The Role of School Boards in Addressing Opportunity and Equity for English Learners in the U.S. Mountain West

Locally-elected school boards in the United States may be the public’s closest democratic link to public education. Yet, little is known about how school boards balance their representational obligations with their responsibilities to address educational inequities. The purpose of this study is to examine how school boards address policies and practices for one of education’s most vulnerable populations, English learners (EL). Applying the conceptual framework of social construction theory for policy design, which assumes that policy is heavily influenced by the social construction of target groups, this multiple-case study includes data from 30 interviews, four years of school board meeting minutes, and other archival documents from three sites located in the understudied region of the U.S. Mountain West— Clark County School District, Salt Lake City School District, and Tucson Unified School District. Results found that although EL policies/practices are largely shaped by the social constructions of ELs which are mostly deficit-based, school boards often react to triggering mechanisms in addressing the needs of their growing EL populations in the context of federal and state policies, competing interests, and limited resources. These findings suggest that while school boards are a significant democratic link, they are often unwilling, and in some cases unable, to adequately address inequities faced by ELs until school boards are triggered

The Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood Initiative: A Community-Based Approach to Improving Educational Opportunity & Achievement

Since the 1980s, the standards and accountability movement in U.S. education has focused heavily on reform at the classroom and school level, with insufficient regard for how social, political, and community contexts impact student learning and achievement (Berliner, 2006; Horsford, 2010; Noguera, 2003; Oakes, 1989; Wells et al., 2004). This emphasis on standardization and high-stakes testing has stigmatized, and in many instances, penalized low-income and historically underserved students and communities through the use of student subgroup and school designations. It also largely has ignored the research literature documenting the significant impact poverty, neighborhood context, and related out-of-school factors such as housing, food security, health care, and family supports have on student learning and achievement (See Anyon, 1997; Berliner, 2006; Kozol, 1991; Noguera, 2003; Oakes, 1989). At the federal level, policy efforts intended to equalize educational opportunities, whether through school desegregation in the 1960s and 1970s, effective schools programs in the 1980s, or most recently, No Child Left Behind, have failed to acknowledge as Berliner (2006) noted, that “all educational efforts that focus on classrooms and schools, as does NCLB, could be reversed by family, could be negated by neighborhoods, and might well be subverted or minimized by what happens to children outside of school” (p. 951). While a number of federal programs have sought to mitigate the negative impacts of poverty and segregation on urban education (i.e., Title I, Magnet Schools Assistance), on April 30, 2010, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement launched its Promise Neighborhoods program and described it as “the first federal initiative to put education at the center of comprehensive efforts to fight poverty in urban and rural areas” (U.S. Department of Education, 2011). This report by The Lincy Institute examines the renewed interest in neighborhood-scale education reform as demonstrated by the Promise Neighborhoods program and its implications for education reform in Southern Nevada. More specifically, it offers a brief overview of Promise Neighborhoods, description of the original Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood planning grant application, and discussion of the collaborative activity that LVPN partners have engaged in since to advance the coordinated provision of community-based supports for school success. This report seeks to illustrate how and why the Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood Initiative, and other neighborhood-based education reform efforts hold “promise” for school improvement and success in Southern Nevada. The next section offers a brief overview of Promise Neighborhoods, followed by a description of local efforts in Las Vegas

NEPC Review: Some Assembly Required: How a More Flexible Learning Ecosystem Can Better Serve All Kids and Unlock Innovation (Bellwether, August 2022)

A report from Bellwether details what the authors call, &ldquo;assembly-based education,&rdquo; a hypothetical ecosystem that removes schools as a central education component. Instead, the plan proposes giving families the ability and funding to choose among varied learning opportunities. The approach is presented as helping to remove some barriers for lower-income families and to facilitate new communities based on shared interests rather than geography. The report also argues that the approach is timely and practical, pointing to the recent growth of school choice and supplemental learning. The concept, however, undermines societal investment in neighborhood schools and therefore runs counter to research demonstrating that many families, youth, and communities work hard to protect and improve their neighborhood schools, especially in marginalized communities. As such, this approach fails to genuinely center equity and educational excellence and instead elevates choice as the greatest good in an education system.</p

NEPC Review: Some Assembly Required: How a More Flexible Learning Ecosystem Can Better Serve All Kids and Unlock Innovation (Bellwether, August 2022)

A report from Bellwether details what the authors call, &ldquo;assembly-based education,&rdquo; a hypothetical ecosystem that removes schools as a central education component. Instead, the plan proposes giving families the ability and funding to choose among varied learning opportunities. The approach is presented as helping to remove some barriers for lower-income families and to facilitate new communities based on shared interests rather than geography. The report also argues that the approach is timely and practical, pointing to the recent growth of school choice and supplemental learning. The concept, however, undermines societal investment in neighborhood schools and therefore runs counter to research demonstrating that many families, youth, and communities work hard to protect and improve their neighborhood schools, especially in marginalized communities. As such, this approach fails to genuinely center equity and educational excellence and instead elevates choice as the greatest good in an education system.</p

Nevada\u27s English Language Learner Population: A Review of Enrollment, Outcomes, and Opportunities

The purpose of this report is to provide the public with an easy‐to‐understand review of the status of education for Nevada’s English Language Learner (ELL) population with a focus on Clark County. Nevada is ranked first in the U.S. for having the highest growth rate of Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals and fifth in the nation for having the largest share of LEP residents, only behind California, Texas, New York, and New Jersey (Migration Policy Institute, 2011). In the case of public education, student enrollment patterns over the last two decades reflect dramatic increases in ELL students in Nevada and especially Clark County

Reestruturação de um distrito escolar no nível do condado: uma análise crítica do desenvolvimento de políticas e políticas para a descentralização

Policymakers and educational leaders continue to use school district decentralization as a reform effort that attempts to shift power and authority from central office administration to school-level leadership. In 2015, the Nevada Legislature passed legislation to restructure the Clark County School District (CCSD), the state’s largest school district, with the intent of breaking it up into smaller districts but instead evolving to decentralization. In this article, we use case study methods to explore the events leading up to the reorganization of CCSD. We take a critical perspective on Kingdon’s multiple streams framework to analyze the reorganization efforts, focusing specifically on how Nevada’s political context provided a window of opportunity for the reorganization to occur. We also examine the extent to which equitable educational opportunity was a factor in these efforts. Our analysis of the reorganization of CCSD contributes to a wider understanding of state-level policy development and politics within contemporary educational contexts. In this case, we find that state-level policymakers successfully leveraged the opportunity to enact the power and authority necessary to significantly and rapidly impact the structure of one of the largest school districts in the United States.  Los formuladores de póliticas y los líderes educativos continúan con el uso de la descentralización del distrito escolar como un esfuerzo de reforma que intenta cambiar el poder y la autoridad de la administración de la oficina central al liderazgo a nivel escolar. Durante 2015, la Legislatura de Nevada aprobó una ley para reestructurar el Distrito Escolar del Condado de Clark (CCSD), el distrito escolar más grande del estado, con la intención de dividirlo en distritos más pequeños, pero se desarrolló hacia la descentralización. En este artículo, usamos métodos de estudio de caso para explorar los eventos que causaron la reorganización de CCSD. Tomamos una perspectiva crítica sobre el multiple streams framework de Kingdon para analizar los esfuerzos de reorganización, centrándonos específicamente en como el contexto político de Nevada creo oportunidades para que se produzca la reorganización. También examinamos el punto en cual la oportunidad educativa equitativa fue un factor en estos esfuerzos. Nuestro análisis de la reorganización de CCSD contribuye a una comprensión más amplia del desarrollo de la política y las pólizas a nivel estatal dentro de contextos educativos contemporáneos. En este caso, encontramos que los legisladores a nivel estatal exitosamente aprovecharon la oportunidad de representar el poder y la autoridad necesaria para tener un impacto significativo y rápido en la estructura de uno de los distritos escolares más grandes de los Estados Unidos.Os formuladores de políticas e os líderes educacionais continuam a usar a descentralização do distrito escolar como um esforço de reforma que tenta mudar o poder e a autoridade da administração do escritório central para a liderança do nível escolar. Em 2015, o Legislativo de Nevada aprovou uma lei para reestruturar o Distrito Escolar do Condado de Clark (CCSD), o maior distrito escolar do estado, com a intenção de dividi-lo em distritos menores, mas desenvolvido para a descentralização. Neste artigo, utilizamos métodos de estudo de caso para explorar os eventos que causaram a reorganização do CCSD. Nós tomamos uma perspectiva crítica sobre o quadro de múltiplos fluxos de Kingdon para analisar os esforços de reorganização, enfocando especificamente sobre como o contexto político em Nevada cria oportunidades de reorganização. Nós também examinamos o ponto em que a igualdade de oportunidades educacionais foi um fator nesses esforços. Nossa análise da reorganização do CCSD contribui para uma compreensão mais ampla do desenvolvimento de políticas e políticas a nível estadual no contexto educacional contemporâneo. Nesse caso, descobrimos que os legisladores estaduais conquistaram com sucesso a oportunidade de representar o poder e a autoridade necessários para ter um impacto significativo e rápido na estrutura de um dos maiores distritos escolares nos Estados Unidos

NEPC Review: The Third Way: A Guide to Implementing Innovation Schools (Progressive Policy Institute, October 2020)

A report from The Progressive Policy Institute is a &ldquo;how-to&rdquo; guide for entities seeking to develop innovation schools in urban communities. The guide highlights case examples of states and localities that have &ldquo;successfully&rdquo; implemented innovation schools, with a focus on test score data and student demographics. It argues that equitable educational opportunity is achievable when schools have complete autonomy and strong accountability to increase academic performance, adopt diverse learning models, and expand school choice. However, many of this convoluted guide&rsquo;s long list of 53 detailed recommendations are improbable and overlook potential disadvantages of innovation schools. These recommendations are highly complicated, largely unexamined, and likely infeasible, especially if a district&rsquo;s goal is to serve all students and their families equitably.</p

Nevada English Language Learner\u27s Summary

The purpose of this report is to provide the public with an easy‐to‐understand review of the status of education for Nevada’s English Language Learner (ELL) population with a focus on Clark County. Nevada is ranked first in the U.S. for having the highest growth rate of Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals and fifth in the nation for having the largest share of LEP residents, only behind California, Texas, New York, and New Jersey (Migration Policy Institute, 2011). In the case of public education, student enrollment patterns over the last two decades reflect dramatic increases in ELL students in Nevada and especially Clark County

Trigger finger: etiology, evaluation, and treatment

Trigger finger is a common finger aliment, thought to be caused by inflammation and subsequent narrowing of the A1 pulley, which causes pain, clicking, catching, and loss of motion of the affected finger. Although it can occur in anyone, it is seen more frequently in the diabetic population and in women, typically in the fifth to sixth decade of life. The diagnosis is usually fairly straightforward, as most patients complain of clicking or locking of the finger, but other pathological processes such as fracture, tumor, or other traumatic soft tissue injuries must be excluded. Treatment modalities, including splinting, corticosteroid injection, or surgical release, are very effective and are tailored to the severity and duration of symptoms

Colorectal cancer incidences in Lynch syndrome: a comparison of results from the prospective lynch syndrome database and the international mismatch repair consortium

Objective To compare colorectal cancer (CRC) incidences in carriers of pathogenic variants of the MMR genes in the PLSD and IMRC cohorts, of which only the former included mandatory colonoscopy surveillance for all participants. Methods CRC incidences were calculated in an intervention group comprising a cohort of confirmed carriers of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in mismatch repair genes (path_MMR) followed prospectively by the Prospective Lynch Syndrome Database (PLSD). All had colonoscopy surveillance, with polypectomy when polyps were identified. Comparison was made with a retrospective cohort reported by the International Mismatch Repair Consortium (IMRC). This comprised confirmed and inferred path_MMR carriers who were first- or second-degree relatives of Lynch syndrome probands. Results In the PLSD, 8,153 subjects had follow-up colonoscopy surveillance for a total of 67,604 years and 578 carriers had CRC diagnosed. Average cumulative incidences of CRC in path_MLH1 carriers at 70 years of age were 52% in males and 41% in females; for path_MSH2 50% and 39%; for path_MSH6 13% and 17% and for path_PMS2 11% and 8%. In contrast, in the IMRC cohort, corresponding cumulative incidences were 40% and 27%; 34% and 23%; 16% and 8% and 7% and 6%. Comparing just the European carriers in the two series gave similar findings. Numbers in the PLSD series did not allow comparisons of carriers from other continents separately. Cumulative incidences at 25 years were < 1% in all retrospective groups. Conclusions Prospectively observed CRC incidences (PLSD) in path_MLH1 and path_MSH2 carriers undergoing colonoscopy surveillance and polypectomy were higher than in the retrospective (IMRC) series, and were not reduced in path_MSH6 carriers. These findings were the opposite to those expected. CRC point incidence before 50 years of age was reduced in path_PMS2 carriers subjected to colonoscopy, but not significantly so