Academic Performance of Children With Sickle Cell Disease in the United States: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Students with sickle cell disease are at risk for poor academic performance due to the combined and/or interactive effects of environmental, psychosocial, and disease-specific factors. Poor academic performance has significant social and health consequences.Objective: To study academic achievement and attainment in children with sickle cell disease in the United States.Design: Medline, Embase, SCOPUS, CINAHL, ERIC, and PsycINFO were searched for peer-reviewed articles. Studies of children (ages 5–18) diagnosed with sickle cell disease of any genotype reporting academic achievement (standardized tests of reading, math, and spelling) or attainment (grade retention or special education) outcomes were included. Outcomes were analyzed using a random effects model. Achievement scores were compared to within study controls or normative expectations. Prevalence of grade retention and special education services were compared to national (United States) estimates for Black students. Age at assessment and overall IQ were evaluated separately for association with reading and mathematics scores. Subgroup analyses of reading and math scores were analyzed by cerebral infarct status (no cerebrovascular accident, silent infarct, stroke).Results: There were 44 eligible studies. Students with sickle cell disease scored 0.70, 0.87, and 0.80 (p < 0.001) SD below normative expectations on measures of reading, mathematics, and spelling, respectively. Compared to unaffected sibling and/or healthy controls (k = 8, n = 508), reading and math scores were 0.40 (p = 0.017) and 0.36 (p = 0.033) SD below expectations. Grade retention was approximately 10 times higher in students with sickle cell disease than Black students nationally. Intellectual functioning explained 97.3 and 85.8% of the variance in reading and mathematics performance, respectively (p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses revealed significant differences in reading (p = 0.034) and mathematics (p < 0.001) based on infarct status, with lower performance associated with presence of a silent infarct or stroke.Conclusion: Students with sickle cell disease demonstrate notable academic difficulties and are at high risk for grade retainment. Development of academic interventions and increased access to school support services are needed for this vulnerable population.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020179062.

On predictors of misconceptions about educational topics: A case of topic specificity

A large variety of misconceptions about learning, teaching, and other educational topics is prevalent in the public but also among educational professionals. Such misconceptions may lead to ill-advised judgments and actions in private life, professional practice, and policymaking. Developing effective correction strategies for these misconceptions hinges on a better understanding of the factors that make individuals susceptible to or resilient against misconceptions. The present study surveyed students from educational and non-educational fields of study to investigate whether the endorsement of four typical educational misconceptions can be predicted by study-related variables (i.e., field of study and study progress) and by students’ cognitive ability (i.e., numeracy), epistemic orientations, general world views (i.e., conservative orientation), and education-related values (i.e., educational goals). A sample of N = 315 undergraduates in teacher education and education- and non-education-related fields of study completed an online survey. Results from structural equation models showed that the pattern of effects strongly varied across the specific misconceptions. The two misconceptions related to teaching factors (i.e., class size and effectiveness of direct instruction as a teaching method) were the most strongly affected by the field of study and had an association with conservative orientation. In contrast, the misconception about the effectiveness of grade retention as an educational intervention was more prevalent among the students emphasizing conventional educational goals, such as discipline. None of the investigated explanatory variables proved predictive of the misconception about the “feminization” of education as an educational-equity topic. Moreover, neither numeracy nor epistemic orientation was found to have any effect on the endorsement of educational misconceptions. These findings emphasize the topic dependency of the factors that make individuals susceptible to misconceptions. Future research and intervention approaches need to consider the topic specificity of educational misconceptions.

Grade retention and school entry age in Spain: a structural problem

Grade retention has been the focus of the education debate in Spain for decades. On average, more than 30% of students have repeated at least one grade before they finish (or dropout from) their compulsory studies. The present research provides new evidence on this issue by investigating the influence of Spain’s school entry age upon students’ grade retention. Using data from 15-year-old students who participated in the PISA 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015 assessments, we implement a regression discontinuity analysis. Our key finding is that students who were born late in the year (younger students) are more likely to repeat a grade. Yet, once they reach secondary education, the disadvantage they suffer due to their younger school starting age seems to disappear. Hence, the key reason why younger students have lower PISA scores than older students in Spain is due to their increased likelihood of repeating a grade, rather than being due to their relative age per se. To avoid these artificial disadvantages of younger students and unfair retention, we suggest that policymakers inform families about this school entry issue and also make the school entry law more flexible. This would facilitate parents of younger children to choose whether to delay their children’s school enrolment or not.

Grade Retention Practices in Primary Education in Timor-Leste: A Case Study

<p>Grade retention is the practice of requiring a student who has been in a given grade level for a full school year to remain at that same grade level the following year (Jimerson, 2001; Owings & Kaplan, 2001; Wynn, 2010). Grade retention has always been practised in primary education in Timor-Leste. This study investigates rationales behind grade retention practice in grade 1 primary education in Timor-Leste. A qualitative case study was use to investigate the mechanisms teachers use to retain or promote a student. Teachers‟ beliefs about grade retention, their efforts to prevent students from being retained, and factors that may inhibit students‟ learning are explored. Six teachers and four principals from six primary schools in two districts participated in this study. Analysis of data that were collected by using semi-structure interviews and studying documents relating to the practice of grade retention revealed that grade retention has been inconsistently practised amongst the participating schools in Timor-Leste. Despite having poor classroom conditions for learning and low teacher qualifications, teachers continue to retain low achieving students due to their beliefs that grade retention improves students‟ learning. This study suggests that classroom conditions need to be improved, and teachers‟ qualifications need to be upgraded in order to increase student learning while reducing grade retention.</p>

Grade Retention Practices in Primary Education in Timor-Leste: A Case Study

<p>Grade retention is the practice of requiring a student who has been in a given grade level for a full school year to remain at that same grade level the following year (Jimerson, 2001; Owings & Kaplan, 2001; Wynn, 2010). Grade retention has always been practised in primary education in Timor-Leste. This study investigates rationales behind grade retention practice in grade 1 primary education in Timor-Leste. A qualitative case study was use to investigate the mechanisms teachers use to retain or promote a student. Teachers‟ beliefs about grade retention, their efforts to prevent students from being retained, and factors that may inhibit students‟ learning are explored. Six teachers and four principals from six primary schools in two districts participated in this study. Analysis of data that were collected by using semi-structure interviews and studying documents relating to the practice of grade retention revealed that grade retention has been inconsistently practised amongst the participating schools in Timor-Leste. Despite having poor classroom conditions for learning and low teacher qualifications, teachers continue to retain low achieving students due to their beliefs that grade retention improves students‟ learning. This study suggests that classroom conditions need to be improved, and teachers‟ qualifications need to be upgraded in order to increase student learning while reducing grade retention.</p>

Supporting Students with Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies in Educational Settings

Children with sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) are at an increased risk for neurocognitive and behavioral disorders that may interfere with academic success, including early developmental delays, learning disabilities, executive function problems, and social communication deficits. A national survey study aimed to update and extend our understanding of school supports and educational outcomes for students with these increasingly common genetic diagnoses. Parents of children with a diagnosed SCA, birth to 21 years, living in the U.S. (N=248), responded to an electronic survey with questions focused on school support plans, academic accommodations, educational therapies, school completion, and perceptions of educator awareness of SCAs. Results revealed high rates of delayed kindergarten, grade retention in primary years, and educational support plans (IEPs = 71%; 504 Plans = 26%). Despite a clear profile of educational need, a majority (73%) of respondents with children over age 18 (N=41) reported their child successfully completed high school, and nearly half (46%) pursued post-secondary education opportunities. Many parents reported their child’s educators had little to no knowledge of SCA conditions, justifying a need to train teachers and policy makers in the unique educational needs of children and adolescents with SCAs. School psychologists should be aware of the frequent need for accommodations and individualized support plans in this population so they can support children and families by advocating for early and comprehensive evaluations and intervention plans.

School Failure in the Region of Madrid (Spain): An Approximation through Diagnostic Assessment in 2019

Education is considered to be one of the main factors of development, economic growth and social progress. No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital. In Spain, school failure represents one of the main problems in the educational system, with potentially dramatic consequences for the basic competences required in the labour market and job instability, with the risk of economic and social exclusion. In this paper, we aim to identify the factors that define the risk of school failure in Madrid (Spain) by applying logit models. In this process we use a definition of school failure risk which relates to the probability of scoring below level 2 in the evaluation of competences (diagnostic assessment), and we use grade retention as a proxy of school failure. The variables included in the model cover several areas, such as personal, family and school characteristics. The results show that it is important that the policies to strengthen the educational system begin with early childhood education, as educational delay symptoms are detected, and it is necessary to intensify efforts towards personalized assistance to help identify potential learning problems, especially in those groups in the worst socioeconomic situations, which are most at risk of school failure.