Giving English Language Learners the Time They Need to Succeed: Profiles of Three Expanded Learning Time Schools

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of public school students who are Englishlanguage learners (ELLs) was, at last count, 13 percent in primary schools, 7 percent in middle schools, and 5 percent in high schools. And this ELL population will likely double in the coming years. In fact, some demographers predict that by 2030 the ratio of ELL students to non-ELL students could be one in four. Meanwhile, the nation's poorest schools—those serving a population at least 75 percent lowincome students—along with the whole state of California already serve that high a proportion of ELLs.In the pages that follow, we endeavor to describe how these expanded learning opportunities take shape in three  schools that have significantly expanded learning time for all students. Though the schools have each adopted their own specific means of supporting ELL students, they share many ommon practices, and, not incidentally, an overall approach of carefully identifying individual student needs and, then, applying the educational resources necessary to meet those needs. We have selected these schools from among the over 60 schools in the NCTL network—a group of schools forwhich we have, in recent years, provided technical assistance coaching to plan and implement an expanded school day.

Creating Learning Environments in the Early Grades that Support Teacher and Student Success: Profiles of Effective Practices in Three Expanded Learning Time Schools

The purpose of this report is to describe how schools that have converted to longer operational days—known as"expanded-time" schools—better support the development of young children. The National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL) has chosen to document the work of these three particular schools from among its network of over 60  expanded-time schools because, over the last few years, they have demonstrated in concrete, ever-evolvingways, how time can be leveraged to optimal effect in educating young students. Though the practices they have honed are not unique, these schools show a distinctive capacity both to be creative about how best to serve their youngest students and to put in place the structures that allow these innovative approaches to flourish. Still, the educatorsin these schools are quick to admit that their classrooms and other supports for students in the early grades are works in progress. As such, the insights we draw from them are intended as guideposts along a path toward excellent education in the early grades, rather than definitive portraits of the destination.

Effect of Deutetrabenazine on Chorea Among Patients With Huntington Disease A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance Deutetrabenazine is a novel molecule containing deuterium, which attenuates CYP2D6 metabolism and increases active metabolite half-lives and may therefore lead to stable systemic exposure while preserving key pharmacological activity. Objective To evaluate efficacy and safety of deutetrabenazine treatment to control chorea associated with Huntington disease. Design, Setting, and Participants Ninety ambulatory adults diagnosed with manifest Huntington disease and a baseline total maximal chorea score of 8 or higher (range, 0-28; lower score indicates less chorea) were enrolled from August 2013 to August 2014 and randomized to receive deutetrabenazine (n = 45) or placebo (n = 45) in a double-blind fashion at 34 Huntington Study Group sites. Interventions Deutetrabenazine or placebo was titrated to optimal dose level over 8 weeks and maintained for 4 weeks, followed by a 1-week washout. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary end point was the total maximal chorea score change from baseline (the average of values from the screening and day-0 visits) to maintenance therapy (the average of values from the week 9 and 12 visits) obtained by in-person visits. This study was designed to detect a 2.7-unit treatment difference in scores. The secondary end points, assessed hierarchically, were the proportion of patients who achieved treatment success on the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) and on the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC), the change in 36-Item Short Form– physical functioning subscale score (SF-36), and the change in the Berg Balance Test. Results Ninety patients with Huntington disease (mean age, 53.7 years; 40 women [44.4%]) were enrolled. In the deutetrabenazine group, the mean total maximal chorea scores improved from 12.1 (95% CI, 11.2-12.9) to 7.7 (95% CI, 6.5-8.9), whereas in the placebo group, scores improved from 13.2 (95% CI, 12.2-14.3) to 11.3 (95% CI, 10.0-12.5); the mean between-group difference was –2.5 units (95% CI, –3.7 to –1.3) (P < .001). Treatment success, as measured by the PGIC, occurred in 23 patients (51%) in the deutetrabenazine group vs 9 (20%) in the placebo group (P = .002). As measured by the CGIC, treatment success occurred in 19 patients (42%) in the deutetrabenazine group vs 6 (13%) in the placebo group (P = .002). In the deutetrabenazine group, the mean SF-36 physical functioning subscale scores decreased from 47.5 (95% CI, 44.3-50.8) to 47.4 (44.3-50.5), whereas in the placebo group, scores decreased from 43.2 (95% CI, 40.2-46.3) to 39.9 (95% CI, 36.2-43.6), for a treatment benefit of 4.3 (95% CI, 0.4 to 8.3) (P = .03). There was no difference between groups (mean difference of 1.0 unit; 95% CI, –0.3 to 2.3; P = .14), for improvement in the Berg Balance Test, which improved by 2.2 units (95% CI, 1.3-3.1) in the deutetrabenazine group and by 1.3 units (95% CI, 0.4-2.2) in the placebo group. Adverse event rates were similar for deutetrabenazine and placebo, including depression, anxiety, and akathisia. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with chorea associated with Huntington disease, the use of deutetrabenazine compared with placebo resulted in improved motor signs at 12 weeks. Further research is needed to assess the clinical importance of the effect size and to determine longer-term efficacy and safety

Time for Teachers Leveraging Expanded Time To Strengthen Instruction and Empower Teachers

Time for Teachers looks deeply inside 17 schools that stand at the vanguard of the current revolution in teaching. This new National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL) report reveals the substantive ways in which these schools are providing their teachers with more time to reflect on, develop, and hone their craft, by very explicitly leveraging an expanded-time school schedule and calendar. These schools' expanded time—on average, they are in session almost 300 hours more per year than the national norm of 1,170 hours—affords not only more hours and days focused on classroom instruction, but also a full array of professional learning opportunities.The aim of this report is simple: to present these featured expanded-time schools—or, more precisely, the systems andpractices they have implemented—as models that educators at any school can adopt and adapt to achieve similar success with their own students. Through analysis of the six time-use strategies, Time for Teachers offers a road map for other educators who are looking to adjust and improve how they are using both the time they currently have in their school schedules and any time they may plan to add. Individually and collectively, the accounts of these practices offer all educators insights into why this professional learning time is so valuable and also why an expanded-school schedule facilitates the implementation, and helps to elevate the quality, of these opportunitie

Longitudinal Change in Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders Measures Over 3 Years in Patients With Early Parkinson's Disease

BackgroundThe Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro- QoL) is a publicly available health- related quality- of- life measurement system.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of Neuro- QoL item banks as outcome measures for clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease.MethodsAn analysis of Neuro- QoL responsiveness to change and construct validity was performed in a multicenter clinical trial cohort.ResultsAmong 310 participants over 3- years, changes in five of eight Neuro- QoL domains were significant (P <- 0.05) but very modest. The largest effect sizes were seen in the cognition and mobility domains (0.35- 0.39). The largest effect size for change over the year in which levodopa was initiated was - 0.19 for lower extremity function- mobility. For a similarly designed clinical trial, estimated sample size required to demonstrate a 50% reduction in worsening ranged from 420 to more than 1000 participants per group.ConclusionsMore sensitive tools will be required to serve as an outcome measure in early Parkinson’s disease. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder SocietyPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169296/1/mds28641.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169296/2/mds28641_am.pd

Longitudinal Change in Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders Measures Over 3- Years in Patients with Early Parkinson’s Disease

BackgroundThe Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro- QoL) is a publicly available health- related quality- of- life measurement system.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of Neuro- QoL item banks as outcome measures for clinical trials in Parkinson’s disease.MethodsAn analysis of Neuro- QoL responsiveness to change and construct validity was performed in a multicenter clinical trial cohort.ResultsAmong 310 participants over 3- years, changes in five of eight Neuro- QoL domains were significant (P <- 0.05) but very modest. The largest effect sizes were seen in the cognition and mobility domains (0.35- 0.39). The largest effect size for change over the year in which levodopa was initiated was - 0.19 for lower extremity function- mobility. For a similarly designed clinical trial, estimated sample size required to demonstrate a 50% reduction in worsening ranged from 420 to more than 1000 participants per group.ConclusionsMore sensitive tools will be required to serve as an outcome measure in early Parkinson’s disease. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder SocietyPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169296/1/mds28641.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169296/2/mds28641_am.pd