Infants of Depressed Mothers Living in Poverty: Opportunities to Identify and Serve

Examines the prevalence of depression among mothers in poverty by race/ethnicity, age, family structure, prenatal care and feeding practices, and factors such as domestic violence. Explores intervention points and policy initiatives for support services

Crossing the Digital Divide and the Equity Expanse : Reaching and Teaching All Students During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the digital divide revealing an expanse of inequity among students who had access to the internet, personal devices, and parental support during remote learning and those who did not. Framed with the theoretical lenses of structural ideology and culturally responsive school leadership, this paper details the results of a survey completed by 56 Minnesota district level technology directors. The survey asked how school districts were responding to the technology needs of students and families while in hybrid and distance learning models. Often those without access to digital tools and information were those who were also experiencing poverty. Recommendations for further research are provided including advocacy for the expansion of broadband access, the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of students, and efforts to sustain access to technology for all learners after the COVID-19 pandemic concludes. Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, equity, technology, distance learning, hybrid learning, students, education, structural ideology, culturally responsive school leadershi

COVID Disruption Requires More Than Providing a Device: How Districts are Engaging Students and Families Online

As school districts pivoted to online delivery in the spring of 2020, the urgent need for each student to have a device in hand and internet connectivity was a remarkable challenge. Immediate action was taken, incredible financial investments were made, and creative problem solving peaked to provide students access to the tools needed for online learning. Despite this laudable feat, districts are entering the third school year disrupted by COVID and confronted with the Delta surge, disheartening student learning loss, and an emerging reality that hybrid and online learning models are not going away. Truancy issues, unresponsive home supports, and parental deficits in technology skills have challenged schools. A repeat of last year is not an acceptable option for our country’s students. With the intent to guide schools toward more effective practices, 55 Technology Directors detailed how their districts engaged students and families online

An Equitable Technology Infrastructure Model: Sustained Technology Practices Implemented During COVID-19 That Address Educational Inequities

2020 Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the digital divide revealing an expanse of inequity among students who had access to the internet, personal devices, and parental support during remote learning and those who did not. Framed with the theoretical lens of equity literacy, this poster details the results of a survey completed by 56 Minnesota district level technology directors. The survey asked how school districts were addressing the technology inequities experienced by students and families while in hybrid and distance learning models. Results reflected that districts’ efforts to provide students technology devices were efficient and successful. Recommendations for further research include advocacy for the expansion of broadband service, the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of students, and efforts to sustain access to technology for all learners after the COVID-19 pandemic concludes.2022 Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a dramatic shift to online learning for K-12 public schools, requiring school districts to address inequities that surfaced in the remote learning model. This poster includes the findings of the second study of a multi-year research project exploring the intersection of technology and educational inequities through the pandemic. As the pandemic waned, practitioners evaluated which practices developed during remote learning should be sustained. Five Minnesota technology directors participated in a focus group to discuss how inequities are being addressed in their schools post-pandemic. Technology directors explained that the pandemic was an opportunity to reimagine schools for the success of all students through an infrastructure that includes actions relative to three domains: effective instruction, school-home partnerships, and law and policy. Further research is recommended, such as broadening the geographical location of participants outside of Minnesota, expanding participants beyond the role of technology director (i.e., students, teachers, parents), and analyzing student enrollment in K-12 online schools through a longitudinal study

3 Education Wins Sustained by District Technology Directors Post-pandemic

Technology directors express optimism about the opportunity to reimagine school as a consequence of the pandemic. They describe three important wins post-pandemic: marked increases in teachers’ technology proficiency and improved digital pedagogy, addressing educational equity barriers through online learning models, and reimagining schools vs. long-held traditional educational models

Crossing the Digital Divide and the Equity Expanse: Reaching and Teaching All Students During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the digital divide revealing an expanse of inequity among students who had access to the internet, personal devices, and parental support during remote learning and those who did not. Framed with the theoretical lens of equity literacy, this paper details the results of a survey completed by 56 Minnesota district level technology directors. The survey asked how school districts were addressing the technology inequities experienced by students and families while in hybrid and distance learning models. Results reflected that districts’ efforts to provide students technology devices were efficient and successful. Of greatest concern for respondents was the lack of students’ attendance and engagement in learning. Recommendations for further research are provided including advocacy for the expansion of broadband service, the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of students, and efforts to sustain access to technology for all learners after the COVID-19 pandemic concludes

Pulsars Cannot Account for the Inner Galaxy's GeV Excess

Using data from the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope, a spatially extended component of gamma rays has been identified from the direction of the Galactic Center, peaking at energies of ~2-3 GeV. More recently, it has been shown that this signal is not confined to the innermost hundreds of parsecs of the Galaxy, but instead extends to at least ~3 kpc from the Galactic Center. While the spectrum, intensity, and angular distribution of this signal is in good agreement with predictions from annihilating dark matter, it has also been suggested that a population of unresolved millisecond pulsars could be responsible for this excess GeV emission from the Inner Galaxy. In this paper, we consider this later possibility in detail. Comparing the observed spectral shape of the Inner Galaxy's GeV excess to the spectrum measured from 37 millisecond pulsars by Fermi, we find that these sources exhibit a spectral shape that is much too soft at sub-GeV energies to accommodate this signal. We also construct population models to describe the spatial distribution and luminosity function of the Milky Way's millisecond pulsars. After taking into account constraints from the observed distribution of Fermi sources (including both sources known to be millisecond pulsars, and unidentified sources which could be pulsars), we find that millisecond pulsars can account for no more than ~10% of the Inner Galaxy's GeV excess. Each of these arguments strongly disfavor millisecond pulsars as the source of this signal.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure

Kids' Share 2008: How Children Fare in the Federal Budget

Provides an annual analysis of trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children's programs -- such as food stamps, tax credits, and Head Start -- and assesses the impact of future budget planning on children

Evaluation of HIV counseling and testing in ANC settings and adherence to short course antiretroviral prophylaxis for PMTCT in Francistown, Botswana

Worldwide, it is estimated that two million children are infected with HIV (USAID 2005). The vast majority of these infections are the result of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the virus during pregnancy, labor, or breastfeeding. However, there are effective methods for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). Botswana is one of the first countries in the developing world with a national PMTCT program that uses an efficacious and complex regimen to reduce vertical transmission. At the time of this evaluation (August - December 2005), the standard of care for prevention of MTCT of HIV in Botswana included three-drug antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected women with a CD4 count of 200 (300 mg AZT in the morning and 300 mg AZT in the evening); four weeks of AZT for their infants; single-dose maternal and infant nevirapine (NVP); and 12 months of free infant formula. Botswana's PMTCT program also provided routine HIV testing for all pregnant women during antenatal care (ANC) to identify HIV-positive women for prophylaxis or treatment. While programs often report the number of individuals beginning AZT and receiving nevirapine for PMTCT, effectiveness is dependent on the level of adherence of individuals to these regimens. To describe adherence of pregnant women to the current PMTCT regimen, the Horizons Program of the Population Council, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Premiere Personnel in Botswana, conducted an evaluation to describe HIV-related services provided to women during their pregnancies, document the content of post-test counseling sessions for HIV-positive pregnant women, whether HIV-positive women remembered what had been discussed, the extent of AZT adherence based on self-reports, and the operational successes and barriers to adherence to AZT for PMTCT