School-level (dis)advantage and adolescents’ substance-use behaviours: The role of collective efficacy and norms

Drawing upon ideas stemming from social disorganisation theory, this study explores how structural and social aspects of the school context affect youth substance-use behaviours in terms of smoking, alcohol and/or drug use. A key focus is to investigate the joint effect of school collective efficacy and schools’ substance-use norms on students’ substance use. Analyses are based on combined information from two independent data collections conducted in 2014 among ninth grade students ( n = 5122) and teachers ( n = 1105) in 81 senior-level schools in Stockholm. Results from multilevel analyses confirm previous research by suggesting that the proneness to engage in substance use varies depending on the socioeconomic profile of the school. Youth in socioeconomically advantaged schools were more prone to engage in substance use than youth in disadvantaged school settings. Furthermore, collective incentives for exerting social control against substance use seem to be weaker in schools where conventional values towards substance use (anti-substance-use norms) are suppressed.

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Scaling standards-aligned instruction through teacher leadership: methods, supports, and challenges

International Journal of STEM Education ◽

10.1186/s40594-021-00297-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Amy Cassata ◽

Elaine Allensworth

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

Teacher Leadership ◽

Collective Efficacy ◽

Teacher Leaders ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Collaborative Work ◽

School Context ◽

School Level ◽

Instructional Change ◽

Teacher Leader

Abstract Background The Common Core Standards for Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards were adopted by states with the goal of preparing students with knowledge and skills needed for college, careers, and citizenry. Adopting these standards necessitated considerable changes in instructional practice. While teacher leadership is known to be important for instructional change, there is little research that articulates the processes through which that influence occurs, and how contextual factors constrain or support those processes. This paper provides a case study of efforts in the Chicago Public Schools to promote widespread instructional change around standards reform through a teacher leader model using retrospective from 2013 to 2017 interviews with 16 math and science teacher leaders serving grades 6–12, along with quantitative analysis of district-wide data showing patterns of change and professional learning. It builds off prior research to articulate a framework of how teacher leaders promote instructional change. Findings There were five patterns of teacher leader action: inspiring others, sharing with colleagues, working in collaboration, advocating for change, and providing individual support, and an interplay between teacher actions and school-level contextual factors, with some contextual factors more important than others for different types of actions. In particular, sharing and collaborative work were facilitated in schools with designated collaboration time, trusting relationships, and colleagues who were also trained and knowledgeable about the new standards. The degree of collective efficacy the teacher leaders felt seemed to be driven mostly by the presence of other knowledgeable change agents in the school. Conclusions and implications The study adds to the existing literature on teacher leadership by articulating the mechanisms through which teachers exert influence around instructional improvement of their school peers and providing examples of each. Further, the study illustrates how these mechanisms are facilitated or constrained by the larger school context. Together, the articulation of mechanisms and contexts, along with illustrative examples, provides a guide for supporting instructional change through teacher leadership in schools and districts.

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Adolescent Offending and the Segregation of Poverty in Urban Neighbourhoods and Schools: An Assessment of Contextual Effects from the Standpoint of Situational Action Theory

Urban Studies Research ◽

10.1155/2011/659768 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Lieven Pauwels

Keyword(s):

Collective Efficacy ◽

Action Theory ◽

School Context ◽

School Setting ◽

Multilevel Modelling ◽

Contextual Effects ◽

School Level ◽

Residential Areas ◽

Situational Action Theory ◽

Adolescent Offending

Contextual research on adolescent offending is primarily based on the idea that residential areas provide a major ecological setting that (indirectly) shapes observed differences in adolescent offending. The social disorganisation/collective efficacy perspective has tried to explain why structural disadvantage of residential areas affects residents' involvement in offending. On the other hand, contextual research has also been conducted within the school setting. This separate contextual approach is problematic as it does not reflect the reality of adolescents' lives. Adolescents are exposed to different ecological settings. They are also exposed to many other settings that may provide opportunities to offend, as outlined in the situational action theory (SAT) of crime causation. This study contributes to the literature on the urban context of offending in three ways. First, the effects of adolescents' residential neighbourhood and school context on adolescent offending are assessed simultaneously. Second, this study elaborates on SAT from a cross-level point of view. Third, this contribution makes use of non-hierarchical multilevel modelling, which is a statistically correct method of testing hypotheses that involve multiple contexts. Our study revealed the existence of small contextual effects of school-level disadvantage, whereas the effect of neighbourhood-level disadvantage is entirely due to neighbourhood composition.

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Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 following exposure in school settings: experience from two Helsinki area exposure incidents.

10.1101/2020.07.20.20156018 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Timothee Dub ◽

Elina Erra ◽

Lotta Hagberg ◽

Emmi Sarvikivi ◽

Camilla Virta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Participation Rate ◽

School Personnel ◽

School Level ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

School Settings ◽

Household Transmission ◽

Retrospective Cohort Studies ◽

Close School

Background: The role of children in SARS-CoV-2 transmission is unclear. We investigated two COVID-19 school exposure incidents in the Helsinki area. Methods: We conducted two retrospective cohort studies after schools exposures, with a household transmission extension. We defined a case as an exposed person with either a positive RT-PCR, or positive microneutralisation testing (MNT) as confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein IgG antibodies detection via fluorescent microsphere immunoassay (FMIA). We recruited close school contacts and families of school cases, calculated attack rates (AR) on school level and families, and identified transmission chains. Findings: In incident A, the index was a pupil. Participation rate was 74% (89/121), and no cases were identified. In incident B, the index was a member of school personnel. Participation rate was 81% (51/63). AR was 16% (8/51): 6 pupils and 1 member of school personnel were MNT and FMIA positive; 1 pupil had a positive RT-PCR, but negative serology samples. We visited all school cases' families (n=8). The AR among close household contacts was 42% (9/20 in 3/8 families) but other plausible sources were always reported. At three months post-exposure, 6/8 school cases were re-sampled and still MNT positive. Interpretation: When the index was a child, no school transmission was identified, while the occurrence of an adult case led to a 16% AR. Further cases were evidenced in 3 families, but other transmission chains were plausible. It is likely that transmission from children to adults is limited. Funding: The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare funded this study.

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The Moderating Role of the School Context on the Effects of the Healthy Primary School of the Future

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16132432 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (13) ◽

pp. 2432 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nina Bartelink ◽

Patricia van Assema ◽

Maria Jansen ◽

Hans Savelberg ◽

Stef Kremers

Keyword(s):

Health Behaviors ◽

School Context ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

School Level ◽

Socioeconomic Background ◽

Organizational Issues ◽

Dutch Health ◽

Health Promoting ◽

Moderating Role

Background: The current study investigated the moderating role of the school context on the effects of a Dutch health promoting school initiative on children’s health and health behaviors. Methods: The study used a mixed-methods design. The school context (n = 4) was assessed by the characteristics of the school population, teacher’s health-promoting (HP) practices, implementers’ perceived barriers, school’s HP elements, and dominating organizational issues. Outcomes included objectively assessed BMI z-scores and physical activity (PA), and parent and child-reported dietary intake. Analyses included linear mixed models (four intervention schools versus four control schools), and qualitative comparisons between intervention schools with similar HP changes. Results: Effects on outcomes varied considerably across schools (e.g., range in effect size on light PA of 0.01–0.26). Potentially moderating contextual aspects were the child’s socioeconomic background and baseline health behaviors; practices and perceived barriers of employees; and organizational issues at a school level. Conclusions: Similar HP changes lead to different outcomes across schools due to differences in the school context. The adoption of a complex adaptive systems perspective contributes to a better understanding of the variation in effects and it can provide insight on which contextual aspects to focus on or intervene in to optimize the effects of HP initiatives.

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The Role of Positive Youth Development, Educational Policy, and Cultural Relevancy in School Settings

eJournal of Public Affairs ◽

10.21768/ejopa.v8i2.3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

Youth Development ◽

Positive Youth Development ◽

Students Of Color ◽

School Level ◽

Cultural Relevancy ◽

School Communities ◽

Education Legislation ◽

School Settings ◽

Federal Education Legislation

Changes in federal education legislation have presented scholars, educational activists, and educators with an opportunity to influence educational outcomes that are youth-centered and youth-driven, specifically among students of color in underserved schools. Opportunities for youth to initiate, design, implement, and evaluate district programs and interventions are beneficial not only to youths’ intrinsic development, but also to the school communities in which they spend the most time. This article links the growth and promotion of positive youth development (PYD) theories and programming to current federal policy changes that support the inclusion of youth in school reform. The authors also discuss historical PYD programming, the role of cultural relevance in educational settings, and future areas of PYD research at the school level.

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