse of containment is predominant in the relationships that exist around students with disability and their requests for accommodations. It explores the work knowledges of those involved with the implementation of the processes of granting learning accommodations: the disability services staff and the academic staff liaison officers. Innovative analytical techniques were applied to interview data that identify the lexicons used by each group indicating they had different ways of conceptualising the process, with the former focussing on the development of the documentation that would stand as surrogate for the student and the latter concerned with tricky processes of negotiation with teaching staff, and problems arising from insufficient funding. These distinct work knowledges indicate the 'messiness' that predominates in the process of ensuring that students with disability can study 'on the same basis' as others. Two groups of staff in the University are involved in administering, negotiating and implementing requests for reasonable accommodation of learning supports for students with disability. The findings show the distinct bodies of knowledge that are developed by the two groups. The disability services staff focus on documenting the student's 'impairment' and the required reasonable accommodations to support their learning. The faculty academic liaison staff rely on documentation provided by the disability services staff together with what the student choses to disclose to negotiate learning support with the student's tutors and lecturers A novel tool TerMine software was used to analyse the interview transcripts, identifying two sets of values at play through the language used. Reductions in funding to universities had an unanticipated impact on decisions to implement recommendations for support in learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a critical discourse analysis of three Asian American organizations' rhetoric around race and education, we explore the activism of Asian Americans working against affirmative action and other race-based educational policies. We examine the way these groups engage ideological discourses regarding race, civil rights, and the freedom to compete in their fight to protect Asian Americans' access to elite educational institutions. Drawing on the scholarship on neoliberal educational policy and neoliberal racialization, we argue that the organizational activism of Asian American opponents of affirmative action embodies the intersection of neoliberal approaches to education and neoliberal conceptions of race and racialization. Thus, we consider that Asian American anti-affirmative activists are neoliberal racialized subjects who view education, particularly higher education, as a private good that should go to the most successful student/consumer. They embrace and repurpose the language of civil rights to fight for their individual rights as educational consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, the Undergraduate Medical Doctor (MD) Programme at McMaster University (Hamilton, Canada) was unable to run in‐person medical school interviews in March 2020, prompting an alternate solution that maximised admission opportunities for Indigenous applicants, prioritised admission for those rated most highly in the interview determination process, and allocated subsequent offers via lottery. Methods: A short survey was administered to applicants who had been offered an admissions interview and were subsequently impacted by the admissions adaptations. The survey elicited perceptions of the adaptation through Likert scale ratings and free‐text responses. Survey data were analysed via a sequential (quantitative to qualitative) mixed‐methods design. Results: 196 of 552 potential participants completed the survey. Across quantitative and qualitative analyses, respondents reported that the adaptation had a negative impact on their professional development and personal life. Ratings of negative perception were greater for those who did not receive an offer than for those who accepted or declined an offer. Free text responses emphasised considerable criticism for the lottery portion of the adaptation and displeasure that efforts made in constructing applications were less relevant than anticipated. Discussion: The negative responses to this unexpected change highlight the profound upstream impact admission policies have on the preapplication behaviours of aspiring medical students. The outcomes support a refined understanding of the value candidates place on the interview in appraising their own suitability for a career as a physician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic sociologists have long recognized that markets have moral dimensions, but we know less about how everyday moral categories like fairness are reconciled with competing market principles like efficiency, especially in novel settings combining market design and algorithmic technologies. Here we explore this tension in the context of education, examining the use of algorithms alongside school choice policies. In US urban school districts, market design economists and computer scientists have applied matching algorithms to build unified enrollment (UE) systems. Despite promising to make school choice both fair and efficient, these algorithms have become contested. Why is it that algorithmic technologies intended to simplify enrollment and create a fairer application process can instead contribute to the perception they are reproducing inequality? Analyzing narratives about the UE system in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, we show that experts designing and implementing algorithm-based enrollment understand fairness differently from the education activists and families who use and question these systems. Whereas the former interpret fairness in narrow, procedural, and ahistorical terms, the latter tend to evaluate fairness with consequentialist reasoning, using broader conceptions of justice rooted in addressing socioeconomic and racial inequality in Louisiana, and unfulfilled promises of universal access to quality schools. Considering the diffusion of "economic styles of reasoning" across local public education bureaucracies, we reveal how school choice algorithms risk becoming imbued with incommensurable meanings about fairness and justice, compromising public trust and legitimacy. The study is based on thirty interviews with key stakeholders in the school district's education policy field, government documents, and local media sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This literature review investigates tools used to assess self-regulation at school entry and to inform recommendations for use in Aotearoa New Zealand. We were particularly interested in identifying self-regulation screening tools that had been developed from Indigenous frameworks to enhance likelihood of culturally empowering assessment. APA PsycInfo and Clarivate Web of Science databases were searched for articles on self-regulation screening at school entry. Screening tools were included if they met the following criteria: available in English or te reo Māori (the two predominant written languages of Aotearoa New Zealand); appropriate for children aged 5–6 years; and focus on self-regulation or contain a component assessing self-regulation. 39 screening tools which met the criteria were identified. Overall, most tools were developed from a Euro-American perspective and many were deficit- and/or clinically-focused. Issues with translating screening tools to other cultures are discussed, specifically in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of accepting new students at school often faces challenges in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. This research aims to overcome this problem by implementing an information system for accepting new students using the Rapid Application Development (RAD) method. The Rapid Application Development (RAD) method is used because of its flexibility in fast and iterative system development, where this method goes through a four-stage process, namely requirements plan, user design, rapid prototyping & feedback, then implementation. In this research, a web-based information system was developed to make it easier for prospective students and schools in the registration process. This system allows prospective students to register online. This research also aims to minimize data input errors and optimize the registration process time. The research results show that the implementation of a new student admission information system using the RAD method can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the new student admission process at school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since their inception in 1989, the U.S. News & World Report law school rankings have influenced how schools, students, and the legal profession itself think about legal education. In the Fall of 2022, however, several of the most selective law schools formally withdrew from the annual rankings. In so doing, these schools laid bare longstanding criticisms of the rankings' questionable criteria and opaque methodology. While the long‐term effect of this boycott remains to be seen, school rankings are likely here to stay. In this Article we design a more informative approach to rankings, based on actual decisions students make. Using individual‐level data provided by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), we analyze the universe of applicants to U.S. law schools for the period 1988 through 2017. In so doing, we are the first to create a revealed preference ranking based solely on where applicants matriculate given offers of admission. Our approach relies neither on potentially faulty data collection from schools nor arbitrary decisions about which factors to emphasize in rankings, thereby minimizing the scope for manipulation. It also allows us to quantify the magnitude of differences in preferences among schools and to test their statistical significance. Matriculants reveal a strong preference for a handful of the most selective schools; outside of the top tier, however, matriculants do not appear to draw meaningful distinctions between schools ranked adjacently or even near to each other. While existing school rankings sow more confusion than clarity, our analysis provides a rigorous and transparent alternative, and a blueprint for redesigning school rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Admissions interviews are an integral part of the dental school application process. In light of the COVID‐19 pandemic, interviews had to adapt and become a part of the virtual realm. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the perspectives of interviewees and interviewers in this process. Methods: Admission data for all prospective students were compiled for the classes of 2016 through 2025 to compare in‐person to virtual interview scores. Additionally, surveys were sent to members of the admissions committee as well as interviewees asking questions regarding the virtual interview experience. A Likert scale was used for the majority of questions and free responses were also an option. Results: The comparison data showed that the virtual candidates may have had higher overall undergraduate and application scores, in addition to better interview scores compared to in‐person candidates. Interviewees and interviewers both agreed in their top three rankings of what was enjoyable about the virtual interviews, specifically the lower cost for applicants, the convenience, and the safety during the pandemic. There was also agreement with their top three aspects that were least desirable in the interview process, specifically the absence of visual cues/lack of body language, lack of personal contact, and connectivity issues. Around 74% of committee members would recommend virtual interviews in the future whereas only 49% of interviewees would recommend virtual interviews in the future. Conclusion: The pandemic brought about many changes, including the way admissions interviews were conducted. While this was a change made of necessity, it was valuable to explore the appropriateness of implementing virtual interviews in the future as a part of dental school admissions processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on iCAN, the International Children's Advisory Network, highlighting its role as a global platform empowering the patient voice in healthcare. Topics include the organization's mission, structure, and impact, with a focus on youth-driven initiatives in pediatric healthcare.

Introduction: Caregivers of children with autism face significant challenges in navigating health, education and other systems of care to ensure appropriate services for their children. In South Africa, for example, many children with autism are reported to be out of schools and waiting long periods for specialist school placements thus adding to the burden of care for caregivers and raising many questions about equity, diversity and inclusion. Methods: Here we performed a qualitative study using focus groups to collect data on the perspectives of caregivers of children with autism waiting for school placement in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. We asked families about their experiences of current autism services and for suggestions to improve service delivery. Results: The main theme that emerged was 'We wait and we wait'. Caregivers expressed high levels of frustration with existing autism educational and other services. Perspectives about services were captured under three categories. The first category, 'The costs of waiting' describes the socioemotional, financial and time costs associated with having a child with autism wait for educational services. The second category 'Barriers while waiting' describes the attitudinal, structural, process and communication barriers experienced by caregivers while seeking services for their children. The final category 'Expecting action' describes attitudinal, service and policy expectations that caregivers felt could improve service delivery. Caregivers provided 10 recommendations for autism service improvements. Conclusion: Caregivers of children with autism waiting for educational services in the Western Cape Province of South Africa expressed dissatisfaction with existing services. Efforts to find solutions to providing services and support to children with autism waiting for educational services and their caregivers should be prioritized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with disabilities have an inviolable right to equitable access and participation in tertiary education and support systems are known to be indispensable in making this right a reality. This article presents the voices of students with disabilities regarding aspects that influence their successful access and participation in tertiary education in Ghana. A qualitative approach was adopted for the study with data collected through interviews with 12 students with disabilities in three public universities. From the perspective of these students, successful inclusion of people with disabilities in tertiary education in Ghana is influenced by enrolment practices, the built environment, teaching and learning approaches, and assessment provisions. The context influenced provisions and support provided. Attitudes of the university community and lack of knowledge of inclusive practices such as Universal Design play a role in students' access and participation. Comprehensive awareness-raising on disability and inclusive practices is recommended to address this issue. This paper explores inclusion practices in three Ghanaian public universities focussing on the combined voices of students with disabilities. The context of the three universities influences the provisions and support available for people with disabilities. The students with disabilities involved in the study reported that access to the university environment and support for academic engagement impact their university experience. The attitude of the university community is a factor in ensuring access, participation and success of people with disabilities in higher education. Creating awareness of disability issues within the university community is pivotal in building and sustaining inclusive culture. The application of universal design principles is essential to improving access and participation of people with disabilities in higher education institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Sport schools have increased in popularity over the past three decades, and research in the area has proliferated. This study presents an overview of sport school literature, by investigating peer-reviewed articles, summarising the findings of relevant articles, and identifying possible gaps in this research area. In total, 55 articles are included. The descriptive summary reports publication year, study location, research design, methods, theoretical perspectives, population, and sport(s) studied. The thematic overview comprises two primary sections – research about sport schools and research in sport schools. The former cover 'outside' perspectives, such as socio-political and educational policy issues while the latter cover 'inside' perspectives focusing on the actors – student athletes and coaches. In the discussion it is acknowledged that pedagogical perspectives in sport school literature are limited, that research on sport schools' admissions processes is overlooked, and concerns raised as to if sport schools are or should be socially inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a popularized term, the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM), and its underlying paradigm of neoliberalism. It elucidates neoliberalism's maddening effects on the education sector, especially public education. To analyze these effects, I draw from and adapt Michel Foucault's analytical approach to madness. My analysis focuses on the following maddening effects of neoliberalism on education: (1) it obstructs us from seeing inequalities; (2) it creates a desperate passion amid the rise of school choice; and (3) it eliminates reason and creates unreason in the school selection and admissions processes. My analysis is based on reflections on my decade-long research on school marketization and school choice in Canada. I conclude by suggesting that collective visions and concrete steps are needed to move toward equitable educational structures, discourses, and practices that resist or challenge the neoliberal education reform madness (NERM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the issue of diversity in centralized public school admissions and the challenges it poses in balancing diversity objectives with schools' priorities in assigning students. The authors propose a reserves-based choice rule that minimizes priority violations while meeting diversity objectives. They argue that stability, commonly used in previous approaches, is not necessarily a policy objective and instead advocate for directly modeling the school district's objectives. The article introduces the concept of priority violation instances and presents axioms to address this issue, proposing a reserves rule as a solution. It emphasizes the importance of transparent and explainable implementation of policy goals in market design and notes that the theory applies to both decentralized and centralized admissions systems. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the issue of auditability in centralized school choice systems, which use rankings and priority scores to assign students to schools. The authors propose an auditability index to measure the ease of detecting deviations from the intended rules. They find that some assignment rules have a low auditability index, meaning that only a small group of applicants can detect deviations, while others have a high index. The authors argue that the Immediate Acceptance algorithm performs better in terms of auditability compared to the commonly used Deferred Acceptance algorithm. The study emphasizes the importance of trust and transparency in school choice mechanisms. [Extracted from the article]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming healthcare, and there is a critical need for a nuanced understanding of how AI is reshaping teaching, learning, and educational practice in medical education. This review aimed to map the literature regarding AI applications in medical education, core areas of findings, potential candidates for formal systematic review and gaps for future research. This rapid scoping review, conducted over 16 weeks, employed Arksey and O'Malley's framework and adhered to STORIES and BEME guidelines. A systematic and comprehensive search across PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and MedEdPublish was conducted without date or language restrictions. Publications included in the review spanned undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education, encompassing both original studies and perspective pieces. Data were charted by multiple author pairs and synthesized into various thematic maps and charts, ensuring a broad and detailed representation of the current landscape. The review synthesized 278 publications, with a majority (68%) from North American and European regions. The studies covered diverse AI applications in medical education, such as AI for admissions, teaching, assessment, and clinical reasoning. The review highlighted AI's varied roles, from augmenting traditional educational methods to introducing innovative practices, and underscores the urgent need for ethical guidelines in AI's application in medical education. The current literature has been charted. The findings underscore the need for ongoing research to explore uncharted areas and address potential risks associated with AI use in medical education. This work serves as a foundational resource for educators, policymakers, and researchers in navigating AI's evolving role in medical education. A framework to support future high utility reporting is proposed, the FACETS framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The desire to work in the nursing profession has recently been identified as an important aspect to consider in the selection process of nursing students but very little is known about nursing applicants' or students' desire to work in nursing. The study aimed to describe and explain the desire of undergraduate nursing applicants to work in nursing. A cross-sectional study design. The Desire to Work in Nursing Instrument was used to collect the data. All nursing applicants (N = 974) who took part in an entrance examination organised in six Universities in October 2018 were eligible to participate. Eight Hundred and Forty-one applicants (response rate 86%, 102 males) participated in the study. Statistical analysis included the use of descriptive statistics and linear regression was used to assess if dependent variables explained the observed outcomes. A strong desire to work in nursing was demonstrated in all the four areas. The most common reason to desire this work was suitability to nursing and the nature of work, and the least common was the career opportunities. Gender, previous education, and a realistic image best explain the desire. The assessment of desire to work in nursing may assist career choice of nursing applicants, and may enhance recruitment and retention in nursing education. Applicants need to be more aware of the career development possibilities. Further studies are needed to investigate if the desire to work in nursing is different to men than to women to inform recruitment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to limit affirmative action in college admissions could make it even more challenging for academically talented students of color to gain access to competitive schools. The importance of school counselors in guiding and supporting these students is now more crucial than ever. This qualitative study aimed to determine what school counselors need to know, do, and believe to help academically talented, Black students from low-income households gain admission into highly selective colleges and universities. Three broad themes and 10 subthemes emerged from the data analysis. The themes were (a) knowledge and awareness, (b) mindsets and beliefs, and (c) habits and practices. Implications for school counselor practice, training, and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]