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Authors:Laura Teichert, Susan Piazza, Jennifer Hinga Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. The global pandemic has revealed a number of inequalities in education for students in Michigan, USA. Teachers were tasked with a sudden shift to online instruction as school closures across the state (and globe) forced education to operate in virtual classrooms. Given the continued need for online learning, it is necessary to examine the perspectives and experiences of teachers who worked throughout the school closures of spring 2020 and to identify ways to better support both teachers and students as they navigate virtual learning. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to investigate K-12 teachers’ experiences shifting their classrooms online and their overall perspectives on the use of digital literacies as a central part of student learning. Reported in this paper are the survey results from 389 teachers’ perceptions of their effectiveness during the Covid-19 pandemic during the semester spring of 2020. Additionally, a randomly selected a subset of 12 elementary and 13 secondary teachers’ semi-structured interviews were analyzed. Unsurprisingly, teachers reported many challenges meeting their students’ needs as they transitioned to online learning. Findings revealed students who lacked access to reliable Internet and digital devices. Even when access was not an issue, students lacked the necessary digital literacy skills to navigate their online education. Teachers reported many challenges associated with online learning, particularly those related to student engagement, communication, and shifting pedagogies online. Therefore, there is a need for schools and curricula to include operational digital literacy skills earlier in formal education settings, and to prioritize these skills even when face-to-face instruction resumes. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2023-05-25T06:29:09Z DOI: 10.1177/13654802231175398
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Authors:Christopher A. Kearney, Joshua Childs Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. School attendance and absenteeism are critical targets of educational policies and practices that often depend heavily on aggregated attendance/absenteeism data. School attendance/absenteeism data in aggregated form, in addition to having suspect quality and utility, minimizes individual student variation, distorts detailed and multilevel modeling, and obscures underlying causes and disparities of absenteeism. Recent advances in data analytics/mining and modeling may assist researchers and other stakeholders by evaluating large-scale data sets in more targeted ways to identify key root causes and patterns of school absenteeism in a particular community, school, or group of students. This would allow for more accurate educational policies tailored to unique local conditions and student/family circumstances. This article provides a summary of recent algorithm- and model-based efforts in this regard. Algorithm-based efforts include classification and regression tree analysis, ensemble analysis, support vector machines, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and random forests. Model-based efforts include multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, latent class analysis, and meta-analytic modeling. We then illustrate how these efforts can enhance a full and nuanced understanding of the root, interconnected causes of absenteeism, improve early warning systems, and assist multi-tiered systems of support interventions for absenteeism. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2023-05-25T06:21:20Z DOI: 10.1177/13654802231174986
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Authors:Tracey Allen First page: 3 Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print.
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Authors:Tracey Allen Pages: 223 - 223 Abstract: Improving Schools, Volume 25, Issue 3, Page 223-223, November 2022.
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Authors:Laura Mielityinen, Noora Ellonen, Riikka Ikonen, Eija Paavilainen Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. This article examines how maltreatment experienced by adolescents is related to school engagement. Maltreatment includes physical, mental, and sexual violence along with sexual harassment, neglect, and witnessing domestic violence. School engagement refers to the students’ relationship to all activities in the school. It describes students’ thoughts, activities and participation as well as their emotions in relation to school. Analysis is based on the Finnish School Health Promotion data (N = 155,299) and analyzed by linear regression analysis. Results indicate that adolescents’ maltreatment experiences are related to school engagement, regardless of gender, age, family structure, or immigrant background. Maltreatment increases functional engagement and decreases emotional and cognitive engagement. These results thus confirm that maltreatment can also cause immersion in schoolwork. The results can be used to prevent lower school engagement and maltreatment of adolescents. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2021-12-15T06:46:22Z DOI: 10.1177/13654802211056876
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Authors:Geoffrey Wango, Leila Mkameli Gwiyo Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. Death is inevitable and universal, and the corona virus disease has only further intensified a world of uncertainties as a result of frequent accidents, HIV/AIDS, cancer and natural disasters. Bereavement after any death is a potentially disruptive life event with consequences in physical and mental health, relationships and social functioning. Death is a rather odd, thought-provoking and challenging experience, particularly in the lives of children and adolescents. Death of parent/s, sibling, relative/s, teacher, classmate or friend is a relatively new and challenging phenomenon. Persons working with pupils and students, including teachers, counsellors, school chaplain and social workers, need to be prepared to offer help to those who experience bereavement. Death is unpredictable and may occur naturally, suddenly, or traumatically. In several instances, help is sometimes required in advance of bereavement in that the death may be anticipated such as instances of prolonged illness or following a fatal accident. In all cases, the role of the teacher and counsellor in the school is pivotal in supporting pupils and students who have been bereaved. This paper highlights the need to impart post-traumatic growth in bereft pupils and students in schools in order to cope with bereavement. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2021-02-24T11:57:58Z DOI: 10.1177/1365480221996847
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Authors:Nahia Intxausti-Intxausti, Eider Oregui-González, Verónica Azpillaga-Larrea First page: 224 Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. The aim of this study was to characterize those schools in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (Spain) with high numbers of immigrant students in accordance with their effectiveness level (high or low). Three effectiveness criteria (scores, residuals, and times) were used to select the schools, resulting in three models: a ceiling or floor effect model, a contextualized cross-sectional model, and a contextualized longitudinal model. Of the 524 initial schools analyzed, 7 were found to have high or low effectiveness levels and higher-than-average immigration levels. Following the selection, the discourses of 40 education stakeholders were analyzed through semi-structured interviews and discussion groups. The results highlight the strong sense of vulnerability felt in some schools, as well as the general conviction that greater support, commitment, and stable, collaborative leadership by the management team and inspectorate would contribute to improving effectiveness. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2021-12-16T11:50:28Z DOI: 10.1177/13654802211056870
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Authors:Anna Kristín Sigurðardóttir, Börkur Hansen, Berglind Gísladóttir First page: 244 Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. The challenge of educational improvement, due mainly to the complexity of educational systems, is well-known. The aim of this study is to provide knowledge regarding the process of change within schools to better understand how it might depend on cultural context and the characteristics of individual schools. Based on interventions in four compulsory schools (6–15 years old students) in Iceland, the study uses both qualitative and quantitative data. The process of change was guided by a framework grounded in professional learning community principles and designed to be adaptive for cultural contexts as well as the interdependence of different factors of educational systems. Theories of drivers of change and indicators of schools as professional learning communities were used to understand cultural conditions within them. The main findings indicate that the change process in team-driven schools with relatively high levels of teacher collaboration and engagement works well in the framework. By contrast, the change process seemed restrained in the profession-driven and problem-driven schools characterised by either a high level of teacher autonomy and lack of collaboration or engagement in solving several generic problems. The study provided valuable insights regarding the complexity of facilitating change, particularly, the importance of identifying main drivers of change affecting an intervention process at the initiation stage. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2021-10-29T06:32:45Z DOI: 10.1177/13654802211051929
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Authors:Ana Milheiro Silva, Sofia Marques da Silva First page: 260 Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. This article presents the development and validation of a scale for young people, which measures the resilience of schools in ensuring the educational pathways of students in vulnerable and challenging territories. This scale was developed within a national-level project, conducted in Portuguese border regions with Spain, which are peripheral contexts with economic, social, cultural, and educational disadvantages, but with locally-situated promising dynamics.Resilient schools, from an ecological perspective, are sensitive and committed to their internal and external settings. These schools act as a whole to face problem solving and risk situations, while also needing to support youth educational pathways and fulfill their role. This is particularly important in contexts with territorial disparities and specificities, as is the case of border regions.The Resilience Scale of Schools – Youth Version (RSS-Y) integrates dimensions related to schools’ focus and priorities, as well as practices and resources. Its development took into consideration that schools in vulnerable territories deal with specific constraints and fewer opportunities. In addition, this scale seeks to study the characteristics of resilience that young people identify in their schools and how they perceive their schools’ support.This quantitative scale was developed following a multi-step approach and was applied to 3,968 young people (9th to 12th grade). It comprises 17 items, rated on a five-point Likert scale to assess agreement.Statistical analysis ensure the internal consistency (Factor 1, α = .846; Factor 2, α = .845; Factor 3, α = .789) and the validity of this scale, indicating adequate psychometric properties to measure students’ perspectives on the resilience characteristics of schools. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) proposes a three-factor structure that explains 57.393% of the total variance. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicates that this model is a good fit with the data.The RSS-Y can provide an important contribution to educational research developed in more deprived territories, but also to school contexts, since it recognizes the importance of schools’ differentiated approaches and highlights characteristics that promote the resilience and quality of schools. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2021-02-26T05:29:56Z DOI: 10.1177/1365480221991742
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Authors:Evi Widowati, Wahyudi Istiono, Adi Heru Sutomo First page: 276 Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. This study aimed to identify various hazard risks which are related to children in schools. This study used a quantitative descriptive design. The sampling technique used was four stage stratified random sampling, with 329 elementary schools as the sample. The results identified various dangerous situations which are related to children and schools ranging from infectious diseases, natural disasters, violence against children and the dangers due to the absence of adequate safety at school. Dangers from natural disasters which could be identified were earthquake, volcano, flood, hurricane landslide, and drought as well as potential biological hazards such as contagion and caterpillar outbreak. Additionally, the dangers related to violence against children were fighting, extortion, physical violence, psychological violence, sexual violence, bullying, and stealing. Related to safety aspects at schools, there were dangerous situations caused by the activities of the children themselves which caused injuries, or other technical causes, such as fire, falling buildings/falling trees, food poisoning, and infectious diseases. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2021-03-03T05:33:30Z DOI: 10.1177/1365480221996695
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Authors:Gunvor Birkeland Wilhelmsen, Marion Felder First page: 289 Abstract: Improving Schools, Ahead of Print. Intact visual functions are necessary for children to reach their academic potential. In the absence of vision screening, children may have unnoticed vision disturbances and academic challenges may be attributed to other problems, such as learning or cognitive disabilities. Visual problems are detrimental to educational achievement if they are not recognised. This has lifelong consequences for the individual child but also for the wider society as educational and economic advances are stifled. Few teachers are aware how vision influences reading and learning. Tanzanian teachers went through a CPD-course to learn about vision sensory qualities and ocular motor functions and were trained in vision testing. Building on theory of vision qualities and viewing conditions in class, the teachers practised vision functions assessment. Under the supervision of vision scientists, pupils in standard 5 (n = 104) were tested with standardised methods. The data shows that there is a clear connection between the different sensory and ocular motor skills and that problems in one vision area influence other vision areas. Nearly 50% of the pupils had disturbances in one or more of the vision functions tested. In addition, the light conditions were challenging. When teachers learn about vision qualities and their impact on reading and learning, they understand why some pupils have reading problems, reduced motivation, disturbed self-esteem and problems with concentration. With these insights, more pupils can be helped to reach their potential. Citation: Improving Schools PubDate: 2021-04-08T06:07:43Z DOI: 10.1177/13654802211004787