Racial and Ethnic Disparities in School Discipline: The Interactive Effects of Gender and Parental Educational Attainment

Prior research has provided consistent evidence that minority students are more likely than White youth to experience punitive forms of discipline in schools. Scholars have theorized that these disadvantages are closely connected to gender and socioeconomic status, but little research has explored how these factors independently and jointly might moderate the effects of race/ethnicity. Using data from the 2012 to 2018 8th and 10th grade cohorts of the Monitoring the Future survey ( N = 53,986), these analyses find that minority students are more likely than Whites to experience suspension/expulsion and office referrals, and this pattern is especially prominent among females. Further, racial/ethnic disparities are amplified for youth whose parents have higher levels of educational attainment, though some differences by gender also emerge.

Does professional development for teachers impact student behavior utilizing class-wide function-related intervention teams?

Students who disrupt the classroom due to externalizing behaviors can impact all of these, but more importantly, these behaviors interrupt student learning. Due to these stressors, the purpose of this study was to explore how a behavior intervention program, Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT), within the scope of teacher professional development, can impact students' behaviors, improve teacher retention, and ultimately improve academic experiences in a suburban elementary school in Southwest Missouri. The mixed-methods study used a convergent mixed method design to explore how the CW-FIT impacted behaviors of elementary students. It also examined the correlation, if any, between teacher professional development of the CW-FIT and office referrals, teacher retention, and student achievement. Participants in this research study started with 12 elementary teachers and 10 classrooms. After the Pandemic began, the study continued in the fall of 2020 and included 11 teachers and nine classrooms (from third to fifth grade). Analysis of observation results, documents, and interviews, found that CW-FIT positively impacted student behavior in the participating elementary classrooms. Evidence showed the need for PD, how the CW-FIT increased student achievement through student engagement and teacher praise, and on-task behavior.

Early Childhood Education: Academic and Behavioral Benefits of Prekindergarten Educational Programming

State-funded prekindergarten educational programming for all children is a rarity in the United States. Five states offer no financial support to fund prekindergarten educational programming, and the majority offer partial funding. Only three states provide universally funded prekindergarten educational programming. The purpose of this study is to examine some of the benefits of prekindergarten educational programming to identify reasons to expand the programs and subsequently enroll, at the very least, all economically eligible children. The study analyzed the results of attendance, behavior reports, and test scores to evaluate the academic and behavioral success of six cohorts of students in Grades K–5. All students studied qualified for educational programming support at the level of 100% poverty. The two studied groups are those students who attended the prekindergarten educational programming and those students who did not attend prekindergarten educational programming. The study revealed statistically significant results predominately with behavior and more specifically with office referrals. Students who attended prekindergarten educational programming received fewer office referrals at a statistically significant level compared with those students who did not attend the prekindergarten programming. Academically, the overall results of the data showed that those students who completed prekindergarten educational programming outscored their counterparts who did not attend prekindergarten but not at a statistically significant level. Studies showing the benefits of prekindergarten educational programming may motivate local and state officials to support funding to ensure that at a minimum, all students who qualify based on poverty will have the opportunity to attend prekindergarten educational programming.

Identifying trigger concepts to screen emergency department visits for diagnostic errors

ObjectivesThe diagnostic process is a vital component of safe and effective emergency department (ED) care. There are no standardized methods for identifying or reliably monitoring diagnostic errors in the ED, impeding efforts to enhance diagnostic safety. We sought to identify trigger concepts to screen ED records for diagnostic errors and describe how they can be used as a measurement strategy to identify and reduce preventable diagnostic harm.MethodsWe conducted a literature review and surveyed ED directors to compile a list of potential electronic health record (EHR) trigger (e-triggers) and non-EHR based concepts. We convened a multidisciplinary expert panel to build consensus on trigger concepts to identify and reduce preventable diagnostic harm in the ED.ResultsSix e-trigger and five non-EHR based concepts were selected by the expert panel. E-trigger concepts included: unscheduled ED return to ED resulting in hospital admission, death following ED visit, care escalation, high-risk conditions based on symptom-disease dyads, return visits with new diagnostic/therapeutic interventions, and change of treating service after admission. Non-EHR based signals included: cases from mortality/morbidity conferences, risk management/safety office referrals, ED medical director case referrals, patient complaints, and radiology/laboratory misreads and callbacks. The panel suggested further refinements to aid future research in defining diagnostic error epidemiology in ED settings.ConclusionsWe identified a set of e-trigger concepts and non-EHR based signals that could be developed further to screen ED visits for diagnostic safety events. With additional evaluation, trigger-based methods can be used as tools to monitor and improve ED diagnostic performance.

Feasibility and Efficacy of Same-Day, In-Office Genetic Testing for Inherited Retinal Diseases

Purpose: This article analyzes 2 practice patterns our institution uses for genetic testing of patients with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) and compares testing completion and diagnostic yield rates. Methods: A retrospective, consecutive chart review series was conducted of patients with a clinically diagnosed rod-mediated IRD. All IRDs were diagnosed between 2 intervals: November 1, 2015, through November 30, 2016 (referral to a medical genetics clinic for testing) or December 1, 2016, through December 30, 2017 (same-day, in-office genetic testing). Results: A total of 189 patients were included in the study. Of patients who received an out-of-office referral for genetic testing, 10 of 84 (12%) patients proceeded with testing, whereas 74 of 84 (88%) patients did not complete testing. For patients who received in-office genetic testing, 104 of 105 (99%) completed testing. The difference in test completion was statistically significant ( P < .001). In addition, genetic testing for out-of-office referrals identified a causative mutation in 5 of 10 (50%) patients, whereas in-office genetic testing identified a causative mutation in 42 of 104 (40.4%) patients. The difference in causative mutation discovery was not statistically significant ( P = .18) between the 2 groups. Conclusions: In-office genetic testing is a novel practice pattern that provides a more consistent and accessible method for IRD genetic diagnosis. Compared with an out-of-office referral for genetic testing, in-office genetic testing offers a similar rate of causative gene mutation identification but a greatly higher rate of test completion, therefore potentially offering a much higher yield for genetic diagnosis of IRDs.

Using Data to Drive Instruction: A Comparative Study of Lexia Scores to Other Reading Assessments, Attendance, Grades, and Behavior

The purpose of this study is to analyze student progress after the frequent usage of a computerized reading program that provides phonics instruction and gives students independent practice in basic reading skills. Further, the study observes and analyzes the correlation between student progress in Lexia to progress report grades, report card grades, attendance, office referrals for poor behavior, the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) scores, Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) language and social scores, and the Reading Inventory scores (RI).

Administrative Records

Schools maintain a variety of records, but these aren’t necessarily analyzed as a source of data for improving school climate. Records of office referrals, suspensions, peer mediation cases, students serving detention, and other incident reports can be examined to learn about disciplinary issues and the school’s response. In addition to getting a sense of how many disciplinary infractions take place in school, it is also valuable to detect changes over time. By examining suspension records over a period of years, school leaders may realize that, along with their efforts to improve school climate and prevent violence, there is also a major increase in suspension rates, an indication that perhaps administrators have used suspension as a major strategy. Given the evidence on the negative outcomes of repeated suspensions, school leaders might reconsider their approach to violence prevention or punishment. Other schools may find that suspensions actually went down when climate improved because fewer students were being disciplined for incidents of violence. While many schools maintain paper records that are difficult to examine and process, others have computerized their reporting system. When computerized databases are available, the potential for educators to learn from the information and make improvements increases dramatically. Careful analysis of existing records can help identify what grade levels of students are most involved in certain behaviors and whether certain students or groups are committing the bulk of infractions. Analyses of these records can also help administrators to understand more about why students are getting in trouble, which students seem to be repeat offenders, and perhaps where and when the incidents are taking place. Absenteeism rates should also be examined in combination with other indicators. Patterns in the data can then be used to see what type of changes might be needed to eliminate the reasons that the students are getting in trouble. These records can also show whether there are certain times during the school year when problems are more likely to occur, such as at the beginning of the year or just before a break.

The Impact of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports on Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Conditions and Student Achievement

Previous research suggests that Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can reduce student disciplinary office referrals and out-of-school suspensions, especially when implemented with fidelity. Existing research is mixed as to whether PBIS also contributes to improvements in student achievement, but at least one study has found that PBIS leads to improvements in teachers’ perceptions of overall organizational health, an effect that may help facilitate improvements in student learning. This study uses the TELL (Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning) Kentucky survey to analyze teacher perceptions of their working conditions between PBIS and non-PBIS schools, and among schools varying in level of PBIS implementation fidelity. Furthermore, because the TELL Kentucky survey has been shown to predict increases in student achievement, this study examined the relationship between PBIS implementation and student test score outcomes. Teachers in PBIS schools reported higher levels of student and faculty understanding of behavioral expectations and a stronger atmosphere of professional trust and respect. Although there were no significant differences in student achievement levels between PBIS and non-PBIS schools, analysis did reveal that student academic outcomes were significantly higher at high- and medium-fidelity PBIS schools than low-fidelity PBIS schools. Significance, limitations, and implications for practice are discussed.