Low-income Urban School Research Articles

Precision and validity of self‐reported anthropometry in Guatemalan adolescents

Background:The validity self‐reported height (Ht) and weight (Wt) in adolescence has often been reported, but rarely validated. Its reproducibility is unknown.Objectives:To determine the precision and validity of self‐reported Ht and Wt in adolescents from 11 to 14 y of age.Methods:Nutritional questionnaires, including self‐reported Ht and Wt, were performed in low‐income urban Guatemalan schools at 2‐wk intervals in 100 subjects each, in 4 age‐groups (11,12,13,14 y), equally divided by sexes (F,M). Direct Ht and Wt measurements were made after the 2nd interview. BMIs were derived as kg/m2. Similarities in group‐medians and strength of individual associations were calculated.Results:Not all participants self‐reported a Ht and a Wt value on both or either occasion; 30% reported both values both times. For 118 subjects reporting the Ht twice, Spearman correlation was r=0.90 and the medians differed by 2.5 cm F and 0.5 cm M. For Wt repetition in the same subjects, r=0.93 and the medians differed by 1.1 lbs F and 0.0 lbs M. With respect to true BMI and the derived value from self‐reported on the same day, r=0.65.Conclusion:Self‐reported anthropometry may provide valuable estimates at the group level, but is not adequate for individual assessment in this age group.

Low-Income Urban High School Students’ Use of the Internet to Access Financial Aid

This article focuses on the Web-based resources available to low-income students as they build their perceptions, make their decisions, and engage in financial aid activities. Data are gathered from the results of six focus groups with low-income high school students attending urban high schools. Findings suggest that low-income students do have access to computers but lack the knowledge and support needed to navigate the financial aid resources available on-line.

Peer Influences on the College-Going Decisions of Low Socioeconomic Status Urban Youth

The roles that peers play in the decision to go to college are not well understood. Logistic regression is used to explore the role that peers play in the college-going decisions of a sample of low-income urban minority public high school graduates drawn from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88) database. Friends’ plans are found to be the single best predictor of 4-year college enrollment for these low-income urban minority students, even when controlling for variables traditionally assumed to affect college going. These peer variables are stronger predictors of 4-year college-going behavior for this group than they are for a comparison sample of all U.S. high school graduates. These data are important for the formation of policies to improve all levels of college access programming.

The Longitudinal Relation Between Personality Disorder Symptoms and Depression in Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Interpersonal Stress

The relation between personality disorder (PD) symptoms, depression, and interpersonal stress were examined over 6 months in a sample of 143 adolescents from a low-income urban high school. Both self report questionnaires in the full sample and structured interviews in a subset of 54 girls indicated the following: PD symptoms predicted greater depressive symptoms and interpersonal stress over time; PD symptoms were highly stable; depressive symptoms did not predict change in PD symptoms over time. Moreover, an integrative model was supported, wherein the route by which PD symptoms led to greater depression was via the generation of interpersonal stress. These results suggest that adolescents' PD symptoms play a destructive role in the construction of interpersonal circumstances during a key period for depression onset.

Executive Functions and Performance on High-Stakes Testing in Children From Urban Schools

High-stakes achievement testing is a centerpiece of education reform. Children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds typically perform more poorly than their more advantaged peers. The authors evaluated 91 fifth-grade children from low-income urban schools using clinical neuropsychological tests and behavioral questionnaires and obtained fourth-grade scores on state mandated standards-based testing. Goals were to determine whether executive functions are selectively diminished in children from poor urban environments and to evaluate to what extent integrity of executive functions is associated with test scores. Neuropsychological variables (particularly executive functions) accounted for 40% of the variance in English scores and 30% in mathematics. Efforts to improve children's academic achievement should consider developmental factors as well as curricular content.

The Effectiveness of "Teach for America" and Other Under-certified Teachers

The academic achievements of students taught by under-certified primary school teachers were compared to the academic achievements of students taught by regularly certified primary school teachers. This sample of under-certified teachers included three types of under-qualified personnel: emergency, temporary and provisionally certified teachers. One subset of these under-certified teachers was from the national program "Teach For America (TFA)." Recent college graduates are placed by TFA where other under-qualified under-certified teachers are often called upon to work, namely, low-income urban and rural school districts. Certified teachers in this study were from accredited universities and all met state requirements for receiving the regular initial certificate to teach. Recently hired under-certified and certified teachers (N=293) from five low-income school districts were matched on a number of variables, resulting in 109 pairs of teachers whose students all took the mandated state achievement test. Results indicate 1) that students of TFA teachers did not perform significantly different from students of other under-certified teachers, and 2) that students of certified teachers out-performed students of teachers who were under-certified. This was true on all three subtests of the SAT 9reading, mathematics and language arts. Effect sizes favoring the students of certified teachers were substantial. In reading, mathematics, and language, the students of certified teachers outperformed students of under-certified teachers, including the students of the TFA teachers, by about 2 months on a grade equivalent scale. Students of under-certified teachers make about 20% less academic growth per year than do students of teachers with regular certification. Traditional programs of teacher preparation apparently result in positive effects on the academic achievement of low-income primary school children. Present policies allowing under-certified teachers, including those from the TFA program, to work with our most difficult to teach children appear harmful. Such policies increase differences in achievement between the performance of poor children, often immigrant and minority children, and those children who are more advantaged.

An ecological model for school-based mental health services for urban low-income aggressive children.

An ecological model for school-based mental health services that targets urban low-income aggressive children--a highly vulnerable and underserved population--is presented. The goals of the model are to increase children's and teachers' involvement in the delivery of services and to increase the integration of these services into existing school resources and activities. The model proposes that mental health service providers work in collaboration with teachers to deliver services that (1) can be managed by existing school resources and personnel, (2) are related to empirically based factors associated with reduced aggression and increased social functioning, and (3) are group administered to increase the number of children served and to reduce stigmatization associated with mental health services. The model is individualized and flexible by acknowledging that contexts for aggression differ across classrooms and children and by providing services specific to those contexts. Two studies are presented illustrating the application of this model to decrease aggression and increase academic engagement in low-income urban public schools.

Reading and Study Behaviors of Fourth-Grade Hispanics: Can Teachers Assess Risk?

In this study, teachers assessed content reading and study behaviors of 57fourth-grade Mexican American children attending a low-income urban school in south Texas. Questionnaire items were significantly correlated with traditional at-risk indicators such as grade point average (GPA), age, and standardized achievement. Teachers' assessments of students'work habits, such as the student's completion of homework and class assignments and the student's ability to get organized and understand directions, were important indicators of students 'success in school as measured by GPA and achievement. This research indicates that the identification of good study practices can be critical in targeting at-risk students and that classroom teachers are an essential component in the assessment of these behaviors. The study concludes by recommending teachers' input in making the decision about who is at risk. Further, the results would suggest that teachers give appropriate attention to the critical assessment and teaching of content reading and study behaviors early in the elementary grades.

The Declining Transmission of Hepatitis A in Thailand

Hepatitis A antibody was almost universal among Thai children 10-15 years ago. To assess whether transmission of hepatitis A among Thai children had declined, contemporary antibody prevalence and seroconversion rates were determined. Antibody prevalence in 1987-1988 among children in Bangkok declined since 1977 for all ages studied, most markedly among young children. Among 453 low-income urban schoolchildren, there were no seroconversions over a 10- to 12-month period (95% confidence interval [CI] for incidence, 0-0.8%). Antibody prevalence among rural children also declined between 1985 and 1989, though rates were higher than those in Bangkok. Antibody prevalence differed by community. The annual rural infection rate was 1.1% (CI, 0.8%-1.6%). The pattern of rural hepatitis A transmission was focal. Increased numbers of susceptible children in Thailand, where hepatitis A virus still circulates, sets the stage for rising rates of symptomatic disease in adults.

When Children Discuss: A Study of Learning in Small Groups

Many of us who have worked in lowincome urban schools are troubled by the passivity of some students who rarely initiate an idea, ask a question, or show interest in participating in the classroom. Yet, in the cafeteria and on the school playground these same children exchange ideas, consider alternatives and probable consequences, and solve problems. Most teachers are aware of the serious personal and social consequences that can be expected when children participate very little in school.