Fifth Year Persisters: High School, College, and Early Career Outcomes For Persisting Non-Graduates

There is limited extant knowledge regarding academic and workforce experiences of students who remain engaged in high school, but do not graduate in the traditional four years. The current study used Multilevel modeling and descriptive statistics with statewide linked longitudinal administrative data (N = 2917) to (1) examine the student- and school-level factors related to earning a diploma during the fifth year of high school and (2) describe proximate academic and career outcomes for non-graduates and fifth year graduates. Multiple student-level factors were associated with increased likelihood of earning a diploma in the fifth year (e.g. special education eligibility, passing exit exams, higher attendance). Returning dropouts were less likely than persisters to earn a diploma in year five. In addition, the type and composition of the school a student attended affected the likelihood that a student would earn a diploma in year five. We also report population-level rates of participation in the workforce and postsecondary enrollment for fifth-year graduates and non-graduates. Fifth-year graduates outperformed non-graduates in both categories. Our findings provide insight into near term outcomes for students in a fifth-year of high school and suggest key factors that can be used for early identification and targeting services towards this under-researched and under-served population

When Families, Organizational Culture, and Policy Collide: A Mixed Method Study of Alternative Response

Objective Alternative response (AR) is a family-centered, preventative approach for child protection systems. This study first examined what family and case factors predicted re-investigation and then explored which organizational factors influence caseworker and agency implementation of AR. Method Using administrative data from child protection reports, AR families (N = 9,959) and traditional response (TR) families (N = 13,974) were followed for 18 months to determine re-investigation rates using multilevel modeling where families were nested in county of residence. Four focus groups with 14 participants were conducted to discuss the quantitative findings, organizational culture, and implementation of AR. Results AR families had lower odds of re-investigation; males and younger children also had lower odds. Families with multiple children, prior investigations, receipt of Medicaid, and medium/high risk had higher odds of re-investigation. AR caseworkers provided insights regarding the intersection of family factors, organizational culture and support, and agency implementation of AR. Although participants supported AR, their ability to implement it was influenced by agency support and availability of resources to carry out the basic requirements of the policy. A clear distinction in responses emerged between those who held dual cases versus those holding only AR cases. Conclusion Although AR reduces the odds of re-investigation for low-risk families and was endorsed by caseworkers, AR policy in practice is complex and requires further evaluation, particularly from the perspective of AR caseworkers who faced implementation hurdles

Social Determinants of Health and Parenting Self-Efficacy Among Mothers of Preterm Infants

Objective: To explore the relationships between social and environmental factors and parenting self-efficacy (PSE) among mothers of preterm infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) using a social determinants of health (SDoH) framework. Method: We analyzed data from a prospective cohort study that included 187 mother-infant dyads admitted to four NICUs in the Mountain West region between June 2017 and December 2019. We used multivariable linear regression models to assess the independent associations between maternal and infant characteristics and PSE. Results: Our final multiple linear regression model predicting the efficacy score including maternal race/ethnicity, age, insurance, employment status before giving birth, gestational age, depression, and having other children was significant (F(12,160) = 3.17, p = .0004, adjusted R¬2 = .131). Significant predictors of PSE were race/ethnicity (β= 3.3, p = .022), having another child/children (β= 4.2, p = .005), and depression (β= -4.2, p = .004). Conclusions: Findings suggest that social workers and medical practitioners should consider SDoH, such as insurance type, household income, and employment, along with traditional clinical indicators when assessing families’ infant care needs. Social workers, medical practitioners, and researchers should be mindful of how implicit bias may influence the allocation of care and parental supports

Novel Echocardiographic Biomarkers in the Management of Atrial Fibrillation

Purpose of Review: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in adults. The number of patients with AF is anticipated to increase annually, mainly due to the aging population alongside improved arrhythmia detection. AF is associated with a significantly elevated risk of hospitalization, stroke, thromboembolism, heart failure, and all-cause mortality. Echocardiography is one of the key components of routine assessment and management of AF. Therefore, the aim of this review is to briefly summarize current knowledge on “novel” echocardiographic parameters that may be of value in the management of AF patients. Recent Findings: Novel echocardiographic biomarkers and their clinical application related to the management of AF have been taken into consideration. Both standard parameters such as atrial size and volume but also novels like atrial strain and tissue Doppler techniques have been analyzed. Summary: A number of novel echocardiographic parameters have been proven to enable early detection of left atrial dysfunction along with increased diagnosis accuracy. This concerns particularly experienced echocardiographers. Hence, these techniques might improve the prediction of stroke and thromboembolic events among AF patients and need to be further developed and disseminated. Nonetheless, even the standard imaging parameters could be of significant value and should not be discontinued in everyday clinical practice. © 2019, The Author(s)

High School Completion in Context: Student- and School-level Factors Related to On-Time Graduation

Background/Context: There is an expansive body of research concerning high school graduation; however, most studies omit students who persist through four years of high school without earning a diploma. In addition, there is scant research exploring longer-term outcomes among students whose academic trajectories do not fit within the traditional four-year model of high school graduation, including eventual graduation, post-secondary enrollment, or engagement in the workforce. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: The current study addresses the substantive gaps in research regarding high school non-completion by examining the college and workforce outcomes of persisters—defined here as students who do not formally withdraw from high school, nor earn a regular diploma, four years after entering high school as a first-time ninth grader. Research Design: The present study accessed five years of linked, longitudinal, student level administrative data from the Maryland Longitudinal Data System. Multilevel models assessed the relationship between student- and school-level factors with the odds of students earning a high school diploma four years after beginning their first-freshmen year. Independent variables included student-level demographic and academic indicators and school-level concentrations of student characteristics. Conclusions/Recommendations: This study offers a first look into the academic and employment trajectories of an understudied and high-risk group of young adults. The multilevel examination of student- and school-level factors indicated that on-time graduation for 4-year persisters should be understood as a function of students within their academic HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION IN CONTEXT iii environment. Overall, persisters had less favorable college and workforce outcomes when compared to students who earned a high school diploma, suggesting the need for interventions that promote college and workforce readiness across the population of persisters. The findings presented herein suggest that the phenomenon of persisting should be considered, along with dropout, as a critical element of a more informed analysis of high school graduation. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed

Upstream Predictors of the Need for Developmental Education among First-year Community College Students

Objective/Research Question. How do student- and school-level factors measured in the final year of high school contribute to the odds of a student being assessed to need remediation in Math during the students’ first community college enrollment? Methods. The present study draws on five years of linked secondary and post-secondary administrative records and includes the academic records for 18,814 students attending 228 high schools across 24 jurisdictions in Maryland. We used a series of multilevel models (MLM) to address the research question. Results. Using MLM, we identified both student and school-level factors, drawn from the final year of high school, which relate to the odds of needing math remediation in their first year of community college. Of note, student-level academic performance in high school had a larger influence on the odds that a student would need remedial education than socio-demographic factors. In addition, receiving English language learner services and graduating from high school in the fifth-year functioned as protective factors linked to a reduced likelihood of needing math remediation. Conclusions/Contributions. Community colleges are functionally dependent upon secondary schools to prepare the student body for college level coursework. As such, preventing the need for remediation among community college students will not be resolved within institutional siloes and will most probably require some degree of inter-system collaboration. The findings from the current study presents opportunities for early identification and suggest possible targets for intervention intended to reduce the likelihood that high-risk students will need remedial coursework when they arrive at community college

Predictors of Positive Parenting: Mexican and Puerto Rican Mothers Vulnerable to Child Welfare Involvement

For young children, positive parenting is predictive of their prosocial development and positive emotional well-being. Understanding the factors that promote or undermine positive parenting is of particular importance for families at risk of child welfare involvement. For Latinx families, conceptualizations of risk are better viewed through a cultural lens. This paper explores predictors of positive parenting among Latinx families (Mexican and Puerto Rican) who are vulnerable to child welfare involvement. Weighted data were drawn from Wave 1 of the National Survey on Child and Adolescent Well-being II—Restricted Release (NSCAW-II), a national sample that approximated a probability sample of child welfare involved families. After controlling for all other variables in the model, being married and using only non-violent parenting were related to higher positive parenting scores. Experiencing IPV within the last 12 months was related to significantly lower positive parenting scores. Results from the study highlight the need for a trauma-informed approach to culturally specific services for Latinx families who are vulnerable to the child welfare system. The connection between IPV experiences and the context of positive parenting is discussed

Evidence for Group-Based Foster Parent Training Programs in Reducing Externalizing Child Behaviors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The current study undertook a narrative and meta-analytic review of the literature to examine the effectiveness of group-based in-service foster parent training programs in reducing externalizing child behaviors. All studies reported a significant decrease in at least one measure of child behavior problems for treatment-group participants. The programs appear to be effective across ethnically and nationally diverse samples and produce similar results for older and younger children, as well as boys and girls. Overall the evidence suggests that group-based foster parent programs are an effective method for reducing problem behaviors among children in out of home care

Family Outcomes in Alternative Response: A Multilevel Analysis of Recurrence.

Alternative response (AR) is preventative, family-centered, strengths-based approach within child protective services (CPS). When AR is offered it typically creates a two-track system where low- to moderate-risk families are not subjected to a traditional, fact-finding response that concludes with a determination of child abuse/neglect. One area that continues to concern child welfare administrators and researchers is recurrence, or when a family returns to CPS. Yet, it is unclear whether AR families have the same or different predictors of recurrence than TR families. Using a multilevel analytic approach, the present study followed 17,741 families in one mid-Atlantic state for 18-months post-response to determine what child, family, and county-level predicted a reported re-investigation and a substantiated re-investigation. We found few differences in predictors at the child and family level but found distinct differences at the county level for AR families. Recommendations are provided for policy, practice, and research, including a suggestion for further inquiry on what makes an optimal AR track

Expanding the Understanding of High School Non-Graduates Through a Comparison of High School Dropouts and Persisters

Although persisters now represent the largest group of non-graduating high school students, they have received little attention in the research literature, leaving unanswered the question of how persisters differ from dropouts in terms of demographic characteristics, academic preparation, and key life outcomes. Using statewide linked-administrative education and labor market data, we applied multilevel modeling to examine the differences in demographic and academic characteristics between persisters and late (Year 4) dropouts. We identified several student- (i.e., race, special education participation, previous dropout, standardized test scores, on-track status, and attendance) and school- (i.e., school type, school size) level characteristics that related to the odds of persisting and dropping out in students’ fourth year of high school. Additionally, we used a descriptive approach and data visualization to illustrate the near-term academic, postsecondary enrollment, and labor market pathways of 4-year non-graduates. Our findings highlight the unique characteristics and outcomes of persisting non-graduates and underscore an enhanced understanding of non-graduation through examining both persisting students and dropouts