scholarly journals School closures reduced social mixing of children during COVID-19 with implications for transmission risk and school reopening policies

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (177) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Head ◽  
Kristin L. Andrejko ◽  
Qu Cheng ◽  
Philip A. Collender ◽  
Sophie Phillips ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Hispanic Children ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

School closures may reduce the size of social networks among children, potentially limiting infectious disease transmission. To estimate the impact of K–12 closures and reopening policies on children's social interactions and COVID-19 incidence in California's Bay Area, we collected data on children's social contacts and assessed implications for transmission using an individual-based model. Elementary and Hispanic children had more contacts during closures than high school and non-Hispanic children, respectively. We estimated that spring 2020 closures of elementary schools averted 2167 cases in the Bay Area (95% CI: −985, 5572), fewer than middle (5884; 95% CI: 1478, 11.550), high school (8650; 95% CI: 3054, 15 940) and workplace (15 813; 95% CI: 9963, 22 617) closures. Under assumptions of moderate community transmission, we estimated that reopening for a four-month semester without any precautions will increase symptomatic illness among high school teachers (an additional 40.7% expected to experience symptomatic infection, 95% CI: 1.9, 61.1), middle school teachers (37.2%, 95% CI: 4.6, 58.1) and elementary school teachers (4.1%, 95% CI: −1.7, 12.0). However, we found that reopening policies for elementary schools that combine universal masking with classroom cohorts could result in few within-school transmissions, while high schools may require masking plus a staggered hybrid schedule. Stronger community interventions (e.g. remote work, social distancing) decreased the risk of within-school transmission across all measures studied, with the influence of community transmission minimized as the effectiveness of the within-school measures increased.

scholarly journals The effect of school closures and reopening strategies on COVID-19 infection dynamics in the San Francisco Bay Area: a cross-sectional survey and modeling analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R Head ◽  
Kristin Andrejko ◽  
Qu Cheng ◽  
Philip A Collender ◽  
Sophie Phillips ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Middle School ◽  
School Intervention ◽  
School Closure ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

Background Large-scale school closures have been implemented worldwide to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, the impact of school closures and re-opening on epidemic dynamics remains unclear. Methods We simulated COVID-19 transmission dynamics using an individual-based stochastic model, incorporating social-contact data of school-aged children during shelter-in-place orders derived from Bay Area (California) household surveys. We simulated transmission under observed conditions and counterfactual intervention scenarios between March 17-June 1, and evaluated various fall 2020 K-12 reopening strategies. Findings Between March 17-June 1, assuming children <10 were half as susceptible to infection as older children and adults, we estimated school closures averted a similar number of infections (13,842 cases; 95% CI: 6,290, 23,040) as workplace closures (15,813; 95% CI: 9,963, 22,617) and social distancing measures (7,030; 95% CI: 3,118, 11,676). School closure effects were driven by high school and middle school closures. Under assumptions of moderate community transmission, we estimate that fall 2020 school reopenings will increase symptomatic illness among high school teachers (an additional 40.7% expected to experience symptomatic infection, 95% CI: 1.9, 61.1), middle school teachers (37.2%, 95% CI: 4.6, 58.1), and elementary school teachers (4.1%, 95% CI: -1.7, 12.0). Results are highly dependent on uncertain parameters, notably the relative susceptibility and infectiousness of children, and extent of community transmission amid re-opening. The school-based interventions needed to reduce the risk to fewer than an additional 1% of teachers infected varies by grade level. A hybrid-learning approach with halved class sizes of 10 students may be needed in high schools, while maintaining small cohorts of 20 students may be needed for elementary schools. Interpretation Multiple in-school intervention strategies and community transmission reductions, beyond the extent achieved to date, will be necessary to avoid undue excess risk associated with school reopening. Policymakers must urgently enact policies that curb community transmission and implement within-school control measures to simultaneously address the tandem health crises posed by COVID-19 and adverse child health and development consequences of long-term school closures.

Industrial/Academic Internships at IBM-Almaden Under NSF Programs

2001 ◽  
Vol 684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles G. Wade ◽  
Dolores Miller ◽  
Joseph Pesek ◽  
Maureen Scharberg ◽  
Brenda Waller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Teachers ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Educational Outreach ◽  
State University ◽  
San Jose ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
San Jose State University ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTIndustrial experience can be a significant factor in materials science education, and internships at our laboratory under two NSF programs directly impact undergraduates and high school teachers. In these programs, the participants become a member of individual, existing research groups under a mentor on a technical project relevant to IBM. The research is publishable but closely related to a technical area important to IBM. During the summer the participants become members of the research group, attending departmental meetings and informal discussions. In addition, they attend a special seminar series on industrial research frontiers, receive career-training discussions, and participate in a variety of other programs sponsored for summer interns by IBM. Every participant presents a poster at an internal technical meeting at IBM or a technical meeting at Stanford (or both) at the end of the summer. One of the programs, an NSF MRSEC “Center for Polymer Interfaces and Macromolecular Interfaces” (CPIMA), involves a partnership with Stanford University and the University of California at Davis. The CPIMA program has an active group of postdoctoral scientists, graduate students, undergraduate (summer) students and (summer) high school teachers. In addition to IBM, summer students in CPIMA may work with other industrial firms who are industrial affiliates of CPIMA. In addition, CPIMA has a public science and K-12 component in materials science in educational outreach with the The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. The other program, an NSF GOALI grant on “Surface and Analytical Chemistry of Materials” with San Jose State University, involves undergraduate and graduate (masters) San Jose State University students during the academic year who work on collaborative research projects between IBM scientists and San Jose State University professors. In addition, this project also has a large summer program with undergraduates from across the US and with high school teachers. The impact of the programs on the students, teachers, and institutions will be reviewed, with a special emphasis on the impact on the industrial partner.

scholarly journals Reopening schools safely in the face of COVID-19: Can cluster randomized trials help?

2021 ◽  
pp. 174077452098486
Author(s):  
Charles Weijer ◽  
Karla Hemming ◽  
Spencer Phillips Hey ◽  
Holly Fernandez Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Trials ◽  
Cluster Randomized Trial ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
School Closures ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
The Face ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health Policymaking

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges of evidence-based health policymaking, as critical precautionary decisions, such as school closures, had to be made urgently on the basis of little evidence. As primary and secondary schools once again close in the face of surging infections, there is an opportunity to rigorously study their reopening. School-aged children appear to be less affected by COVID-19 than adults, yet schools may drive community transmission of the virus. Given the impact of school closures on both education and the economy, schools cannot remain closed indefinitely. But when and how can they be reopened safely? We argue that a cluster randomized trial is a rigorous and ethical way to resolve these uncertainties. We discuss key scientific, ethical, and resource considerations both to inform trial design of school reopenings and to prompt discussion of the merits and feasibility of conducting such a trial.

scholarly journals Passing the Test: A Model-based analysis of safe school-reopening strategies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa Bilinski ◽  
Joshua A. Salomon ◽  
John Giardina ◽  
Andrea Ciaranello ◽  
Meagan C. Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Single Infection ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
School Students ◽  
School Based ◽  
Community Transmission

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has induced historic educational disruptions. In December 2020, at least two-thirds of US public school students were not attending full-time in-person education. The Biden Administration has expressed that reopening schools is a priority.ObjectiveTo compare risks of SARS-COV-2 transmission in schools across different school-based prevention strategies and levels of community transmission.DesignWe developed an agent-based network model to simulate transmission in elementary and high school communities, including home, school, and inter-household interactions.SettingWe parameterized school structure based on average US classrooms, with elementary schools of 638 students and high schools of 1,451 students. We varied daily community incidence from 1 to 100 cases per 100,000 population.Patients (or Participants)We simulated students, faculty/staff, and adult household members.InterventionsWe evaluated isolation of symptomatic individuals, quarantine of an infected individual’s contacts, reduced class sizes, alternative schedules, staff vaccination, and weekly asymptomatic screening.MeasurementsWe projected transmission among students, staff and families during one month following introduction of a single infection into a school. We also calculated the number of infections expected for a typical 8-week quarter, contingent on community incidence rate.ResultsSchool transmission risk varies according to student age and community incidence and is substantially reduced with effective, consistent mitigation measures. Nevertheless, when transmission occurs, it may be difficult to detect without regular, frequent testing due to the subclinical nature of most infections in children. Teacher vaccination can reduce transmission to staff, while asymptomatic screening both improves understanding of local circumstances and reduces transmission, facilitating five-day schedules at full classroom capacity.LimitationsThere is uncertainty about susceptibility and infectiousness of children and low precision regarding the effectiveness of specific prevention measures, particularly with emergence of new variants.ConclusionWith controlled community transmission and moderate school-based prevention measures, elementary schools can open with few in-school transmissions, while high schools require more intensive mitigation. Asymptomatic screening should be a key component of school reopenings, allowing reopening at higher community incidence while still minimizing transmission risk.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationships Between High School Course Enrollment, Achievement, and First-Semester College GPA

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M Warren ◽  
Camille L Goins
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Advanced Placement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Course Enrollment ◽  
Honors Courses ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
First Semester ◽  
College Gpa ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

This study explored the impact of Advanced Placement and honors course enrollment and high school grade point average (GPA) on first-semester college GPA. Data were collected from 131 college freshmen enrolled at a minority-serving institution who graduated from a public school during the previous academic year. A four-step hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that family structure, college status, enrollment in one or more Advanced Placement courses, and enrollment in five or more honors courses accounted for a significant amount of variance explained in first-semester college GPA, both individually and in combination. High school GPA intervened in these variables relationships with first-semester college GPA accounting for a significant amount of variance. Based on these findings, opportunities for future research and implications for K–12 schools and colleges are provided.

Financial literacy programs and youth entrepreneurial attitudes: some insights from the Jordanian community

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 787-810
Author(s):  
Nour Walid Aljaouni ◽  
Baker Alserhan ◽  
Kimberly Gleason ◽  
Jusuf Zeqiri
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Literacy Program ◽  
School Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Attitudes ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of a financial literacy program (FLP) recently implemented in Jordanian junior high and high schools as part of a national financial literacy agenda on students’ attitudes toward entrepreneurship relative to a control sample of students who had not yet participated in the FLP. This paper also examines the role of moderating variables, including students’ perception of teachers’ attitudes (TA) on students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. Design/methodology/approach Survey methodology was used to obtain data and hierarchical regression analysis was used to test hypotheses. Findings Results indicate that students who completed the FLP exhibited significantly higher entrepreneurial awareness than those that had not yet participated in the program. Students who took the entrepreneurship module of the FLP exhibited significantly lower entrepreneurial intention than those that had not yet taken the entrepreneurship module. However, TA did not impact students’ attitudes. Research limitations/implications The study examines a sample of middle and high school students in only one district in Amman, Jordan, and cannot be generalized to other communities where the FLP has been implemented. Practical implications The findings provide valuable insights for educators, policymakers and non-governmental organizations considering large scale, publicly funded FLPs as part of the K-12 educational system. Social implications Stakeholders should consider reforms to the implementation of entrepreneurship education as part of the FLP in Jordanian schools and other developing country K-12 programs. Originality/value This study is the first to examine the new Jordanian literacy program and the impact it has on attitudes toward entrepreneurship of middle and high school students.

Surviving at the Street Level: How Counselors’ Implementation of School Choice Policy Shapes Students’ High School Destinations

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj ◽  
Jennifer L. Jennings ◽  
Sean P. Corcoran ◽  
Elizabeth Christine Baker-Smith ◽  
Chantal Hailey
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
New York ◽  
School Choice ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Street Level ◽  
School Choice Policy ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Choice Policy

Given the dominance of residentially based school assignment, prior researchers have conceptualized K–12 enrollment decisions as beyond the purview of school actors. This paper questions the continued relevance of this assumption by studying the behavior of guidance counselors charged with implementing New York City’s universal high school choice policy. Drawing on structured interviews with 88 middle school counselors and administrative data on choice outcomes at these middle schools, we find that counselors generally believe lower-income students are on their own in making high school choices and need additional adult support. However, they largely refrain from giving action-guiding advice to students about which schools to attend. We elaborate street-level bureaucracy theory by showing how the majority of counselors reduce cognitive dissonance between their understanding of students’ needs and their inability to meet these needs adequately given existing resources. They do so by drawing selectively on competing policy logics of school choice, narrowly delineating their conception of their role, and relegating decisions to parents. Importantly, we also find departures from the predictions of this theory as approximately one in four counselors sought to meet the needs of individual students by enlarging their role despite the resource constraints they faced. Finally, we quantify the impact of variation in counselors’ approaches, finding that the absence of action-guiding advice is associated with students being admitted to lower-quality schools, on average.

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