Educational Outcomes For Youth Research Articles

Trends in diversity-related learning among secondary schools in 35 US states, 2014-2018.

School Health Profiles (Profiles) is a national surveillance system operated by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A school-based system of surveys, Profiles monitors school health policies and practices in US states and other jurisdictions through questionnaires completed by school principals and lead health education teachers. This study used the Profiles principal survey to identify trends in US schools' implementation of diversity-related learning opportunities (i.e., opportunities to learn about people who are different from them) in secondary classroom and extracurricular settings. Logistic regression models using data from three cycles of School Health Profiles from 35 US states examined trends in the percentages of secondary schools offering students diversity-related learning opportunities in the following settings, each measured by using dichotomous yes/no response options: a) clubs; b) lessons in class; and c) special events (e.g., multicultural week, family night) sponsored by the school or community organisations. During 2014-2018, no states experienced decreases in opportunities for students to learn about people who are different from them; most states demonstrated no significant change. Findings suggest efforts are needed to strengthen capacity for and prioritisation of policies, programmes, and practices promoting diversity and culturally relevant education in schools, and in turn, promote positive health and educational outcomes for youth.

“I have my family right here”: Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) and peer support among a cohort of fosterscholars

This paper presents findings from a focus group conducted as part of a larger Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) study with a cohort of university students with experience in foster care. Six foster scholars (ages 18–21) participated in a research collective offered as a collaboration between the School of Social Welfare and the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) at a large Northeastern public research university. Over the course of several semesters, students received an overview of research methods, evaluated existing research regarding the educational outcomes of youth with foster care experience, then designed an interview guide for a focus group that they later participated in. Focus group data was transcribed and then analyzed in two ways, first through thematic content analysis using ATLAS TI qualitative software, and simultaneously through participatory narrative analysis using an adapted version of Carol Gilligan’s Listening Guide. The cluster of findings presented in this paper highlights co-researchers’ experiences of a YPAR approach to research. Three themes emerged: validation of experience and peer support, connection to available resources, and YPAR as a tool of collective action and empowerment. An overview of the significant actions and change efforts associated with the YPAR process is also provided. Findings highlight the importance of peer support and the possibility of participatory research approaches in catalyzing peer connectivity and agency among foster scholars in higher education. Integrating youth voice and perspective to the existing body of knowledge about youth with foster care experience in higher education adds an important perspective needed to more holistically understand what resources and supports are most critical in ensuring their success. Recommendations are made for both universities and child welfare scholars desiring to center the voices and experiences of youth with foster care experience.

Are bullying experiences and developmental assets associated with education outcomes for youth in foster care?

Children and youth who have experienced foster care are a population that needs more attention as they usually face a challenging childhood. Using a positive youth development (PYD) approach, the associations of developmental assets and bullying with school grades and college aspirations were explored. The participants were 1,761 students (age M = 15.5 years, SD = 1.1) who had experienced foster care and 64,364 students (age M = 15.5 years, SD = 1.1) who had not. For all students, the main reasons for being victims of bullying were their physical appearance, weight, and gender expression. Students who experienced foster care reported a higher prevalence of bullying as victims and perpetrators, and lower school grades and education aspirations compared to youth who had not been in foster care. Being a physical bully was negatively associated with school grades and college aspirations for all students regardless of foster care experience. Lastly, the role of developmental assets is a promising tool for schools, as teacher and school support and student empowerment were associated with higher school grades and college aspirations for all students, importantly, including students who had experienced foster care.

Foreign direct investment and youth educational outcomes in Mexican municipalities

• Inward FDI may affect youth's educational outcomes via foreign wage premia • Increasing foreign wage premium for unskilled jobs decreases educational outcomes • Foreign wage premium for skilled workers does not change educational outcomes • Foreign wage premium effects are largely consistent across services and manufacturing • Effects on educational outcomes are not only short-lived but long-lasting too Inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) has often been considered to play a prominent role in the development of human capital in the host economy by introducing a foreign wage premium into the labour market. However, extant evidence on IFDI labour market effects is inconclusive, especially in emerging economies. We investigate for the case of Mexico whether foreign wage premia have an effect on educational outcomes of young cohorts that were 15 years old at the time of IFDI arrival in their municipality of residence. Results suggest that increasing foreign wage premium for unskilled jobs, both in manufacturing and services, has negative effects on a cohort's subsequent educational outcomes. The effects of foreign wage premium for skilled workers, however, are not significant but may lead to positive educational outcomes. The long-term implications of losses accruing from low investment in human capital do not only affect individuals but regions as well.

Reframing School Culture through Project-Based Assessment Tasks: Cultivating Transformative Agency and Humanizing Practices in NYC Public Schools

Background/Context In the last two decades, high-stakes testing policies have proliferated exponentially, radically altering the broader educational landscape in the United States. Although these policies continue to dominate educational reform agendas, researchers argue that they have not improved educational outcomes for youth and have exacerbated inequities in schooling across racial, economic, geographic, and linguistic lines. Alternative project-based assessments, like ones used by the New York Performance Standards Consortium (Consortium) are one type of practice to have shown promise in aiding in the creation of humanizing and transformative educational spaces. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This article examines how teachers and students make meaning of their experiences transitioning away from high-stakes standardized tests to project-based assessment tasks (PBATs) and specifically considers the role that PBATs might play in shaping school culture. Drawing from three years of data collection at 10 New York City public high schools new to the Consortium, we discern how students and teachers negotiate this shift, paying attention to the ways in which PBATs fostered transformative and humanizing pedagogies and practices. We raise the following questions: How can schools that use project-based assessment reinvigorate school culture to address enduring inequities that persist in schools? How might PBATs reframe schools to be more humanizing and transformative spaces? Research Design We used multiple methods to understand how project-based assessment shapes school culture and curriculum in these transitioning schools, and drew from qualitative and quantitative traditions. The research involved: (1) a historical inquiry into the role of the Consortium in school reform; (2) a broad investigation of the 10 schools transitioning into the Consortium (including three rounds of annual surveys with teachers and administrators); (3) three in-depth focal case studies of transitioning schools (including observations, interviews with teachers, and surveys with students); and (4) surveys with experienced teachers new to established Consortium schools. Conclusions PBATs are a useful tool to engage students and teachers more actively as participatory actors in the school environment, particularly when overall school structures collectively support its integration. Although there were inevitable challenges in the process of transition, our data suggest that the school actors mediated some of these tensions and ultimately felt that PBATs helped create more dignified spaces for youth. By anchoring the assessment process in the concept of transformative agency, we consider how the transition to PBATs might reinvigorate school culture, redress harmful systemic injustices, and serve as a necessary part of school reform and education policy.

Parental Educational Attainment and Social Environmental of Urban Public Schools in the U.S.: Blacks' Diminished Returns.

Background: Recent research has documented marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs) of socioeconomic status (SES), defined as weaker effects of SES indicators, such as parental educational attainment, on securing tangible outcomes for the members of socially marginalized (e.g., racial and ethnic minority) groups, compared to privileged social groups (e.g., non-Hispanic Whites). Aims: To explore race/ethnic differences between non-Hispanic Blacks vs. non-Hispanic Whites who attend urban public schools on the effect of parental education on lower school environmental risk among American high schoolers. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we borrowed the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS-2002) baseline data, a nationally representative study that enrolled 1706 10th grade youths who were attending urban public schools. From this number, 805 (47.2%) were non-Hispanic Black and 901 (52.8%) were non-Hispanic White youths. The dependent variable was the level of school social environmental risk measured using 18 items as self-reported, and was treated as a continuous variable. The independent variable was parental educational attainment, treated as a continuous measure. Gender, region, and parental marital status were the covariates. Race/ethnicity was the moderating variable. Linear regressions were applied to perform our data analysis. Results: Black students were found to attend schools with higher levels of social environmental risk. Youths with parents with a higher educational attainment were found to attend schools with a lower social environmental risk. We found a significant interaction between race (non-Hispanic Black vs. non-Hispanic White) and parental educational attainment on the level of school social environmental risk, suggesting that the protective effect of high parental education on reducing the school social environmental risk was smaller for non-Hispanic Black than for non-Hispanic White youths. Conclusions: Although high parental educational attainment is protective against social environmental risk for American youths, this protective effect is weaker for non-Hispanic Black than non-Hispanic White youths. The diminished returns of parental education in reducing school social environmental risk may explain why the effects of parental education on educational outcomes are smaller for non-Hispanic Black than non-Hispanic White youths (i.e., MDRs). The social environment indirectly generates racial youth educational disparities through deteriorating non-Hispanic Black youth educational outcomes across all SES levels. To prevent the confounding effects of private, suburban, rural, and Catholic schools, we limited this analysis to public urban schools. More research is needed on other settings.

Place-Based Diminished Returns of Parental Educational Attainment on School Performance of Non-Hispanic White Youth.

Youth educational outcomes are a function of a wide range of factors including parental education level. This effect, however, is shown to be smaller for African American, Hispanic, and Asian American youth, a pattern called Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs). It is, however, unknown if it is race/ethnicity or other conditions associated with race/ethnicity (e.g., poor neighborhood quality) which reduces the marginal returns of parental education for youth. To explore whether MDRs are only due to race/ethnicity or if they also remain for non-Hispanic Whites in poor neighborhoods, we compared the association between parental education level and adolescents' school performance based on neighborhood quality in a nationally representative sample of non-Hispanic Whites in the United States. This cross-sectional study used wave 1 of the Add Health study, an ongoing nationally representative cohort, 1994-2019. Participants included 849 non-Hispanic White adolescents between the ages of 12 and 21 years and their parents. The independent variable was parental education level, which was treated as a continuous measure. Age, grade, gender, and parental marital status were the covariates. The dependent variable was school performance (sum of school grades in Math, English, History, and Science). Linear regression models were used for data analysis. Overall, worse neighborhood quality was associated with worse school performance. Parental education level, however, was not directly associated with youth school performance. We found a statistically significant interaction between parental education level and neighborhood quality suggesting that the strength of the association between parental education and youth school performance weakens as neighborhood quality declines. Parental education level is a more salient determinant of youth educational outcomes in better neighborhoods. The result suggests that MDRs may not be solely due to race/ethnicity but contextual factors that commonly covary with marginalization and poverty. These contextual factors may include segregation, concentration of poverty, and social and physical neighborhood disorder.

Mathematical Performance of American Youth: Diminished Returns of Educational Attainment of Asian-American Parents

The Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDR) phenomenon refers to the weaker effects of parental educational attainment for marginalized groups, particularly ethnic minorities. This literature, however, is limited to Blacks and Hispanics; thus, it is not clear if the MDR phenomenon also applies to the educational performance of Asian Americans or not. To explore ethnic differences in the association between parental educational attainment and youth mathematical performance among 10th-grade American high schoolers, this cross-sectional study used baseline data from the Education Longitudinal Study, a national survey of 10th-grade American youth. The analytical sample included a total number of 10,142 youth composed of 1460 (14.4%) Asian-American and 8682 (85.6%) non-Hispanic youth. The dependent variable was youth math performance (standard test score). The independent variable was parental education. Gender, both parents living in the same household, and school characteristics (% students receiving free lunch, urban school, and public school) were the covariates. Ethnicity was the moderating variable. Linear regression was used for data analysis. Overall, parental educational attainment was positively associated with math ability (test score). We observed a statistically significant interaction between ethnicity (Asian American) and parental education attainment on the results of math test scores, indicating that the boosting effect of high parental educational attainment on youth math function is smaller for Asian-American youth than for Non-Hispanic White youth. While high parental educational attainment contributes to youth educational outcomes, this association is weaker for Asian-American youth than non-Hispanic White youth. Diminished returns (weaker effects of parental education in generating outcomes for ethnic minorities) that are previously shown for Hispanics and Blacks also apply to Asian Americans.

Parental Educational Attainment and Black-White Adolescents' Achievement Gap: Blacks' Diminished Returns.

Recent research has documented Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs), defined as weaker protective effects of parental educational attainment and other socioeconomic status (SES) indicators for racial and ethnic minority groups. To explore racial differences in the associations between parental educational attainment and youth educational outcomes among American high schoolers. This cross-sectional study used baseline data from the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS-2002), a nationally representative survey of 10th grade American youth. This study analyzed 10702 youth who were composed of 2020 (18.9%) non-Hispanic Black and 8682 (81.1%) non-Hispanic White youth. The dependent variables were youth math and reading grades. The independent variable was parental educational attainment. Gender, parental marital status, and school characteristics (% students receiving free lunch, academic risk factors, urban school, public school) were the covariates. Race was the moderating variable. Linear regression was used for data analysis. Overall, higher parental educational attainment was associated with higher math and reading test scores. We found a significant interaction between race (Non-Hispanic Black) and parental education attainment on math and reading test scores, suggesting that the boosting effects of high parental educational attainment on youth educational outcomes might be systemically smaller for Non-Hispanic Black than for Non-Hispanic White youth. While high parental educational attainment promotes educational outcomes for youth, this association is weaker for Non-Hispanic Black youth than non-Hispanic White youth. The diminished returns of parental education are beyond what can be explained by school characteristics that differ between Non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White students. Diminishing returns of parental educational attainment (MDRs) may be an unrecognized source of racial youth disparities. Equalizing SES would not be enough for equalizing outcomes. There is a need for public and economic policies that reduce diminished returns of SES for Black families.

Longitudinal analyses of educational outcomes for youth transitioning out of care in the US: trends and influential factors

ABSTRACTThis paper draws on data collected from two of the most extensive longitudinal studies of care leavers in the US. The Midwest Study (2003–2011) included 732 youths in foster care in three Midwestern states, and the CalYOUTH Study (2012–present) includes 727 youths in California foster care. The paper has three objectives: (1) describe trends in secondary and postsecondary educational attainment at different ages; (2) summarise findings on predictors of educational attainment; and (3) summarise findings on the impact of extended foster care (EFC) on educational attainment. Results from these two studies show that by age 21, 77–85% of care leavers finish a secondary credential and 31–52% enrol in college. By age 25, about 8% have earned a college degree. Results from multivariate analyses find that youths’ educational background and parental status were consistently associated with later educational attainment. Specific aspects of social support also influenced college outcomes. Life demands after enrolling in college (e.g. employment, parenthood) played a more influential role in college degree attainment than did aspects of youths’ background. Characteristics of colleges also predicted youths’ odds of degree completion. Finally, existing evidence suggests that EFC promotes secondary credential completion and college entry, but not college persistence or degree completion.

The relationship between extended foster care and college outcomes for foster care alumni

ABSTRACTThe federal Fostering Connections law gives states the option to increase the foster care age limit from age 18 up to age 21. This law could potentially improve postsecondary education outcomes for youth in foster care. We analyze data collected from a longitudinal study of foster youth in three Midwestern states (n = 732). Linear probability models and instrumental variable models estimated the impact of years in care past age 18 on three outcomes: enrollment by age 21, persistence by age 21, and degree completion by age 29/30. Results indicated that each year in care past age 18 is expected to increase enrollment by about 9 to 11 percentage points. Significant associations were not found for persistence or degree completion.

The Benefits, Risks, and Challenges of Get-Tough and Support-Oriented Approaches to Improving School Safety

Schools have adopted get-tough policies and support-oriented policies, each of which creates not only potential benefits but also potential risks for youth delinquency and education. This article identifies potential benefits and risks of get-tough approaches and support-oriented approaches, respectively, to reduce delinquency. It then identifies challenges that can arise when schools seek to balance both get-tough and support-oriented policies. We illustrate these challenges by drawing on prior scholarship on these policies as well as a process evaluation of a large metropolitan school district’s pilot initiative to promote school safety and academic performance by assisting court-involved youth. We argue for developing a stronger empirical foundation for school-based approaches that aim to improve school safety and educational outcomes of youth.

Protective ethnicity: how Armenian immigrants’ extracurricular youth organisations redistribute cultural capital to the second-generation in Los Angeles

ABSTRACTResearch shows the children of educationally-select immigrant groups benefit from a cultural advantage that allows them to realise higher educational outcomes than scholars would predict based on their parental education level alone. Among native-born families, childrearing practices, such as participation in youth extracurricular activities outside of school and home, have been shown to guide youth educational outcomes. But scholars have not fully explained how these cultural practices matter for the children of immigrants. Based on comparative ethnographic research, I examine how Armenian immigrant parents of divergent education levels converge in their desire to cultivate ethnic identification among their children by enrolling them in youth extracurricular activities found in ethnic community organisations. I argue that although working-class immigrants bring their children to these organisations to cultivate their children’s ethnic identification, they also unknowingly expose them to the organisationally embedded cultural capital offered at these sites that youth later draw on for their educational mobility. I conclude that cultivating ethnic identification among educationally-select immigrants functions as a protective social factor because it extends unanticipated material gains to the children of working class coethnics, a phenomenon I call protective ethnicity.

Impact of individualized education plans on academic success of youth with early onset schizophrenia

ABSTRACTPurpose: Youth with early onset schizophrenia (EOS) are eligible for an individualized education plan (IEP) in school settings, yet often have declining academic performance over time. This study examines the impact of IEP and comorbid conditions on educational outcomes for youth with EOS. Method: We used mixed models and logistic regression to answer the research questions using data from 129 youth with EOS who participated in a longitudinal study from 1998 to 2006. Results: Not all children had an IEP in all waves. Of those that did, findings demonstrated that having an IEP did not improve absenteeism or academic performance. In addition, regardless of whether they had an IEP, rates of dropping out were equal. Conclusions: Social workers should consider more individualized approaches to IEPs for youth with EOS to target the specific complexities of the disorder as well as its implications for school success.

Gender Differences in the Effect of Family Structure on Educational Outcomes Among Nigerian Youth

Due to globalization, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is experiencing some changes in her traditional family patterns. A large body of research has examined the relationship between family structure and youth developmental outcomes and few studies have reported the gender differentials in the effect of changing family structure on these outcomes. In an increasingly knowledge-based globalized world, educational achievement is critical for the development of youth. This exploratory study examines the gender differences in the effect of family structure on educational outcomes of youth in Nigeria. We used the 2010 Nigeria General Household Survey which is available through Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS)–International, consisting of 14,178 males and 13,858 females. Family structure was a significant predictor of youth educational outcomes, and there were significant gender differentials. There was a negative relationship between living with neither parent and ever enrolling among males and females, but the effect was much stronger for females. Interventions should focus on improving existing resources and place youth who are living with neither parents and are unmarried in stable and friendly environments through mentorship programs and community caregiver support. Programs should also engage community leaders continuously about the consequences of early marriages among female youth.

Causal effects of mental health treatment on education outcomes for youth in the justice system

This study assesses whether mental health interventions can improve academic outcomes for justice-involved youth. Only a limited number of studies have linked justice policies to outcomes beyond crime, particularly education, which carries large monetary and non-monetary benefits. The current study relies on detailed administrative data and unique policy rules under which youth are assigned to behavioral treatment programs. The administrative data allow for a rich set of controls for observed family- and youth-specific heterogeneity. In addition, the treatment assignment rules create discontinuous thresholds among youth who are deemed eligible or not eligible for treatment, rules which the study exploits empirically to address the non-random selection bias in estimating plausibly causal effects of treatment eligibility and treatment receipt. Estimates indicate that certain types of intensive mental health intervention can lower dropout and increase high-school completion for justice-involved youth. Effects on grades are negative or not significant, possibly due to the greater retention of less academically-skilled students. We also assess heterogeneity in the treatment effects, and find that the effects on dropout tend to be greater among youth believed to be less academically engaged prior to treatment.

Causal Effects of Mental Health Treatment on Education Outcomes for Youth in the Justice System

This study assesses whether mental health interventions can improve academic outcomes for justice-involved youth. Only a limited number of studies have linked justice policies to outcomes beyond crime, particularly education, which carries large monetary and non-monetary benefits. The current study relies on detailed administrative data and unique policy rules under which youth are assigned to behavioral treatment programs. The administrative data allow for a rich set of controls for observed family- and youth-specific heterogeneity. In addition, the treatment assignment rules create discontinuous thresholds among youth who are deemed eligible or not eligible for treatment, rules which the study exploits empirically to address the non-random selection bias in estimating plausibly causal effects of treatment eligibility and treatment receipt. Estimates indicate that certain types of intensive mental health intervention can lower dropout and increase high-school completion for justice-involved youth. Effects on grades are negative or not significant, possibly due to the greater retention of less academically-skilled students. We also assess heterogeneity in the treatment effects, and find that the effects on dropout tend to be greater among youth believed to be less academically engaged prior to treatment. The positive effects on education, and the earnings returns alone, are large enough to produce benefits in excess of the cost for the more intensive of the mental health interventions.

Foster Youth Perceptions on Educational Well-Being

Educational outcomes for youth in foster care are concerning. The achievement gap is close to 1 school year between youth in foster care and the general population (Smithgall, Gladden, Howard, Goerge, & Courtney, 2004). Although there has been research on the educational disparities between youth in foster care and the general population, the field has not yet heard the voices of youth within the system about their educational experiences while in custody. The purposes of this manuscript are to (a) describe a study which engaged youth in foster care in sharing experiences and opinions about their educational successes in a participatory manner, (b) explore the relationship between perceived student engagement and educational outcomes, and (c) harness the suggestions of these youth in policy and practice improvements supporting their educational well-being.

The Long-Term Economic Benefits of Natural Mentoring Relationships for Youth.

Natural mentors have been shown to help improve psychological and educational outcomes of youth, and may serve an important role for youth experiencing risk in the home. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we investigated the associations between natural mentors during youth and income during early adulthood, including how these relations were moderated by the absence of a father figure and race. We also estimated the lifetime economic benefits to having a natural mentor. The presence of a natural mentor alone did not have a significant impact on annual earnings during adulthood. However, youth without a father but who had a male mentor earned significantly more, on average, than those without a male mentor. These effects were more pronounced in a subsample of African American youth. The net present value of total lifetime benefits to having a male natural mentor was approximately $190,000 for all fatherless youth and $458,000 for African American fatherless youth. These results suggest that natural mentors play a crucial role in economic outcomes for youth, which may vary by sociodemographic factors.

Making “What Works” Work: Examining Probation Officers’ Experiences Addressing the Criminogenic Needs of Juvenile Offenders

This study qualitatively explored frontline perspectives on the challenges of addressing youths’ criminogenic needs within a risk–need–responsivity (RNR)-based case management framework. Twenty-nine probation officers from Toronto, Canada participated in semistructured interviews. Emergent themes included the importance of targeting “high impact” criminogenic needs (needs that—when effectively addressed—also have an impact on other need domains in addition to a direct impact on criminogenic risk), the salience of specific responsivity factors in case management, the lack of evidence-based programming available to youth, and respondents’ uncertainty regarding their role in addressing criminogenic needs. Results highlight the need for research examining the interrelationship of criminogenic needs, specific responsivity factors, and educational outcomes of youth on probation. Findings also support recent initiatives that provide concrete training to probation officers around implementation of the need and responsivity principles in effective case management of justice-involved youth.