Local School Community Research Articles

“Just Because I’m Different!”: The Call for Socio-Cultural Transformation of Covert Bullying Practices in Jamaican High Schools

With the growth of technology and social media, many forms of bullying in Jamaican high schools have intensified and remained covert, while promoting a climate of socio-cultural differences and relational aggression. The purpose of this article is to use the insights and implications garnered from a covert bullying study to share recommended transformational approaches and strategies that will reduce bullying practices and negative socio-cultural differences within local school communities, while also engendering a culture of equality and social justice.

A co-designed by students “architecture of schooling” framework: informing a novel architecture lens within the field of inclusive education

In response to the call to explore the environmental set up of schools, employing a practice architectures (PA) lens and a participatory co-design methodology in one Australian primary school, the current paper reports on a co-designed architecture of schooling framework. Data was collected through focus groups and visual participatory co-design methods, including auto-photography and digital and hand-made storybooks. Ten students from Reception and 21 Year 4 student participants identified eight elements as enablers of developing an inclusive school community within, and through, social practices demonstrating the role of architecture in inclusive education: can go to the office when we get hurt, quiet and calm spaces, meeting spaces, making friends, reading books, music and sports, learning, playing and exploring. Progressing a systemic institutional development, this paper contributes to establishing a novel architecture lens within inclusive education with implications for students’ access, presence, participation, achievement and sense of belonging in their local school communities.

Considerations in Building a School-Based Vision Program.

The burden of childhood visual impairment and disparities in access to pediatric vision care remain pressing issues in the United States. School-based vision programs (SBVPs) serve as one approach to advancing health equity. Operating at the intersection of schools and healthcare, SBVPs can increase access to pediatric vision services, improve academic performance, and facilitate referrals to community vision care providers. To maximize their impact, SBVPs must tailor their services to the individual needs and resources of local school communities. School nurses, who have strong ties to school health care services and the school community, are trusted partners in building SBVPs. This article aims to facilitate SBVP development, implementation, and sustainability processes by offering guidance for school nurses and other stakeholders who aim to build a SBVP, support local programs, or learn more about how SBVPs operate.

Unicorns and Blessings: Supporting Culturally Diverse Twice-Exceptional Learners Through Learning Lab

Twice exceptional (2e) students are students who are both gifted and have a disability. At the intersection of exceptionality and race, twice exceptional students from racially minoritized communities may experience behavioral difficulties in schools. In this article, we provide information for educators as well as school and district administrators about the unique challenges and possibilities in teaching 2e students of color. We offer a research-based collective problem-solving process, Learning Lab, that brings together practitioners, students, school and district leaders, families, and community members, especially those who have been excluded from schools’ decision-making activities. Learning Lab members engage in root cause analyses, map out their existing behavioral support system, and design a culturally responsive school wide behavioral support model in response to experiences, resources, needs, and goals of 2e students and their school contexts. In Learning Labs, the local school community has power in determining the future of their school. Practitioners, students, family and community members’ diverse histories and interests are utilized to develop just, effective, and gifted schools for all.

The Nova Hydroculture Project: Bringing a Community of Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) Learners Together to Grow a Unique Garden

The Nova Hydroculture Project (NHP) is a collaboration between the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and Sigma Xi chapters as well as Science Alive and the Nova Public Schools (K‐12) in Broward County, FL. Science Alive is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization (faculty‐sponsored and student‐run program) providing opportunities for teams of learners from all academic levels to explore STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) beyond textbooks through hands‐on, interactive discovery. By providing service learning opportunities for college students to lead in the local school community, we fill a need for the development of fun and educational science‐related activities in schools with traditionally underserved populations. For the NHP we are collaborating with schools that have the Title 1 designation meaning that at least 40% of the student population comes from low‐income families. Many of our college volunteers are the first in their families to attend college, as would be the case for many of the K‐12 students that we serve. Therefore, we are in an ideal environment to positively impact students that are “just like us”. The NHP involves building hydroculture gardens with food plants (such as tomatoes, peppers, and berries). Showing NHP participants how to grow vegetables and fruits in a small space with reduced amounts of water can teach alternate methods to grow fresh produce, especially in communities where traditional agricultural practices may not be possible. These techniques are also being used on the International Space Station (ISS) in their Vegetable Production System (Veggie). The first peppers from the ISS Veggie were harvested and consumed on the ISS in early November 2021, which was exciting for our teams to discuss. The NHP also provides experiential learning opportunities for young students to apply science and engineering concepts to garden‐building while working in teams with their mentors. The NHP teams document the growth and water quality of the gardens, take photos, and make science journal entries throughout the Project. Not only are hydroculture gardens fantastic opportunities to learn about science, math, technology, art, and engineering, but they are also living, breathing entities that require ongoing care and commitment, thus fostering a collaborative and interactive experience for everyone involved. The NHP brings together diverse teams of K‐12 students, parents, teachers, NSU students, and faculty as we work together and learn from each other in our diverse community.

Pendidikan Islam Inklusif Berbasis Multikultural Pada Madrasah

This study aims to find out more about inclusive multicultural-based Islamic education in madrasas. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. Using in-depth interview data collection techniques. The results showed that inclusive education is an educational innovation for people with disabilities. Where they have the same rights as others to live decently with education that facilitates their lives. So this education is a necessity of the world to be realized for all nations. The implementation of inclusion, which has not received a serious response from all levels of society, requires socialization that can provide clarity on the importance of this matter. Although it has not become a serious concern, there have also been several parties who have looked and started implementing it in the community. Inclusion in education is a process of increasing student participation and reducing their separation from the culture, curriculum and local school community. In conclusion, inclusive education comes with a concept that aims to make education accessible to all people, including persons with disabilities, to meet this goal, learning activities should be structured in such a way that adapts the needs, abilities and character of students and refers to the curriculum developed. and supported by the multicultural competence of a teacher.
 Keywords:, Pnclusive, Multicultural, Islamic Education

Virtual Collaboration in the Age of COVID-19: Supporting Youth as Co-Researchers

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted teaching and learning in K-12 settings, as many public schools lacked the technological tools and techniques needed to support effective virtual meetings and online learning. In this article, we explore the impact of the pandemic on Youth Built Change (YBC), a STEM-pipeline partnership between two high schools and a university. In YBC university researchers work with high school juniors to conduct research on substance abuse and addiction in their local school communities. As a school-university partnership which emphasizes multiple types of collaboration (e.g., among students within research teams, between research teams and teachers, between research teams and university research mentors, and between teachers and university research mentors), YBC challenged traditional approaches to teaching and learning before the pandemic. In light of the ways in which the pandemic exacerbated those challenges, and brought forth new ones, this article addresses tools and strategies that were used in YBC to engage students as researchers, insights gained about collaborative work in a virtual environment, and the impact of this year on the YBC program going forward.

Into the Deep: Teacher Reflections on the Development and Implementation of a Trial Religious Education Curriculum

The development and implementation of a trial Religious Education (RE) curriculum within a Catholic diocese of Australia was characterized by the scriptural metaphor “into the deep.” Commentary (5300 words) from teacher developers (n = 40) and implementers (n = 85) were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings indicate that the six RE Development Principles (REDP) were applied successfully to collaborative learning and teaching resources; and, significant to implementation were the application of creative pedagogies; a whole school approach to curriculum; and, teacher witness. Teachers affirmed the complementary support by school and system authority personnel, and within the local school community, professional learning was reinforced by teacher educators.

Imagining and teaching citizenship as non-citizens: Migrant social studies teachers’ positionalities and citizenship education in turbulent times

ABSTRACT This study explored the positionalities of migrant social studies teachers in New York City and how those positionalities inform their perceptions and pedagogical practices of citizenship education. The findings demonstrated that migrant teachers’ minoritized racial, cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds, together with their lack of citizenship status in the United States, created and accentuated various forms of exclusion, as well as a sense of their own vulnerability in the current racist, U.S.-centric, and anti-immigration climate. Nevertheless, these teachers have crafted a range of tactics to navigate the uncertainties they face and their sense of non-belonging, performing transnational activities with those in their home countries and forging alliances with their students in their local school communities. Through their complex and unique positionalities, these migrant teachers have shaped their understanding and practices of citizenship which decenter the increasing focus on the nation-state and Whiteness. Their life trajectories as migrants of color further served as valuable assets in their teaching citizenship education. This study provides implications for social studies educators, citizenship scholarship, and teacher education research.

“Seeing” Difference Differently: Inquiry-Based Learning as a Site/Sight of Intersectional Justice in English Language Arts

Braiding together theoretical perspectives from critical geography, intersectionality, and critical literacy studies, this article describes how two first-grade teachers in the Northeast facilitated inquiry-based learning to question power, opportunity, and (in)justice in their local school community.

Inequities During COVID-19.

* Abbreviation: COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease 2019 The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a time of unprecedented isolation, despair, and harm. Although COVID-19 does not intrinsically discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or socioeconomic class, the effects of the pandemic seem to be more deleterious for minorities. According to some preliminary research, the pediatric population has been relatively spared the severe consequences of COVID-19.1 However, underneath the COVID-19 infections, there is a hidden pandemic that affects minority children in direct and indirect ways with potential long-term consequences. At the end of April 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began to systematically collect ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic data at the national level. Although the compiled results are still pending, statewide data have revealed significant inequities in the rates of confirmed cases and mortality. For example, in Massachusetts, an estimated 35% to 40% of Massachusetts General Hospital’s patients with COVID-19 are Hispanic, in comparison with 9% of the patient population before the outbreak.2 Furthermore, the shortage of interpreters also posed additional challenges for communications of treatments and care to minority patients and families with limited English proficiency. Because the rates of COVID-19 among people of color seem to be higher, minority children are presumably even more likely to be exposed to infection from their parents and guardians. In addition, minority children are more likely to have underlying conditions that may exacerbate the severity of COVID-19 infections; for example, minority children are more likely to have major chronic diseases, such as, asthma and … Address correspondence to Adrian Jacques H. Ambrose, MD, MPH, FAPA, Office for Diversity and Community, Harvard University, 164 Longwood Ave, Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: adrianjacques_ambrose{at}hms.harvard.edu

Outcomes of a Vocabulary Intervention Implemented by Community AmeriCorps Members

Much is known about the role of vocabulary in reading and the instructional procedures that improve vocabulary. Relatively less is known about feasible approaches to implement vocabulary interventions for struggling readers within tiered frameworks. The current study randomly assigned at-risk kindergarten and first-grade students to a vocabulary intervention that was implemented by noneducator AmeriCorps interventionists from local school communities. Analyses showed that kindergarten students assigned to intervention showed significantly greater improvement on a researcher-developed measure of vocabulary knowledge but not on a distal vocabulary measure. Significant findings were not observed within first grade. Results are discussed in terms of implications and future research for vocabulary interventions within tiered frameworks.

Improvements of Shooting Performance in Adolescent Air Rifle Athletes After 6-Week Balance and Respiration Training Programs.

Several factors, such as balance and respiration training programs, have been identified as contributing to a shooting performance. However, little is known about the benefits of these programs on the shooting records of adolescent air rifle athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether balance and respiration training can contribute to the shooting performance required for adolescent air rifle shooting athletes. Case-control study. Shooting range. A total of 21 adolescent air rifle athletes were recruited from the local school community and assigned to an experimental (n = 11; EG) or control (n = 10; CG) group. The EG performed respiration and balance training for 30minutes 3times a week for 6 weeks, and the CG performed balance training only. Data were collected on the respiratory function, muscle activity, and shooting record before and after the 6-week intervention. The forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1 as a percentage of FVC, peak expiratory flow, and maximum voluntary ventilation were significantly increased in the EG, and FEV1 as a percentage of FVC was significantly increased in the CG (P < .05). The FVC and peak expiratory flow postintervention were significantly different between the groups (P < .05). The activity of the right internal oblique (IO) and left IO muscles of the FVC were significantly different in the EG (P < .05). Within-group changes in right external oblique, right IO, and left IO of the maximum voluntary ventilation were significantly increased in the EG (P < .05). The right IO and left IO activity improved more significantly in the EG than CG (P < .05). There was no difference between the groups with respect to the shooting records. The clinical significance of this study is the balance and respiration training affected the respiration function capacity and muscle activity, but did not affect the shooting record. Nevertheless, these training are a potential approach method to improve athletes' shooting record.

Homophobia in Catholic schools: An exploration of teachers’ rights and experiences in Canada and Australia

Little is known about the experiences of non-heterosexual educators in Catholic schools. This international analysis reveals previously unreported data from Australian and Canadian qualitative studies that examine the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) teachers, and LGBTI Allies from Australia and Canada who are currently teaching or have taught in Catholic schools. Bringing their work together for the first time, the two lead researchers compare their investigations and reveal disheartening similarities with religiously inspired homophobia despite differing legal and policy contexts of the two countries. These two studies demonstrate that LGBTI teachers, and LGBTI Allies, rely on their personal beliefs and local school community culture and policies to understand their equality rights and this has significant implications for the field of education.

Culturally aware but not yet ready to teach the “others”

Purpose In this paper, the authors focus on a professional development programme in Cyprus aiming to enhance teachers’ intercultural understanding, awareness and competencies. This paper aims to focus on trainers’ and teacher trainees’ reflections upon a teacher professional development programme in the primary school in Cyprus with the largest number of Roma children. Design/methodology/approach The training was provided by a small team of six trainers. Immediately after each training session, each trainer participated in an interview, while three of the trainers participated also in a focus-group interview at the end of the training. The trainers’ data were complemented by semi-structured interviews with a number of trainees either before or after the training. All interviews were transcribed, while interview questions comprised the framework for the qualitative analysis. The findings are presented by means of content analysis which formed the basis for emerging themes. Findings The authors claim that trainee teachers appeared culturally aware and sensitive, as well as knowledgeable about intercultural education; furthermore, they seemed to implement different teaching methodologies and curriculum interventions to support Roma children’s inclusion in the local school community. At the same time, they seemed to adopt instrumental approaches towards the content and purpose of the programme, seeking explicit instructional guidelines, plans and heuristics to deal with Roma inclusion. Considering the mis-recognition of teachers’ efforts by stakeholders outside the school and the expectations of the educational authorities – voiced via their school inspectors – teachers desperately asserted the need for tangible strategies to help them cope with difference in their classrooms. Research limitations/implications The authors argue that such professional development programmes should aim at facing, deconstructing and bringing to the fore prejudices and discrimination against the Other/s by valuing teachers, first, as reflective individuals and, second, as professionals with their own cultural backgrounds and identities, on which any training programme, of the kind presented in this paper, could start from and build on. Practical implications Even though there is no tailored magic recipe to make teachers’ daily professional enterprise in multicultural settings easy, to help teachers master the necessary knowledge, skills and confidence, the authors suggest that training should be directly linked to classroom practice and acknowledge stress and helplessness that accompany work in multicultural school settings. Social implications The inclusion strategy in many educational systems needs to become more comprehensive to cope with varying sources of social exclusion, faced by vulnerable groups of a different cultural background, such as Roma. Teacher training thus needs to meet the challenges of working in a diverse and multicultural environment in general and with Roma children in particular. In view of the multicultural character of local societies, a more critically oriented humanistic education is needed based on tolerance and understanding. Originality/value The limited participation of Roma in the school system could be related to teachers’ (mis)conceptions about the Roma culture and that the widely different ways in which Roma relate to schooling are often disregarded by the school.

A collaboration with local Aboriginal communities in rural New South Wales, Australia to determine the oral health needs of their children and develop a community-owned oral health promotion program.

As part of an oral health service for Aboriginal people in central northern New South Wales (NSW), Australia, oral health promotion was identified as a priority by the local Aboriginal community. The objective of this study was to collaborate with local Aboriginal communities to determine (1) the oral health needs of Aboriginal children aged 5-12 years, (2) the oral health knowledge and attitudes towards oral health of parents/guardians and (3) the perceived barriers and enablers towards oral health promotion for school children by local school staff and community health workers. The results of this collaboration will inform a community-owned oral health promotion program. Aboriginal children aged 5-12 years enrolled in local schools received a dental screening by a single examiner. The number of decayed, missing and filled teeth of primary and permanent dentition (dmft/DMFT), plaque and gingivitis were recorded. Children completed a questionnaire assessing current oral hygiene practices, dental history and information on their diet. Parents/guardians completed a questionnaire assessing oral health knowledge and attitudes towards oral health. School staff and community health workers completed a questionnaire assessing attitudes, barriers and enablers towards implementing an oral health promotion program in schools. Eighty-eight children, representing 94% of those eligible, were screened, and 78 (82%) completed a questionnaire. The mean dmft/DMFT score was 5.3. Risk factors for dental caries identified included lack of toothbrush ownership (35%), minimal fluoride toothpaste use (24%), limited daily tooth brushing (51%) and frequent consumption of sugary foods (72%) and soft drinks (64%). Questionnaires were completed by 32 parents/guardians and 39 school and community health workers. Parents/guardians had limited oral health knowledge. School and health staff were willing to support a health promotion program to improve dental health of children. Aboriginal children living in rural and remote communities in NSW experience high rates of dental caries. Oral health promotion is urgently required to reduce the burden of dental caries and should address oral hygiene behaviours, fluoride use and access to healthy foods and drinks. Note: This article uses the term 'Aboriginal people' when referring to the first peoples of Australia. This term is inclusive of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Building bridges and strengthening positions: exploring the identity construction of immigrant bilingual teachers

ABSTRACT This study explores how bilingual teachers with an immigrant background construct professional identity in the context of initial literacy and second language teaching of adults. Specifically, the study seeks to understand what the teachers’ membership of different work-related communities means for their professional identity and what capital the teachers use, negotiate and acquire to strengthen their positions in this professional field. The study is based on interviews with seven bilingual teachers. The data has been analysed from the perspective of situated learning theory and by employing some complementing concepts of Bourdieu used as thinking tools. The findings illustrate how the teachers construct their professional identity in relation to their students and by positioning themselves in different teacher communities. Moreover, the findings stress how the local school community plays a crucial part in determining the position the teachers obtain in the field. But in spite of being acknowledged as professionals, the teachers still need to negotiate their position by acquiring new capital and stressing the capital they already have.

Getting There from Here: 30 in 2020 in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Internet penetration in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is 4%. According to radio okapi, the high costs of services and the lack of infrastructure block most people from accessing the Internet. The high Internet costs are due to the high cost of satellite bandwidth use, which raises Internet providers operating costs. Low Internet penetration in the D.R.C. is a brake on the development of this country, experts in the sector confirm. This damages both the economy and society, and is especially dangerous in case of emergency. The objective of the Interagency Task Force and Advisory Group is to support the D.R.C. achieving 30% penetration as soon as 2020. This paper assesses an Interagency Task Force and Advisory Group (IATAG) helping catalyze interagency and civil society cooperation with industry investment to enable D.R.C. Internet penetration to exceed 30% in 2020. If successful, the economic and social benefits are obvious as a more connected and wealthier D.R.C. creates more economic opportunities for citizens and investors, improves health and well-being, and improves the functioning of the public sector. Fieldwork to identify key inhibitors and barriers, which must be removed or reformed if the DRC Broadband Vision is to be realized, is among the research methods to be used in this paper. Experiments with government ministries, governors, civil society actors, and firms will be evaluated. Sociopolitical challenges will vary both between and within the Provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo. To obtain a realistic view of current conditions and critical barriers, infrastructure providers of telecommunications and energy, and their business, residential and public sector customers must be encouraged to contribute, along with potential new market entrants. Investors and industry partners, who affirm they would contribute if identified barriers were removed, are participating in this multi-stakeholder process. The conclusions of this paper may have significant application to realizing efforts of international agencies and the technology industry to facilitate the next billion and half people accessing the Internet. Already, the nascent efforts in the DRC are being attracting growing interest in several other African nations whose geography, economy, and political instability may also have left large numbers of people excluded from Internet access to date. Are there lessons to be learned from the DRC on what policy approaches and technology innovations may help rural areas, education and emergency services leap ahead? Aggregating demand by supporting inter-city hybrid heterogeneous (fiber, wireless, and satellite, as well as off-grid solutions) networks will be key to enabling sustainable, rapid growth in connectivity and Internet access, this research indicates. Establishment of an annual series of DRC Internet Forum meetings, to facilitate continuous multistakeholder dialogue is planned. Several Provinces whose Governors and citizens may be prepared to commit to supporting the Vision will prove their commitment by formally volunteering their Provinces as Innovation Zones. Both government and civil society clearly must be prepared to take practical, and difficult, actions to make the plan implementable, and change possible. The IATAG is developing a checklist and brief questionnaire for submission by the Governor of interested Provinces, with indications of broad support by local officials, university and school leaders, businesses, and community organizations. Results of this questionnaire may be shared with TPRC participants for their feedback and suggestions. Incumbent telecommunications operators identifying what they perceive to be the key challenges in the region is also critical input for the Task Force to consider. For example, it may be that mobile backhaul is the top obstacle, as it was in Ugandan regions where Facebook co-invested in 2017 with two operators to remove that barrier. This paper will also report on findings from the point of view of incumbent and new entrant operators. The virtuous circle of private sector actors encouraged by reformed government innovation policies and engaged community groups inviting change, will risk investment in advanced wireless, mobile and fiber infrastructure in the DRC as soon as possible. This can increase access and can lower costs for everyone while improving quality and variety of services far beyond 4G. These include innovative hybrid heterogeneous software-defined and virtualized networks offering cloud services across wireless grids for the Internet of Things with edgeware.

Seeing Like a State: How Educational Policy Misreads What is Important in Schools

In this study, we examine how the standardizing effects of federal and state education policies in the United States reflect particular ways of understanding the structure and function of education and schooling. This understanding impacts how policies affect schools and those who work and depend upon them. We argue that the disparity between how policy makers see and control schools and how those who live and work in them experiencing this pressure leads to serious problems based on what we argue are the misunderstandings of the needs of local school communities. Standardization attempts to bring a simplistic and linear map to an intrinsically complex ecology, resulting in needless stress, distraction, and dehumanization in schools.

The Implementation of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education: Seeing It from the Stakeholders’ Perspective

&lt;p&gt;Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) has carved its niche as a practical and effective approach in the educational landscape. It offers a plausible framework for preparing coming generations to become better adaptive and even rich contributors in the globalized and intercultural world. The gate to the new millennium has brought great zeal in and at the same time contestations around this educational alternative.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This study examined the stakeholders’ perspective on the implementation of MTB-MLE as a pedagogical approach. The stakeholders’ perspective were explored and analyzed through the results of the different focus group discussions among teachers, pupils, parents, local school board, parents-teachers and community association, non-government organization and local government unit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Results from this study indicate four main benefits of MTB-MLE, namely: expressing better ideas, building self-confidence, better retention, and promoting friendly environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, the challenges which hinder the implementation of MTB-MLE are grouped into four significant themes: multilingual environment, difficulty in translation, inadequacy of instructional materials, and mandatory compliance to the Department of Education (DepEd) order.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The significance of the results of this study points out important actions the program can benefit Filipino pupils. Notably, a system that emanated from the higher authorities in which grassroots sector were not consulted, the Department of Education (DepEd) order should be executed by an interface between the higher level management and the local stakeholders. Involving them can undoubtedly contribute in the success of MTB-MLE.&lt;/p&gt;