P.R.I.D.E.: Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education

Racism negatively affects children of color in the United States, particularly Black children. Theirs is a history of marginalization since the slavery era, and the impacts are cognitive, social, and psychological. Additionally, Black children face unique challenges upon entering formal education, resulting in disturbing academic outcomes. Yet, adults can facilitate Black children’s development of positive racial identity to help them handle the negative implications of experiencing racism across their lifespan. A description of the research related to positive racial identity is provided along with presentation of the P.R.I.D.E. program, a Pittsburgh-based effort that is designed to help adults build the knowledge and skills needed to support Black children with this aspect of healthy development, thereby interrupting the cycle of racial oppression. A developmental framework for exploring race and child development is introduced. Strategies for teacher growth and classroom application are described along with suggestions for future direction

Growing Up with Assets and Risks: The Importance of Self-Regulation for Academic Achievement

This study examined children’s self-regulation, demographic risks [English Language Learner (ELL) status, being from a low-income family], and academic achievement longitudinally across four time points (fall and spring of the prekindergarten and kindergarten years). Findings suggested that assets such as high self-regulation in the fall of prekindergarten were significantly related to children’s academic achievement in prekindergarten and during the transition to kindergarten. The effect of self-regulation on achievement did not vary as a function of risk. Higher self-regulation significantly predicted higher academic skills regardless of risks. Discussion highlights the importance of assets, such as strong self-regulation, for early academic achievement

Pedometers and Aerobic Capacity: Evaluating an Elementary After-School Running Program

Childhood obesity affects 1 of every 6 youth in the United States. One contributing factor to this statistic is a lack of physical activity (PA). Demands related to accountability which are placed on educators to demonstrate academic achievement often result in resistance to allocating time during the school day for PA. One possible solution is to consider utilizing time after school to integrate PA programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a 12-week after-school pedometer-focused PA program on aerobic capacity and to examine the relationship between step count and aerobic capacity in elementary school aged children. A group of elementary students (n=24; 9.5±0.9 years) participated in a 12-week pedometer-focused PA program that included pretraining and posttraining fitness testing via the 20-meter version of the PACER test. Paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences between the pretest (M=21.0 laps, SD=9.9) and posttest (M=25.2 laps, SD=12.2) scores (t=4.04, P≤0.001). A Pearson correlation revealed no significant relationship between individual step count and the difference between PACER pre- and posttest (r=0.318, P=0.130). The program improved aerobic capacity, but an increase in pedometer-calculated step count was not a predictor

Behavioral Self-Regulation and Relations to Emergent Academic Skills among Children in Germany and Iceland

The present study investigated a direct assessment of behavioral self-regulation (the Head-Toes-Knees- Shoulders; HTKS) and its contribution to early academic achievement among young children in Germany and Iceland. The authors examined the psychometric properties and construct validity of the HTKS, investigated gender differences in young children’s behavioral self-regulation, and explored relations between the HTKS and a teacher report of behavioral self-regulation (the Child Behavior Rating Scale; CBRS) and emerging academic skills. Findings supported the construct validity of the HTKS when used with young German and Icelandic children. Multilevel analyses revealed gender differences, particularly on the CBRS teacher-rated measure. Finally, higher levels of behavioral self-regulation were related to higher academic skills after important background variables were controlled, although some cross-cultural differences in the predictive utility of the HTKS and CBRS were observed. Overall, these results extend prior psychometric work on the HTKS to samples of young European children and support the importance of understanding of the role behavioral self-regulation in young children’s development.Keywords: Academic achievement, Europe, School readiness, Behavioral self-regulation, Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders Task (HTKS), Early childhoo

Gender differences in behavioral regulation in four societies: The United States, Taiwan, South Korea, and China

The current study investigates gender differences in behavioral regulation in four societies: the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, and China. Directly assessed individual behavioral regulation (Head–Toes–Knees–Shoulders, HTKS), teacher-rated classroom behavioral regulation (Child Behavior Rating Scale, CBRS) and a battery of school readiness assessments (mathematics, vocabulary, and early literacy) were used with 814 young children (ages 3–6 years). Results showed that girls in the United States had significantly higher individual behavioral regulation than boys, but there were no significant gender differences in any Asian societies. In contrast, teachers in Taiwan, South Korea, as well as the United States rated girls as significantly higher than boys on classroom behavioral regulation. In addition, for both genders, individual and classroom behavioral regulation were related to many aspects of school readiness in all societies for girls and boys. Universal and culturally specific findings and their implications are discussed

'Never heard of it' - Understanding the public's lack of awareness of a new electronic patient record

BACKGROUND: The introduction of electronic patient records that are accessible by multiple providers raises security issues and requires informed consent - or at the very least, an opportunity to opt out. Introduction of the Summary Care Record (SCR) (a centrally stored electronic summary of a patient's medical record) in pilot sites in the UK was associated with low awareness, despite an intensive public information programme that included letters, posters, leaflets, and road shows. AIM: To understand why the public information programme had limited impact and to learn lessons for future programmes. METHODS: Linguistic and communications analysis of components of the programme, contextualized within a wider mixed-method case study of the introduction of the SCR in pilot sites. Theoretical insights from linguistics and communication studies were applied. RESULTS: The context of the SCR pilots and the linked information programme created inherent challenges which were partially but not fully overcome by the efforts of campaigners. Much effort was put into designing the content of a mail merge letter, but less attention was given to its novelty, linguistic style, and rhetorical appeal. Many recipients viewed this letter as junk mail or propaganda and discarded it unread. Other components of the information programme were characterized by low visibility, partly because only restricted areas were participating in the pilot. Relatively little use was made of interpersonal communication channels. CONCLUSION: Despite ethical and legal imperatives, informed consent for the introduction of shared electronic records may be difficult to achieve through public information campaigns. Success may be more likely if established principles of effective mass and interpersonal communication are applied

Building Coalitions the 3Rs Way: Centering Reading, Racial Equity, & Relationships

This workshop will walk participants through the main challenges, solutions, and problem-solving processes that have helped the 3Rs team build coalitions across literacy organizations, schools, educational leaders, families, and researchers. These checks and balances allow us to center community voice and make space to hold each other accountable

Investigating the Relationship Between Public Libraries and Community Indicators in Pennsylvania

Public libraries in the U.S. provide communities access to myriad resources and are generally favored by users (Horrigan, 2016). Yet research on public library access and individual and community outcomes is sorely lacking (Gilpin et al, 2021). Although the goal is to produce causal evidence of the impact of public libraries on library users specifically and communities with libraries broadly, first required is a general assessment of where public libraries are located and characteristics of the communities they serve. The present study explores this question of association between public library access and community characteristics and indicators. This study focuses on public libraries in the state of Pennsylvania. The primary research questions addressed in this study are: 1. How are libraries in Pennsylvania distributed in relation to community characteristics (e.g., population density, race, income)? 2. How do areas with libraries differ from areas without libraries in terms of educational attainment, poverty rates, and vacancies? 3. How is library expenditure per person related to community characteristics and indicators? An additional research question relevant to the Covid-19 pandemic was: 4. How are libraries situated in relation to residents’ access to broadband internet? To answer these questions, library locations and expenditures were examined in relation to community characteristics and indicators measured at the Census tract level. Data analysis consisted of two aspects: a geospatial aspect and a descriptive and inferential statistics aspect. The geospatial aspect produced a series of maps displaying library locations and expenditures in relation to community characteristics and indicators (i.e., population density, race, income, educational attainment, poverty rates, vacancies, and broadband access). The geospatial maps provide a rich picture of the landscape of library locations and expenditure in relation to community indicators and can be used to inform library, school, and university practices and policies at the local and state level. Inferential statistics compared community indicators for tracts with and without libraries. Significant differences were found for household income, poverty rates, vacancies, and broadband access. Additionally, library expenditure per person was significantly associated with population density, household income, educational attainment, poverty rates, and broadband access. The correlational findings are offered with caution, however, as library branches were excluded from analysis due to missing data. Implications and recommendations for future studies are discussed

Racial Disproportionality in the School-to-Prison Pipeline

For Black children, experiences with school discipline are often not an opportunity to learn, they are a pathway into the criminal justice system. At every step along the way, this pathway is faster and even more consequential for Black students than for their White peers. Implicit and explicit biases result in Black children’s behavior being managed more harshly, perceived as more dangerous, and more often deemed sufficient to justify expulsion in comparison to their White peers. There are formal and informal pathways for removal, starting in preschool, and the consequences for Black children in particular are stark. Policies often allow racial disproportionality in the school-to-prison pipeline to be ignored, or even facilitated. This chapter reviews the factors driving disproportionality in the pipeline and the current policy landscape. It also identifies ways in which schools, districts, and preservice teacher preparation programs can disrupt and dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.</p