scholarly journals Disparities in Educational Access in the Time of COVID: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Panel of American Families

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110413
Author(s):  
Shira K. Haderlein ◽  
Anna Rosefsky Saavedra ◽  
Morgan S. Polikoff ◽  
Daniel Silver ◽  
Amie Rapaport ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
School Year ◽  
Technology Instruction ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Shed Light

We use data collected between April 2020 and March 2021 from the Understanding America Survey, a nationally representative internet panel of approximately 1,450 households with school-age children, to document the access of American households to K–12 education during the COVID-19 crisis. We also explore disparities by parent race/ethnicity, income, urbanicity, partisanship, and grade level (i.e., elementary school vs. middle/high school). Results shed light on the vectors of inequality that occurred throughout the pandemic in access to technology, instruction, services (e.g., free and reduced-price meals), and in-person learning opportunities. Our work highlights the equity implications of the pandemic and suggests the importance of encouraging widespread in-person learning opportunities and attendance by the beginning of the 2021–2022 school year for addressing COVID-19’s educational effects.

The opt-out movement and the power of parents

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (8) ◽  
pp. 36-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Kirylo
Keyword(s):  
Standardized Testing ◽  
Teacher Educator ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Opt Out ◽  
K 12

Largely led by parents of school-age children from around the country, the opt-out movement has gained momentum in resisting the overuse of standardized testing. The author, a teacher educator, former K-12 teacher, and parent, argues that the opt-out movement is raising awareness regarding standardized testing and opening the door toward policy changes.

A Response to the GAO Report, “Disparities Still Exist in Who Gets Special Education”

1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Charlie Lakin ◽  
Bradley K. Hill ◽  
Florence A. Hauber ◽  
Robert H. Bruininks
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Mentally Retarded ◽  
Public Law ◽  
Residential Facilities ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Severely Handicapped ◽  
Nationally Representative

A September, 1981, General Accounting Office (GAO) report concluded that among the central objectives of Public Law 94–142, the priorities of serving the previously unserved and the most severely handicapped “may have been realized.” However, data gathered on 401 school-age children who were part of a nationally representative sample of 2,271 individuals living in residential facilities for mentally retarded persons found that at the same time the GAO study was conducted, substantial numbers of sample members were not in school programs and 8% were in no day programs whatsoever.

Critical Barriers to Technolgy in K-12 Education

2011 ◽  
pp. 3008-3010
Author(s):  
Christine Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
It Industry ◽  
Digital Society ◽  
Education Today ◽  
K 12

Those who are fortunate enough to be associated with K-12 education during this first decade of the 21st century will witness tremendous evolutionary—even revolutionary—changes throughout those institutions. The interrelated dynamics of public education, the IT industry, and the evolving “digital society” are already combining to produce a variety of entirely new models for K-12. Although those models are indeed emerging, significant change will come at a pace that is perhaps somewhat slower initially than some would prefer. K-12 education is, after all, an institution rich in tradition and culture, and often slow to change. Nonetheless, as the presence and reach of new technologies—the Internet in particular—reach critical mass, that pace will quicken, and by the year 2010, school age children will enjoy an educational experience profoundly different from anything previously known. Profound change usually occurs when not one, but several change agents come together, either deliberately or coincidentally, and interact—often sparked by some sort of catalyst. This type of interaction is occurring throughout public education today. In this case, the change agents at work include K-12 institutions, the evolving IT industry, and the rapidly emerging digital society.

scholarly journals Parents’ Report of Child’s Response to Sibling’s Death in a Neonatal or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 474-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
JoAnne M. Youngblut ◽  
Dorothy Brooten
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Neonatal Intensive Care ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Background Research on sibling death in a pediatric/neonatal intensive care unit is limited, despite many qualitative differences from deaths at home or in hospitals’ general care areas and has overlooked cultural differences. Objectives To describe parents’ reports of children’s responses to a sibling’s death in a neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit via qualitative interviews at 7 months after the death. Methods English-speaking (n = 19) and Spanish-speaking (n = 8) parents of 24 deceased infants/children described responses of their 44 surviving children: 10 preschool, 19 school-age, and 15 adolescent. Parents’ race/ethnicity was 48% black, 37% Hispanic, 15% white. Ten siblings died in the neonatal unit and 14 in the pediatric intensive care unit. Semistructured interviews in parents’ homes were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed with content analysis. Results Six themes about surviving children emerged. Changed behaviors were reported by parents of school-age children and adolescents. Not understand what was going on was reported primarily by parents of preschoolers. Numbers of comments in the 4 remaining themes are as follows: maintaining a connection (n = 9), not having enough time with their siblings before death and/or to say goodbye (n = 6), believing the sibling is in a good place (n = 6), not believing the sibling would die (n = 4). Comments about girls and boys were similar. White parents made few comments about their children compared with black and Hispanic parents. The pattern of comments differed by whether the sibling died in the neonatal or the pediatric intensive care unit. Conclusions Children’s responses following a sibling’s death vary with the child’s sex, parents’ race/ethnicity, and the unit where the sibling died. Children, regardless of age, recognized their parents’ grief and tried to comfort them.

scholarly journals Peers Matter: Links Between Classmates’ and Individual Students’ Executive Functions in Elementary School

AERA Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 233285841982943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna E. Finch ◽  
Elisa B. Garcia ◽  
Michael J. Sulik ◽  
Jelena Obradović
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
School Success ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
School Year

Students’ executive functions (EFs) are linked to school success. Although school-age children spend much of their time interacting with peers, few studies have explored how children’s classmates may promote EF development in elementary school. In this study, we test whether mean levels and variability in classmates’ EF skills are associated with growth in individual students’ accuracy and speed on EF tasks among third, fourth, and fifth graders (N = 806). We find that classmates’ speed, but not accuracy, on EF tasks is linked to significant improvements in individual students’ EFs over the school year. Classmates’ average EFs, as indexed by faster accurate responses on EF tasks, are associated with improvements in individual students’ speed on EF tasks. These results were robust to the inclusion of individual students’ general processing speed. In contrast, variability in classmates’ accuracy and speed on EF tasks was not associated with individual students’ EF growth. Our results highlight the role of peers and the school context for EF development in middle childhood.

scholarly journals Comparing Diet Quality of Racial Minority Children from Low-Income Households During the Summer versus School Year: Results from the Project SWEAT Study (P04-102-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Hopkins ◽  
Carolyn Gunther
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Racial Minority ◽  
Whole Grains ◽  
Plant Protein ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Time Points ◽  
School Year

Abstract Objectives Compare the diet quality of racial minority school-age children from low-income households during the summer versus school year. Methods Two elementary schools in low-income urban neighborhoods of Columbus, OH were recruited. Families with children at these schools were invited to participate. Caregivers completed a demographic survey at baseline (t0). Child diet was assessed using three 24-hr dietary recalls (2 weekdays and 1 weekend day) at 3 time points: 1) baseline/beginning of summer (t0); 2) middle of summer (t1); and 3) beginning of subsequent school year (t2). Demographic data were summarized. Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015 was calculated: total [100] and component [Adequacy: total fruit (5), whole fruit (5), total vegetable (5), greens and beans (5), whole grains (10), dairy (10), total protein (5), seafood and plant protein (5), fatty acids (10); Moderation: refined grains (10), sodium (10), added sugars (10), saturated fats (10)]. Paired t-tests were conducted to determine differences in diet quality between time points (t0: t1, t1: t2, t0: t2). Results 62 children (39 families) enrolled. Mean age was 7.08 ±0.34 yr, 80.67% were African American, and 69.35% low-income. Participant retention from t0: t1 and t0: t2 was 95.16% and 75.81%. Mean total HEI was 47.37 ± 1.57 (t0), 47.51 ± 1.22 (t1), and 51.13 ± 1.46 (t2) with significant differences between summer and school year time points (t0: t2, P = 0.02; t1: t2, P = 0.01). Significant differences in adequacy and moderation HEI component scores between the two summer time points and school year time point were observed such that child diet quality was better during the school year. Adequacy: whole fruit (t1: t2 P = 0.02), total vegetable (t0: t2 P < 0.01; t1: t2 P < 0.01), greens beans (t0: t1 P < 0.01; t1: t2 P < 0.01), and seafood and plant protein (t0: t2 P = 0.06; t1: t2 P = 0.08). Moderation: sodium (t0: t2 P = 0.07) and added sugar (t0: t2 P = 0.06; t1: t2 P = 0.02). The HEI component score for whole grains was significantly better during the summer compared to the school year (t0: t2 P < 0.01; t1: t2 P < 0.01). Conclusions Except for whole grains, child diet quality is better during the school year versus summer. Findings from this study provide the first insight into potential determinants of unhealthy weight gain observed among economically disadvantaged, school-age children during the summer months. Funding Sources USDA North Central Nutrition Education for Excellence.

Should Millions of Students Take a Gap Year? Large Numbers of Students Start the School Year Above Grade Level

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott J. Peters ◽  
Karen Rambo-Hernandez ◽  
Matthew C. Makel ◽  
Michael S. Matthews ◽  
Jonathan A. Plucker
Keyword(s):  
Language Arts ◽  
English Language Arts ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
English Language ◽  
State Level ◽  
Student Diversity ◽  
School Students ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
School Year ◽  
K 12

Few topics have garnered more attention in preservice teacher training and educational reform than student diversity and its influence on learning. However, the actual degree of cognitive diversity has yet to be considered regarding instructional implications for advanced learners. We used four data sets (three state-level and one national) from diverse contexts to evaluate how many students perform above grade level in English Language Arts and mathematics. Results revealed that among American elementary and middle school students, 20% to 49% in English Language Arts and 14% to 37% in mathematics scored 1 year or more above grade level. We address what these findings imply for K-12 schools, grouping decisions, and educational policies that strive to foster advanced abilities.

Teachers’ Grade-Level Reassignments

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quentin Brummet ◽  
Seth Gershenson ◽  
Michael S. Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Charter Schools ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
School Grade ◽  
School Year ◽  
Traditional Public Schools ◽  
Nationally Representative

Teacher churning likely harms student achievement. However, the phenomenon of within-school grade-level teacher reassignments is understudied. The current study provides descriptive evidence on the frequency and predictors of within-school teacher grade switching using both longitudinal administrative data from Michigan and nationally representative survey data. About 7% of self-contained classroom teachers change grades following any given school year. Inexperienced teachers are relatively more likely to switch grades, and grade-level reassignments are inequitably distributed across both schools and students. For example, urban schools experience significantly higher rates of grade switching. Charter schools experience significantly less grade switching than traditional public schools.

scholarly journals On certain aspects of the semantic development of younger primary school-age children

2014 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-319
Author(s):  
Jelena Stevanovic ◽  
Emilija Lazarevic
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Third Grade ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
School Year ◽  
Early School ◽  
Semantic Development ◽  
Primary School Age

The ability to understand the meaning of words and sentences is an important determinant of the language development, which also indicates the development of the ability to learn. Bearing this in mind, the research was aimed at studying the level of semantic development of younger primary school-age children. Semantic development was studied from the aspect of understanding the meaning of words and their use in the following lexical relations: homonyms, antonyms, synonyms and metonyms. The research was conducted in three Belgrade primary schools during the school year 2013/2014. The sample was convenient and included 431 second- and third-grade pupils. The Semantic test (by S. Vladisavljevic) was used in the study. Research results showed that none of the pupils had provided the correct answer to all administered tasks. The best scores were achieved on the part of the test referring to antonyms, while the pupils were least successful on the tasks referring to metonyms. Additionally, third-grade pupils were more successful than younger participants, while there were no differences according to gender. The results indicated that it was necessary to devote more attention to different lexical and semantic exercises at preschool and early school age, considering the link between semantic development, the acquisition of reading and writing skills and the (un)successful mastering of the school curriculum in the majority of subjects.

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