Is educational wellbeing associated with grade repetition and school dropout rates among Indian students? Evidence from a panel study

Despite the Indian government’s continuing efforts to encourage children to attend school, levels of educational wellbeing among some groups of children during their elementary schooling remain low. High school dropout and grade repetition rates are among the negative and deleterious outcomes of poor educational wellbeing in children that are rarely discussed as policy issues. Using the panel dataset of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) conducted in 2005 and 2012, this study explores the effects of educational wellbeing on children’s later educational outcomes, as measured by their school dropout and grade repetition rates. Variation in the educational outcomes of children across states was also examined. The results show that the children whose educational wellbeing index was below average during their elementary schooling were more likely to drop out of school or repeat a grade in early adolescence. For policymakers, this study highlights that the experiences of children during their elementary schooling merit more attention.

STEM and STEAM Education in Australian K–12 Schooling

STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education has become a global agenda, with schooling systems around the world in developed and developing countries seeking to incorporate STEM programs into their in-school and out-of-school curricula. While disciplinary integration has been common practice in primary (elementary) schooling for many decades, in the early 21st century the STEM education movement has promoted an increased focus on project- and problem-based learning across disciplines in secondary schools as well. Research suggests, however, that STEM education programs can face barriers in their implementation, often depending on whether they are designed to align with existing curriculum outcomes or whether they are developed as cocurricular programs. Challenges are also presented by the need for professional learning to equip teachers with new skills and knowledge in designing and delivering STEM education. In addition, some researchers and educators have argued for STEAM—integration of the arts in STEM education. For those concerned with school reform, a great strength of STEM and STEAM education approaches lies in the potential for transdisciplinarity. As such, new opportunities and possibilities for framing driving questions and addressing contemporary societal challenges are created. Two particular issues identified as critical are (a) the potential contribution of STEM education to creating a sustainable future, and (b) the importance of STEM education for social justice, in ensuring all children and young people have equitable access to learning opportunities.

Incidence of congenital syphilis in the State of Rio Grande do Norte and Brazil: a retrospective study

Introduction: Syphilis is an infection with increasing incidence in Brazilian regions, and the congenital form is liable to lead to cerebral palsy and musculoskeletal deformity. The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of congenital syphilis in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Methods: An exploratory and retrospective study was performed from 2015 to 2017. Public domain data and unrestricted access were used in the DATASUS computer department through the TABNET application. The following variables were collected: age range, clinical evolution (congenital syphilis late, late congenital syphilis, stillbirth / syphilis abortion, ignored / blank, discarded; live birth), mother's schooling, performed prenatal and residence zone. Results: In Brazil, there were 75,733 cases, whereas in the State of Rio Grande do Norte there were 1,436 cases of congenital syphilis, out of which a greater number of confirmed cases affected age group of 0-6 days (97.6%). The highest number of cases was observed in the city of Natal (75.8%), followed by Mossoró (7.8%) and Parnamirim (5.7%). Conclusion: The study shows that the incidence of congenital syphilis occurs predominantly in incomplete elementary schooling and in the urban area. It was also verified that the diagnosis of most cases of congenital syphilis occurred in the age group up to 6 days of life, which contributes to the rates of evolution with the living child. In addition, a greater number of confirmed cases of congenital syphilis were observed, and prenatal care was performed, indicating a serious failure in care.

Introduction

This chapter provides a background of the Mettray Agricultural Colony for Boys. The institution was founded by Frédéric Demetz, a Parisian magistrate. Demetz aimed to socialize criminal youth through agricultural work, basic elementary schooling, religious indoctrination, and strict military discipline. The chapter explains through the historical monograph of Mettray how it is considered the most venerated carceral institution of its time. It also provides an introduction to how power was deployed and explains ambitions that were connected to power, and how power was experienced, or in some cases resisted by prisoners. Further, it highlights the ways some young men attempted to circumvent disciplinary control.

“Girls Are Also People of the Holy Qur’an”

This article focuses on Muslim girls’ education in Ottoman Istanbul during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Through the extensive use of archival and narrative sources, it demonstrates that girls in pre-Tanzimat Istanbul enjoyed ample opportunities for elementary education. Two registers of the distribution of imperial gifts to schools in Istanbul, one in the 1780s and the other in 1811, reveal the existence of a substantial number of girls’ schools run by female teachers. Many of these schools presumably operated in teachers’ private homes, but there were also vakıf-funded girls’ schools. Additionally, girls benefited from coeducational schools. Drawing on these findings, I estimate that, in 1811, approximately one-fifth of the girls living in Istanbul received elementary schooling, and that there were about 100 female teachers in Istanbul. The increasing visibility of girls’ schools and female teachers can be considered in the context of social change in the eighteenth century.

Reading Between the Lines: Neurocognition and Reading Acquisition in Remote Indigenous Australia

Successful academic progression relies on a child’s ability to develop proficient reading skills. In Australia, the majority of children achieve this milestone during elementary schooling. Yet Australian Indigenous children, particularly those living in remote and rural regions of Australia, consistently struggle to meet national benchmarks for reading, as evidenced by national benchmark data. There has been extensive debate about whether sociocultural factors impinge on academic achievement for Indigenous Australians, but little discussion regarding the possible role of neurocognitive factors. In this review, we consider limited available research on neurocognitive mechanisms associated with reading for Indigenous populations and argue for an urgent need to consider the relationship between neurocognitive and sociocultural development when examining reading acquisition outcomes for this population. We also discuss the plausibility of targeting the potential neurocognitive strengths of certain Indigenous populations to scaffold reading acquisition and identify opportunities for furthering this line of research.