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Purchasing, consumption, and health data from 3,073 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Shoppers (SNAP) at 77 U.S. farmers’ markets (FMs) are reported. Descriptive and bivariate analyses indi...

Debates continue about how to teach young Latinos and other minoritized children in the US. Latinos are a compelling case because of (1) their size and (2) their paradoxical development: strong social competencies yet relatively weak academic development. A suggestion is to provide young Latinos with classroom experiences that resonate with the ways they are socialized at home, yet cultural dimensions of teaching in early education are underspecified and reliable and valid measures do not exist. We frame equitable teacher–child interactions as the combination of generic and cultural aspects, and as a way to utilize the social assets of Latinos in classrooms to enhance their academic development. We refine an observation protocol—the Classroom Assessment of Sociocultural Interactions (CASI)—by integrating cultural concepts from the Learning by Observing and Pitching In (LOPI) paradigm with videos of K-1 classrooms in Central Mexico, and conduct a series of psychometric analyses. We find good model fit and moderate reliability for the CASI and discuss research and practice implications to foster equitable developmental opportunities for Latino children across early education settings.

Objective The primary objectives of the study were to examine: 1) how increased availability of healthier items at a zoo concession stand affects sales and 2) how animal character marketing on zoo menu boards affects sales revenue. Methods An intervention was conducted over an 8-week period. On alternating weeks, zoo animal characters were systematically paired with and removed from healthy food items on a zoo concession menu board. Sales and revenue data were analyzed using frequencies, a Poisson regression model, and a negative binomial regression model, respectively. Results Newly introduced healthy items represented 8.2% of sales and 4.9% of revenue. Healthy item unit sales were significantly higher (P = .006) during the weeks animal cartoon characters were displayed, although there was no impact on revenue. Conclusions and Implications Findings suggest nonbranded character marketing is a viable strategy for promoting healthy products in family-friendly venues where concessions are sold.

We trace the development and analyze the generalizability of the Classroom Assessment of Sociocultural Interactions (CASI), an observation system designed to measure cultural dimensions of classroo...

Teacher evaluation systems commonly rely on observation of teaching practice (OTP) by school principals. However, the value of OTP as evidence of teacher effectiveness depends on its psychometric q...

(1) Background: Despite considerable efforts to increase farmers’ market access (FM) and improve household fruit and vegetable (FV) purchasing in low-income communities, little is known about the FV purchasing and consumption characteristics of low-income Hispanic farmers’ market shoppers. (2) Methods: A secondary analysis of baseline data from a farmers’ market study conducted between 2015 and 2017 (n = 2825) was performed. Participants who also received supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) completed a 31-item online survey assessing demographics, health characteristics, and FV purchasing and consumption habits. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to assess between- and within-group differences amongst Hispanic and non-Hispanic households. Regression analyses were used to examine associations among BMI, FV purchasing and consumption, and household size for Hispanic and non-Hispanic households as well as for Hispanic subgroups. (3) Results: The sample included 515 Hispanic and 2310 non-Hispanic SNAP-using FM shoppers in 13 states. Despite experiencing significantly higher food insecurity (89% vs. 81%, non-Hispanic), Hispanic shoppers consumed similar amounts of FV (3.04 cups/day) and spent less doing so. Significant subgroup differences were identified for FV purchasing. (4) Conclusions: Findings emphasize the importance of food insecurity and household size in FV interventions and underscore the capacity of Hispanic families to maintain FV consumption.

Teacher evaluation commonly includes classroom observations conducted by principals. Despite widespread use, little is known about the quality of principal ratings. We investigated 1,324 principals’ rating accuracy of six teaching practices at the conclusion of training within an authentic teacher evaluation system. Data are from a video-based exam of four 10-minute classroom observations. Many-Facet Rasch modeling revealed that (1) overall principals had high accuracy, but individuals varied substantially, and (2) some teaching episodes and practices were easier to rate accurately. For example, promotes critical thinking was rated more accurately than uses formative assessment. Because Many-Facet Rasch modeling estimates individuals’ accuracy patterns across teaching episodes and practices, it is a useful tool for identifying areas that individual principals, or groups, may need additional training (e.g., evaluating formative assessment). Implications for improving training of principals to conduct classroom observations for teacher evaluation are discussed.