scholarly journals A Scalable Empathic-Mindset Intervention Reduces Group Disparities in School Suspensions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Okonofua ◽  
Julia Parker Goyer ◽  
Constance A. Lindsay ◽  
Johnetta Haugabrook ◽  
Gregory M Walton
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
Racial Disparity ◽  
Hispanic Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
School Year ◽  
Suspension Rates ◽  
School Suspensions ◽  
Mindset Intervention

Suspensions remove students from the learning environment at high rates throughout the United States. Policy and theory highlight social groups that face disproportionately high suspension rates—racial-minoritized students, students with a prior suspension, and students with disabilities. We used an active placebo-controlled, longitudinal field-experiment (Nteachers=66, Nstudents=5,822) to test a scalable “empathic-mindset” intervention, a 70-minute online exercise to refocus middle-school teachers on understanding and valuing the perspectives of students and on sustaining positive relationships even when students misbehave. In pre-registered analyses, this exercise reduced suspension rates especially for Black and Hispanic students, cutting the racial disparity over the school year by 45%. Significant reductions were also observed for other groups of concern. Moreover, reductions persisted through the next year when students interacted with new teachers, suggesting that empathic treatment with even one teacher in a critical period can improve students’ trajectories.

scholarly journals Understanding Principals’ Knowledge of Special Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Whitney G. Schexnider
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Principal Preparation ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
The United States ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Principal Preparation Programs ◽  
Related Information ◽  
School Year

The percentage of students identified as eligible to receive special education services in the United States has grown from 8.3% in the 1976-77 school year to 14% during the 2018-19 school year (Hussar et al., 2020). Given this level of growth and the myriad of levels of support principals provide for students with disabilities, one would assume that principal preparation programs have adjusted their curriculum to ensure future school administrators are prepared to support every student, including those with disabilities. The purpose of this research study is to better understand how current school administrators learned special education-related information for their role, what they believe are the most important aspects of special education, and to identify how background, experience, and self-efficacy play a role in principals’ skills related to their role as their building’s special education leader. A web-based survey was used to gather information from current school administrators working in Idaho’s P-12 school districts. Results of this study show that the majority of Idaho’s school administrators are learning special education-related knowledge and skills on the job and through professional development, rather than as part of their principal preparation programs. Recommendations are made to enhance the learning opportunities in both principal preparation programs as well as in-service professional development to develop strong, supportive, school-based special education leaders.

Physical Education Least Restrictive Environment Continua Used in the United States

1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Decker ◽  
Paul Jansma
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Least Restrictive Environment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
School Year ◽  
Regular Class ◽  
Restrictive Environment

For over 15 years it has been public policy to educate students with disabilities, to the maximum extent possible, in the least restrictive environment (LRE) alongside their peers without disabilities. However, scarce empirical data exist documenting nationwide efforts to comply with the LRE mandate. The purpose of this study was to determine what types of LRE continua are in use in physical education throughout the United States. Subjects were physical education personnel in 452 schools throughout the United States. Data were collected regarding the usage of physical education LRE placement continua across enrollment level, grade range, metro status, and geographic region. Results indicate that while numerous (N = 26) physical education LRE continua were used during the 1988-89 school year, in most cases students with disabilities received physical education in a regular class setting with little or no access to adapted physical education. These results indicate that the utility of traditional physical education LRE placement continua may be suspect.

Disproportionate Corporal Punishment of Students With Disabilities and Black and Hispanic Students

2020 ◽  
pp. 104420732094996
Author(s):  
Ashley S. MacSuga-Gage ◽  
Nicholas A. Gage ◽  
Antonis Katsiyannis ◽  
Shanna E. Hirsch ◽  
Hannah Kisner
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Corporal Punishment ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Variance Estimation ◽  
Hispanic Students ◽  
School Year ◽  
Calculated Risk ◽  
Robust Variance Estimation ◽  
To Receive

Maintaining a safe and orderly school environment is challenging. In response, some schools resort to aversive punishments, including corporal punishment. Limited research has examined whether or not corporal punishment is disproportionately administered to certain students, particularly students with disabilities and black and Hispanic students. Therefore, we leveraged the most recent U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights data from the 2015–2016 school-year to evaluate disproportionate corporal punishment. We restricted the data to schools that reported at least 10 corporal punishment incidents and calculated risk ratios comparing students with disabilities to students without disabilities, and black and Hispanic students to white student. Then we estimated a series of robust variance estimation metaregression models and found evidence of statistically significant disproportionate corporal punishment administered to students with disabilities and black students. The largest risk ratio was for students with disabilities, indicating that they are much more likely to receive corporal punishment.

A Mixed-Methods Analysis of State-Level Population Data for Students With Visual Impairment and Blindness

2021 ◽  
pp. 001440292110174
Author(s):  
Rachel Anne Schles ◽  
Tessa McCarthy ◽  
Karen Blankenship ◽  
Justin Coy
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Visual Impairments ◽  
State Level ◽  
Population Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
School Year ◽  
State Administrators ◽  
Federal Mandate

The prevalence of students with visual impairments varies across the United States, yet limited analysis exists on how many students receive special education services. The following study collected population data on students with visual impairments for the 2017–2018 school year and ran focus groups with state-level administrators to understand current and future options to collect population data. Twenty-three of 50 states responding to the survey reported total population data. On average, states supported 3.6 times the number of students with visual impairments reported in their federal Child Count data reports. State administrators agreed a federal mandate requiring states to collect total population data on students with visual impairments is needed. The ramifications of preparing for and supporting an unknown population of students with disabilities was discussed. A federal mandate for total population data collection is unlikely in the near future. Therefore, practical implications, including key factors and logistics, that state administrators should consider are outlined.

scholarly journals Female teachers’ math anxiety affects girls’ math achievement

2010 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 1860-1863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sian L. Beilock ◽  
Elizabeth A. Gunderson ◽  
Gerardo Ramirez ◽  
Susan C. Levine
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Elementary School Teachers ◽  
Math Achievement ◽  
Math Anxiety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Early Elementary ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Female Teachers ◽  
School Year ◽  
Early Elementary School

People’s fear and anxiety about doing math—over and above actual math ability—can be an impediment to their math achievement. We show that when the math-anxious individuals are female elementary school teachers, their math anxiety carries negative consequences for the math achievement of their female students. Early elementary school teachers in the United States are almost exclusively female (>90%), and we provide evidence that these female teachers’ anxieties relate to girls’ math achievement via girls’ beliefs about who is good at math. First- and second-grade female teachers completed measures of math anxiety. The math achievement of the students in these teachers’ classrooms was also assessed. There was no relation between a teacher’s math anxiety and her students’ math achievement at the beginning of the school year. By the school year’s end, however, the more anxious teachers were about math, the more likely girls (but not boys) were to endorse the commonly held stereotype that “boys are good at math, and girls are good at reading” and the lower these girls’ math achievement. Indeed, by the end of the school year, girls who endorsed this stereotype had significantly worse math achievement than girls who did not and than boys overall. In early elementary school, where the teachers are almost all female, teachers’ math anxiety carries consequences for girls’ math achievement by influencing girls’ beliefs about who is good at math.

Workplace Incivility in Schools

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Reio ◽  
Stephanie M. Reio
Keyword(s):  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Turnover Intent ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Uncivil Behavior ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
K 12

This paper investigates the prevalence of coworker and supervisor incivility in the context of K-12 schools and incivility’s possible link to teachers’ commitment to the school and turnover intent. The data were collected via surveys from 94 middle school teachers in the United States. Results indicated that 85% of the teachers experienced coworker incivility over the past year; 71% experienced supervisor incivility. MANOVA results suggested no statistically significant differences in incivility by gender or ethnicity. Hierarchical regression results suggested that supervisor incivility was associated negatively with commitment and positively associated with turnover intent. Coworker incivility was not a significant predictor in the regression equations. Macro- and micro-level human resource strategies are offered as possible tools to lessen the likelihood of uncivil behavior.

scholarly journals JUUL in School: Teacher and Administrator Awareness and Policies of E-Cigarettes and JUUL in U.S. Middle and High Schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara A. Schillo ◽  
Alison F. Cuccia ◽  
Minal Patel ◽  
Bethany Simard ◽  
Emily M. Donovan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
High School Teachers ◽  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cigarette Use ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
School Students

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, including JUUL, has risen to epidemic levels among high school and middle school students in the United States. Schools serve as a key environment for prevention and intervention efforts to address e-cigarette use, yet little is known about the awareness of and response to e-cigarettes in schools. This national survey of middle and high school teachers and administrators ( n = 1,420) measured JUUL awareness, e-cigarette policies, and barriers to enforcement in schools. While two thirds of respondents had heard of a product called JUUL (67.6%), less than half accurately identified a photo of a JUUL as a vaping device/e-cigarette (47.3%). Awareness of JUUL (80.9%) was higher among high school teachers (83.3%) than among middle school teachers (78.3%). A large majority of respondents reported that their school had an e-cigarette policy (82.9%), but less than half of the sample worked in a school with a policy that specifically included JUUL (43.4%). Those working in a school with an e-cigarette policy in place noted that e-cigarettes’ discreet appearance (65.6%) and difficulties in identifying origin of vapor or scent (46.1%) made the policy difficult to enforce. Efforts to increase middle and high school staff awareness of the ever-evolving e-cigarette market are essential to help prevent youth use. Adoption and enforcement of policies will be critical to ensure that schools remain tobacco-free spaces.

scholarly journals An Anecdotal Case Study in Psychological Anthropology of Two Retired Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions of Classroom Life in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam I. Attwood
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Vietnam War ◽  
Middle School Teachers ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Management Style ◽  
Centralized Control ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
The Vietnam War

In this qualitative study, interviews of two former middle school teachers were conducted and analyzed for how they fostered a supportive classroom environment in the United States despite the national stress of the Vietnam War during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Half a century later in 2020-2021, similar trends seem to remain just as important in society though the context has shifted. Implications for social-emotional learning from then and now are discussed. Each of the two participants in this study established centralized control through slightly different means and both used written guidelines and rules while emphasizing prosocial behaviors. Three themes emerged: 1) a syllabus was important in management style, 2) sports, and 3) the national social context—such as the Vietnam War—manifested itself in the discourse of the social environment to affect classroom life. Implications for the socio-spatial context of school architectural layout are explored.

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