you Always Have That One: A Critical Analysis Of The Conceptualizations Of Educators Around Classroom Community And Challenging Behavior

There is an established importance of classroom community, particularly for inclusive education (Kunc, 1992; Osterman, 2000; Sapon-Shevin, 2010). There is also a breadth of research around students who are most vulnerable to exclusion and othering in public schools and in classroom settings. Demographic factors such as race, socioeconomic status, native language, and disability status influence and impact who is seen as exhibiting challenging behavior and how specific behavior is responded to. (Connor et al., 2016; Shapiro, 2014; U.S. Department of Education, 2018) Schools are microcosms of the larger society and during the time in which this research took place, there was more police brutality against Black Americans, the inequities connected to COVID-19 have been highlighted further and brought to the forefront of people’s lived experiences, and the 2020 presidential election has exposed the deep philosophical divide across (primarily White) America, making it even more imperative to look at how classroom community and challenging behavior are taken up by educators. This study is a critical qualitative inquiry aimed at better understanding how educators conceptualize and operationalize classroom community and challenging behavior including responses to said behavior, the connections they see between the two concepts, and how race and disability impact who is seen as being part of the community and as exhibiting challenging behavior.Classroom community and how behaviors perceived as challenging are responded to are both complex phenomena within a much larger institutional and structural context that also impact and interact with one another. As I worked to research the ways in which responses to challenging behavior and classroom community interact with and impact one another in classroom spaces for students, a Constructivist Grounded Theory for critical qualitative research approach was essential. To aid a critical analysis of multiple interviews from 15 current educators, I employed a DisCrit theoretical lens. The purpose of this study was to better understand how practicing educators conceptualize classroom community and challenging behavior, how educators are supported in supporting students, and how diversity is attended to across these conversations. What quickly emerged is that schools are microcosms of our society at large and that conceptualizations of classroom community and challenging behavior were riddled with racism, ableism, and a lack of consideration of identity and diversity. Among these educator’s experiences, there was also a lack of systemic and structural emphasis and support for students with disabilities and students of color. Furthermore, it became clear across participants that work, productivity and contributing were essential to being seen as a member of the community and as being someone who exhibits “appropriate” behavior. Work was used as a gatekeeper of sorts to uphold white hegemonic notions of classroom community and eliminate students from teacher’s responsibility and radars. This study starts a needed conversation around educator’s conceptualizations of students, in particular student behavior and how adult’s responses to challenging behavior are not currently seen as impacting student membership of the classroom community

Detect Misconceptions, Construct Competence-Aligned Pedagogical Practices, and Use Instructional Strategies that Decenter Speech as a Means to Include Autistic Students

In this practice-based article, we use data and research to establish the need to examine inclusive-oriented pedagogical strategies to support autistic individuals. We believe that educators who use critical reflection can detect many of the common misconceptions about autism, learn how to re-frame these understandings, and consider different ways to support these students within inclusive classrooms. This article provides innovative pedagogical approaches for competence-aligned instruction, cultivating a web of communication access, bolstering social interaction, and supporting changes in the environment and with sensory experiences. We also describe ways to de-center speech to create a classroom that values dynamic engagement, divergent ways of thinking, and shifting the hierarchical expectation toward thinking and honoring multiple methods of expression. The purpose of the article is to re-frame common misconceptions and provide pedagogical strategies that center autistic individuals within inclusive classrooms

Impact of Small Group Size on Neighborhood Influences in Multilevel Models

Objective: Although there is a growing body of literature on sample size in multilevel or hierarchical modeling, few studies have examined the impact of group sizeMultilevel, Neighborhood, Body Weight, Obesity, Sample Size

The Unite the Right Rally and Charlottesville City Schools: The Transformation of a Crisis

Educational leaders at all levels must be prepared to address crises and their aftermaths. The conventional wisdom on crises and their management suggests that while crisis can originate from myriad sources, they largely proceed according to predictable stages. Our study draws from traditional and more critical literature on crisis and crisis management to understand the case the 2017 Unite the Right rally and its impact on Charlottesville City Schools. Specifically, we unpack the unfolding nature of the crisis and the district superintendent’s leadership through each phase of the crisis. We use the notion of paracrisis and crisis of challenge to understand how an acute and traumatic experience for the school community evolved into a crisis that challenged the legitimacy of the school district for its history of policy and practices that sustained institutionally racist practices for decades. Our findings illustrate how the process of crisis transformation occurred, and more importantly, how the superintendent’s approach to leadership also changed to meet the new demands of the evolving crisis. These findings raise important questions and implications for how educational leaders might think about the crises they face, and the crisis management plans that guide that work

Impact of Small Group Size on Neighborhood Influences in Multilevel Models

Objective: Although there is a growing body of literature on sample size in multilevel or hierarchical modeling, few studies have examined the impact of group size < 5. Design: We examined the impact of a group size less than five on both a continuous and dichotomous outcome in a simple two-level multilevel model utilizing data from two studies. Setting: Models with balanced and unbalanced data of group sizes 2 to 5 were compared to models with complete data. Impact on both fixed and random components were examined. Results: Random components, particularly group-level variance estimates, were more affected by small group size than were fixed components. Both fixed and random standard error estimates were inflated with small group size. Datasets where there are a large number of groups yet all the groups are of very small size may fail to find or even consider a group-level effect when one may exist and also may be under-powered to detect fixed effects. Conclusions: Researchers working with multilevel study designs should be aware of the potential impact of small group size when a large proportion of groups has very small (< 5) sample sizes

Strengthening Sisters: How Latter-day Saint Missionary Service Prepares Women for Leadership

Women, especially those from highly religious societies, are underrepresented in professional and civic leadership positions. Considering how women\u27s life experiences, especially from religious volunteer opportunities, can be reframed as training for broader leadership roles could help address this disparity. The potential for women to learn leadership skills from volunteer religious service is an overlooked, but possibly important, means of transferability to larger leadership roles. The current article describes a qualitative study of women\u27s perceptions of leadership skills gained while serving as full-time volunteer missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during young adulthood. Respondents described perceptions of leadership skills developed throughout missions as well as perceptions about how they are currently using these skills. Findings suggest many women perceived growth in leadership skills from missionary service, especially in the areas of interpersonal interactions and relationships, although they reported currently utilizing skills more in church and family roles rather than professional or civic ones. The study is discussed in the context of literature related to gender and types of leadership approaches, as well as Relational-Cultural Theory. Implications for facilitating respondents\u27 post-mission skill transfer to future leadership roles are presented. Larger scale applications for women\u27s leadership development are also considered

Leadership Development Perspectives and Recommendations from Sisters who Served Full-Time Missions during Young Adulthood

Utah is below the national average in terms of women holding leadership roles within nearly all settings (e.g., business, education, government, politics, state boards and commissions, and religious). In fact, figures from Wallet Hub rank Utah 50th as the worst state for gender equality. A more detailed picture is provided by the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) that reports, in nearly all sectors, the percentage of women in leadership roles lagging national figures. For example, in business, women comprise 32% of managers in Utah, compared with 40.2% nationally. And in terms of state leadership, women represent only 32.7% of state board and commissions. This is the case most often for two overarching reasons. The first is the organizational and societal cultures in Utah (and in most places in the world) that have gendered systems, processes, and practices. The second reason centers on the fact that many women themselves do not have the confidence, aspirations, ambition, or perceived knowledge, skills, and abilities to lean in to leadership opportunities. Yet, we argue that Utah women are much more prepared than they might think

Inflammation in Viral Vector-Mediated Ocular Gene Therapy: A Review and Report From a Workshop Hosted by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, 9/2020

On September 14?15, 2020, the Foundation Fighting Blindness convened a virtual workshop to discuss intraocular inflammation during viral vector-mediated gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases. The workshop?s goals were to understand immune activation?s nature and significance during ocular gene therapy, consider whether ocular inflammation limits gene therapy?s potential, and identify knowledge gaps for future research. The event brought together a small group of experienced researchers in the field to present and discuss current data. Collectively, participants agreed that clinical, as well as subclinical, inflammation during ocular gene therapy is common. The severity of inflammation in both animal and clinical studies varied widely but is generally related to vector dose. Severe inflammation was associated with reduced gene therapy efficacy. However, the relationship between outcomes and subclinical inflammation, pre-existing antivector antibodies, or induced adaptive immune responses is still unclear. Uncertainties about the contribution of vector manufacturing issues to inflammation were also noted. Importantly, various immunosuppressive treatment protocols are being used, and this heterogeneity confounds conclusions about optimal strategies. Proposed near-term next steps include establishing an immunological consultant directory, establishing a data repository for pertinent animal and clinical data, and developing a larger meeting. Priority areas for future research include deeper understanding of immune activation during retinal diseases and during ocular gene therapy; better, harmonized application of animal models; and identifying best practices for managing gene therapy vector-related ocular inflammation. Translational Relevance: Subclinical or clinical inflammation often arises during ocular gene therapy with viral vectors. Understanding the biological bases and impacts on efficacy are important for clinical management and the improvement of future therapies