CHILDREN IN NEED OF PROTECTION: REPORTING POLICIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA SCHOOL BOARDS

High profile sexual assault cases by British Columbia elementary school teachers in 2010 revealed BC school boards had “disturbingly inconsistent” child protection policies. As a result of the intense media scrutiny, the BC Ministry of Education required all school boards to reassess and update their policies on reporting suspected child abuse. This article presents an analysis of (N = 50) current school board child protection policies and procedures in British Columbia and an exploration of what training, resources, and support school boards state they provide to help teachers recognize and report cases where a child needs protection. The review revealed that most boards had documentation. However, the amount of information provided by each board varied greatly. An analysis of the documents revealed some school board procedures need to be updated to reflect current legislation and expectations regarding child welfare. Policy recommendations are proposed based on the results of the study.

CHILDREN IN NEED OF PROTECTION: REPORTING POLICIES IN ONTARIO SCHOOL BOARDS

A clear, well defined policy can help empower school personnel to make informed decisions on how to handle cases of suspected child abuse. This article presents an analysis of (N = 64) school board child abuse reporting policies and procedures in Ontario and explored what training, resources, and support school boards state they will provide to help teachers recognize and report cases where a child may be in need of protection. The results showed that, while most boards had documentation, the amount of information provided by each school board varied greatly, with documents ranging from 1 page to 155 pages long. An analysis of the documents revealed a lack of clear expectations around training and support to assist teachers in reporting child abuse. Policy recommendations are proposed based on the results of the online search.

Intermediadores de conhecimento em educação: Como as organizações intermediárias estão fazendo a ponte entre pesquisa, política e prática internacionalmente?

Interest in how to better connect research to policy and practice is gaining momentum globally. Also gaining widespread agreement is the view that intermediary organizations have an important role to play in facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships between researchers, practitioners and policymakers in order to increase the mobilization of research and its impact in public service sectors. Knowledge mobilization (KMb) includes efforts to strengthen linkages between research, practice and policy in public service sectors. This special issue explores a range of intermediary organizations, networks and initiatives in order to showcase how research-practice-policy gaps are being addressed in different contexts.  El interés por mejorar las conexiones entre la investigación y los ámbitos de la política y la práctica está ganando impulso en todo el mundo. También esta generalizándose la opinión de que las organizaciones intermedias tienen un papel importante en la facilitación de asociaciones entre investigadores, profesionales y responsables políticos con el fin de aumentar la movilización de la investigación y su impacto en sectores de servicios públicos. La movilización del conocimiento (KMB) incluye esfuerzos para fortalecer los vínculos entre la investigación, la práctica y la política en los sectores de servicios públicos. Este número especial explora una gama de organizaciones intermedias, redes e iniciativas con el fin de mostrar cómo se están abordando áreas problemáticas  en las relaciones entre la investigación-práctica-política en diferentes contextos.O interesse em melhorar as ligações entre a investigação e as áreas da política e prática está ganhando força em todo o mundo. Também esta generalizando a opinião de que as organizações intermediárias têm um papel importante na facilitação de parcerias entre pesquisadores, profissionais e políticos, a fim de aumentar a mobilização dos conhecimentos de investigação e seu impacto nos sectores dos serviços públicos. Mobilização do Conhecimento (KMB) inclui esforços para reforçar as ligações entre a investigação, a prática e política nas áreas de serviços públicos. Este dossiê explora uma série de organizações intermediárias, redes e iniciativas a fim de mostrar como elas estão lidando com problemas das relações entre contextos de pesquisa-prática-política em diferentes áreas

Exploring Equity in Ontario:: A Provincial Scan of Equity Policies Across School Boards

Canada—and Ontario, in particular—is proud to be characterized as one of the most equitable education systems in the world. However, diversity poses unique challenges for Canadian education systems. This study presents findings from an environmental scan of equity policies across the 72 school boards in Ontario, which yielded 785 equity policies for analysis. Data extraction focused on five dimensions of knowledge mobilization:structures, brokering, co-production, dissemination, and exchange. Findings show that many topics remain under-represented in school board policy coverage, including religious accommodation, antiracism and ethno-cultural discrimination, anti-discrimination procedures for LGBTQ2+ students, gender identity, and socio-economic status.Le Canada—et particulièrement l’Ontario—est fier d’être décrit comme l’un des systèmesd’éducation les plus équitables du monde. Néanmoins, la diversité présente des défisparticuliers pour les systèmes d’éducation canadiens. Cette étude présente des constatsdécoulant d’une analyse des politiques en matière d’équité de 72 conseils scolairesd’Ontario, ce qui a mené à l’examen de 785 politiques concernant l’équité. Pour l’extraction des données, nous nous sommes concentrés sur cinq dimensions de la mobilisation du savoir : les structures, la transmission, la coproduction, la dissémination, et l’échange. Les observations démontrent que de nombreux sujets demeurent sous-représentés dans ce qui est couvert par les politiques des conseils scolaires, notamment en ce qui concerne les accommodations religieuses, l’antiracisme et la discrimination ethnoculturelle, les procédures antidiscriminatoires pour les étudiants GLBTTQ2, l’identité de genre et le statut socioéconomique

Exploring Equity in Ontario:: A Provincial Scan of Equity Policies Across School Boards

Canada—and Ontario, in particular—is proud to be characterized as one of the most equitable education systems in the world. However, diversity poses unique challenges for Canadian education systems. This study presents findings from an environmental scan of equity policies across the 72 school boards in Ontario, which yielded 785 equity policies for analysis. Data extraction focused on five dimensions of knowledge mobilization:structures, brokering, co-production, dissemination, and exchange. Findings show that many topics remain under-represented in school board policy coverage, including religious accommodation, antiracism and ethno-cultural discrimination, anti-discrimination procedures for LGBTQ2+ students, gender identity, and socio-economic status.Le Canada—et particulièrement l’Ontario—est fier d’être décrit comme l’un des systèmesd’éducation les plus équitables du monde. Néanmoins, la diversité présente des défisparticuliers pour les systèmes d’éducation canadiens. Cette étude présente des constatsdécoulant d’une analyse des politiques en matière d’équité de 72 conseils scolairesd’Ontario, ce qui a mené à l’examen de 785 politiques concernant l’équité. Pour l’extraction des données, nous nous sommes concentrés sur cinq dimensions de la mobilisation du savoir : les structures, la transmission, la coproduction, la dissémination, et l’échange. Les observations démontrent que de nombreux sujets demeurent sous-représentés dans ce qui est couvert par les politiques des conseils scolaires, notamment en ce qui concerne les accommodations religieuses, l’antiracisme et la discrimination ethnoculturelle, les procédures antidiscriminatoires pour les étudiants GLBTTQ2, l’identité de genre et le statut socioéconomique

A developmental evaluation of research-practice-partnerships and their impacts

Globally, K-12 education systems are grappling with how best to integrate research and evidence into policy and practice.  Research-practice-partnerships (RPPs) have arisen as a potentially powerful mechanism for school improvement. This study investigates the ways four research-practice-policy-partnerships are addressing impact by (a) reporting on metrics being used to assess brokering and partnerships, and (b) exploring the ways that network leads and policymakers conceptualize partnerships and impact on the frontlines.   Our findings suggest that while metrics being used provide a necessary baseline for number and types of partnerships, more robust methods are needed capture the quality of interactions and to strategically inform network development.  Network leads conceptualize impact in relation to collaborative processes (shared goals; new and diverse partnerships; improved student achievement; system alignment); systems and structures (joint-work; funding and sustainability; demand from practitioners; equity); continuous learning (capacity-building; reach; adaptability; storytelling).  Our discussion provides ideas about network improvement that include sharing cases of failures (alongside exemplary cases) to maximize learning, and advocates for the use of developmental evaluation to explore the impacts of RPPs

Evaluations of training programs to improve capacity in K*: a systematic scoping review of methods applied and outcomes assessed

Abstract This paper examines how frequently K* training programs have been evaluated, synthesizes information on the methods and outcome indicators used, and identifies potential future approaches for evaluation. We conducted a systematic scoping review of publications evaluating K* training programs, including formal and informal training programs targeted toward knowledge brokers, researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community members. Using broad inclusion criteria, eight electronic databases and Google Scholar were systematically searched using Boolean queries. After independent screening, scientometric and content analysis was conducted to map the literature and provide in-depth insights related to the methodological characteristics, outcomes assessed, and future evaluation approaches proposed by the authors of the included studies. The Kirkpatrick four-level training evaluation model was used to categorize training outcomes. Of the 824 unique resources identified, 47 were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. The number of published articles increased after 2014, with most conducted in the United States and Canada. Many training evaluations were designed to capture process and outcome variables. We found that surveys and interviews of trainees were the most used data collection techniques. Downstream organizational impacts that occurred because of the training were evaluated less frequently. Authors of the included studies cited limitations such as the use of simple evaluative designs, small cohorts/sample sizes, lack of long-term follow-up, and an absence of curriculum evaluation activities. This study found that many evaluations of K* training programs were weak, even though the number of training programs (and the evaluations thereof) have increased steadily since 2014. We found a limited number of studies on K* training outside of the field of health and few studies that assessed the long-term impacts of training. More evidence from well-designed K* training evaluations are needed and we encourage future evaluators and program staff to carefully consider their evaluation design and outcomes to pursue