School Network Research Articles

Coping Power at the REACH School Network: A pilot feasibility study

Abstract Objectives School-based health centres (SBHCs) provide developmental and mental health care to children with socioeconomic disparities. We piloted a validated behavioural intervention called Coping Power (CP) for children with disruptive behaviour through our SBHC program. The objective of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of CP in the SBHC setting. Methods All parent/caregiver and child dyads enrolled in CP from 2018 to 2019 and 2021 to 2022 were invited to participate in the study. Demographic information and behaviour rating scales were collected at baseline. Feasibility metrics included attendance and satisfaction survey responses. Results A total of 31 parent/caregiver-child dyads were included. Approximately 40% of families had an annual income of <$49,999. Regarding attendance, 22/31 children/parent/caregiver dyads (70.9%) missed ≤2 sessions. Thirteen parents/caregivers completed the CP satisfaction survey and indicated that they were either ‘somewhat’ (n = 4) or ‘very satisfied’ (n = 9) with the program. Of the 18 children who completed the satisfaction survey, 13 (72.2%) shared that either the ‘sort of’ or ‘for sure’ group helped them cope with their anger better. Conclusions This pilot study found that CP delivered within the SBHCs was feasible. Improving access to CP for disadvantaged children may improve mental health outcomes.

The revival of radical popular education in Italy as a new form of cultural and class struggle: The case of popular schools in Rome

The aim of this article is to examine the revival of popular schools in Italy, focusing on the ‘network of Roman popular schools’. This is a little researched but highly relevant topic in sociology nowadays, due to the innovative way it links politics and education in an increasingly unequal society. Inspired by research gathered over 4 years of participant observation and 28 in-depth interviews, I describe the way in which popular educators combine social mutualism, typical of Italian Antagonistic Left movements, with critical pedagogical practices: education is considered by activists as a way of doing politics by other means, in line with the origins of popular education enacted by the labor movement in the two past centuries and in particular with the pedagogical experience promoted by Lorenzo Milani, in turn capable of uniting Gramscian and Freirian thought. Popular educators address their educational actions to the social recognition of subaltern students, who are otherwise stigmatized by the dominant culture. In this way, a very interesting counter-hegemonic practice seems to be generated that entails not only the learners’ identity but also that of the educator themselves. This analysis leads to the identification of new popular education as a form of class and cultural struggle aimed at restoring social recognition to the working class.

High Schools Tailored to Adults Can Help Them Complete a Traditional Diploma and Excel in the Labor Market

Over 18 million adults in the United States lack a high school credential. While some go on to attain the GED, diplomas are potentially more valuable. A network of high schools helps adults graduate by providing tailored curricula, nonacademic coaching, onsite child care, and transportation. After five years, earnings increase by 38 percent more for graduates than nonenrolling applicants. We address selection by conditioning on preapplication earnings and comparing to students who exit after positive shocks. Much of the wage gains can be accounted for by sectoral switching and evidence on credential completions is consistent with a human capital mechanism. (JEL I21, I26, J24, J31)

Implementation of organizational health literacy depending on school characteristics in Germany

Abstract Background Children and adolescents are important target groups for health promotion measures to sustain a healthy upbringing. Organizational health literacy in schools is a promising environmental intervention to strengthen health literacy in school children. This study examines the relationship between school characteristics and the implementation of organizational health literacy. Methods School principals in Germany were invited to complete a 20-minute online survey between November 2022 and July 2023. An 8-item self-report tool was used to measure organizational health literacy in schools (OHLS-Q-SF) that comprehends eight different areas within schools to become health literate. A hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out to identify groups according to the composition of the socioeconomic status of the student body. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney-U tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed. Results 598 school principals (73.6% female, Ø 52.3 years old) who worked at primary schools (49.1%), secondary schools (37%), and special education schools (13.9%) completed the survey. Cluster analysis revealed two groups. The first one (36.8%) contains schools with mainly students with lower socioeconomic status, and the second group (63.2%) contains schools with more students from middle or higher socioeconomic status. The socioeconomic status of students within the schools showed no significant results for any area of organizational health literacy, whereas all eight areas are more likely implemented if the schools already participate in a school health promotion program or network (p < 0.001). Conclusions Participating in a school health promotion program was associated with higher levels of implementation in all areas of organizational health literacy in schools. This finding highlights the importance of those programs. Integrating organizational health literacy into those interventions can be a beneficial approach to sustaining health literate schools. Key messages • Participating in a school health promotion program or network might facilitate schools to become health literate organizations. • In Germany, the socioeconomic status of the students within the schools is not associated with the implementation of organizational health literacy.

Connections and choice for high schoolers

Chronic absenteeism is a symptom of a lack of student engagement. Many students feel that schools are not welcoming places and that what they learn in the classroom is not applicable in the real world. Schools like Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (the Met) in Rhode Island offer an alternative to educating high school students that taps into their need for connection to adults and the world outside the classroom. The Met is the first school founded by Big Picture Learning, which has grown into a network of public schools across the country and internationally. Its interest-based learning approach gives students opportunities to explore internships and projects based on their interests and passions. The students devote two days a week to internships during the school year.

Literary and Arithmetic Schools of Uktus Factory (1735–1742): A Historical Analysis

This article examines the activities of the schools established at the Uktus Factory, initiated by the proactive policies of V.N. Tatischev during his tenure as the head of the factories (1734–1739), aimed at engaging children from all factory residents in formal education. The study establishes enrollment figures for the schools over three-year intervals, details collective recruitment efforts, and presents the total number of students taught literacy and basic mathematics, alongside an analysis of the social and age demographics of the pupils. It demonstrates that during the establishment of a network of factory schools in 1735–1736, the movement of skilled workers to other factories due to production needs rarely interrupted children’s education, often resulting in a turnover of students at Uktus. The article characterizes the teacher, exiled Nikita Afanasyev, highlighting his proactive approach to enhancing the organization of literacy instruction. It identifies key dates regarding the commencement of arithmetic education at the Uktus Literary School in Yekaterinburg, the founding of the arithmetic school at the Uktus Factory, and the appointment of top students from the Yekaterinburg school to teach Uktus children under the supervision of teachers Fyodor Sannikov and Afanasy Kichigin. The reasons for the closure of the schools at the Uktus Factory in autumn 1742 and the sharp decline in student enrollment from 1743 onwards are also analyzed.

Attitudes and awareness in autonomous decision on medical treatment or inclusion in clinical trials amongst Slovenian adolescents: an online survey

BackgroundIn Europe and elsewhere in the world, activities are taking place to improve the awareness of children and adolescents (hereinafter: adolescents) regarding their rights and obligations in autonomous decision-making about their own medical treatment and participation in clinical research.MethodsThe cross-sectional survey of adolescents was carried out using an anonymous online questionnaire. We obtained consent from the Commission of the Republic of Slovenia for Medical Ethics. Participating young people were invited through the network of primary and secondary schools, the Society of Dystrophy of Slovenia and through the dissemination of electronic messages. The online questionnaire was open from April 25 to May 6, 2023. Young people aged 13 to 20 joined the survey. The association between several factors and awareness of the minimum age limit was tested by univariate logistic regression. All statistical testing was performed at a significance level of 0.05.ResultsThe responses of 458 respondents were analysed, of which 281 were male. Only 8.3% of participating adolescents knew the age limit set by law for autonomous decision-making about medical treatment at 15 years old. Most answered that a medical institution should inform them about their rights (62.4%). Only 5.02% responded that they do not need their parents’ consent when making decisions; 2.6% of respondents answered that they autonomously decided to undergo treatment without their parents’ knowledge. The majority obtained information about treatment from a doctor (more than 70%); 42.8% were in favour of new forms of treatment, especially chronic patients (more than 70%); 44.8% had already heard about clinical research, most of them through the media (55.4%); 70% of the respondents answered correctly about making an autonomous decision about participation in research at the age of 18. About three-quarters (75.6%) of respondents who had heard of clinical research believe that an individual should be paid for participating.ConclusionsOur research showed insufficient awareness of the age limit of adolescents regarding medical treatment decisions and clinical research. The prevailing view is that health professionals should inform young people more about their rights. Most adolescents believe they should be paid to participate in clinical research.

Reforming School Choice Systems to Reduce Segregation in Schools: A Comparative Political Economy Study of Education Reform in Belgium, Chile, and the Netherlands

ABSTRACT This study offers a comparative examination of desegregation policy reforms in Belgium, Chile, and the Netherlands, addressing equity reforms to universal school choice systems. Through an analysis of the reform trajectories, we explore the evolution of policies, the causal mechanisms of change, efforts to institutionalize policies, and the sources of resistance to reform. We then undertake a cross-national comparison to discern trends and confirm or disconfirm theorized causes. Policy strategies from each context included nondiscrimination policies, fiscal incentives, and eventually reform of admissions procedures. Causal mechanisms facilitating equity reforms included shifts in political context, grassroots mobilization, generated focusing events through scholarly work and reports of civil society and transnational actors, and effective framing. Oppositional forces from non-state school networks and middle-class/white parents emerged in each context, affecting reform design and the path to institutionalization, but were unable to block reforms. The resulting reforms in each context were the products of compromise that retreated from deeper structural changes, likely mitigating the effects of reforms on school-based segregation.

Does private education pay off?

AbstractEducation plays a crucial role in promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and equal opportunities in society, acting as a “social elevator.” However, an inequitable educational system can perpetuate inequalities, leading to significant social consequences. This paper examines two mechanisms through which schooling systems may generate or reinforce inequalities: private schooling and school composition. Earlier studies often suggested that private schooling, particularly government-dependent private schools, had a positive impact on student achievement. However, more recent research has challenged this view, highlighting the importance of contextual factors such as school composition and socio-economic background. Building on these findings, our analysis explores how the advantages attributed to private schools are shaped by the demographic profiles of their students. Using data from the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 and employing an education production function, we assess the effects of private schooling and school composition on student performance. Our findings contribute to the growing body of research questioning the comparative advantage of private schools, demonstrating that their perceived superiority often arises from the socio-economic advantages of the students they enroll, rather than the quality of education provided. The study also reveals significant variations across countries, underscoring the urgent need to address the segregation issues linked to private school networks.

Rational cuts? The local impact of closing undersized schools

The availability of public education services can influence residential choices. Therefore, policies aimed at ‘rationalising’ service provision by reducing the number of undersized nodes in the public school network can lead to population decline, especially in spatially isolated areas lacking valid alternatives to the removed services. This paper examines the demographic and income effects of primary school closures by exploiting an Italian education reform that resulted in the contraction of the school network. We assess whether school closures impact households’ residential choices, over and above preexisting negative population trends that motivate school closures. Our findings indicate that municipalities affected by school closures experience significant reductions in population and income. The effect is primarily driven by peripheral municipalities located far away from economic centres and distant from the next available primary school. This evidence indicates that school ‘rationalisation policies’, by fostering depopulation of peripheral areas, have an influence on the spatial distribution of households and income, thus affecting territorial disparities.

The University of the Philippines, College of Medicine: ASEAN Medical Schools Network partner

The University of the Philippines, College of Medicine: ASEAN Medical Schools Network partner

The history and focus of the ASEAN Deans’ Summit and ASEAN Medical Schools Network

The history and focus of the ASEAN Deans’ Summit and ASEAN Medical Schools Network

Islamic Boarding School Alumni Network in the Development of Islamic Religious Education in Meranti Islands Regency

This study aims to examine the Alumni Network of Islamic Boarding Schools in the development of Islamic religious education in the Meranti Islands Regency. This type of research is descriptive qualitative research that focuses on the alumni network of Islamic boarding schools in developing Islamic religious education, especially in the Meranti Islands Regency, and then presents and describes it as it is. The population in this study is alumni of Islamic boarding schools who are members of the BKAPP Organization using data collection techniques using interviews and documentation. The analysis technique in this study uses data triangulation. The results of the study show that the establishment of BKAPP is a form of real alumni service to teachers, society, and the state as a form of totality to be human, humanized, and humanized and as a foundation in developing Islamic religious education in Meranti Islands Regency. The Islamic boarding school alumni network comprises not only Islamic boarding school alumni but also the community. This makes the BKAPP alumni organization unique and different from alumni organizations. The contribution of Islamic boarding school alumni can be seen in existing Islamic boarding school educational institutions. The existence of Islamic boarding school alumni motivates the community to race against each other and make education important.

Collaboration and support between Chilean schools from an egonet mixed-method approach

AbstractThis study aims to characterise inter-organisational collaboration and support networks between schools in a privatised, marketised, and competitive school system. It is located within and contributes to a body of literature on school networks, which has primarily focused on studying the architecture and conditions for the sustainability of the arrangements where collaboration and support between schools are meant to take place. However, there has been less focus on examining the partnerships themselves, particularly those formed organically by schools. This is an exploratory study that takes a novel convergent mixed-method egonet Social Network Analysis approach. Primary data were produced from interviews with sixteen primary school headteachers from a local area in Santiago, Chile. Participants were encouraged to name and reflect on other schools with which their schools have an inter-organisational relationship. Insights show that schools draw on both mandated and organically formed inter-organisational relationships to collaborate and support each other. These ties tend to be built with schools alike and geographically close. Some of the main drivers to turn to others are ensuring the sustainability of schools, generating coordinated responses to policy mandates, sharing practice and knowledge, and ensuring students’ schooling trajectories. This study, situated within the broader context of school networking literature, proposes that schools exist within multiple networks, with various connections serving different purposes, some of which are rarely acknowledged. It suggests that while formal school networks and governance structure are important, they are insufficient to represent the inter-organisational relationships in which schools are involved.

How churches make education policy: the churchification of Hungarian education and the social question under religious populism

ABSTRACT Since 2010, Hungary’s authoritarian populist government has radically redefined church-state relations, promoting the governance narrative of building an ‘old-style Christian democracy’. Public education has been reconceptualised within a religious framework and outsourced to religious actors. This article explores how key religious organisations engage with the government’s religious populism and govern their expanding school networks. Given the immanent tension between nativist Christian-conservative identity politics and Christian teachings about the church’s social mission, I focus on how Christian church elites have engaged with the education of underprivileged communities. Four characteristic types of strategic involvement are identified based on church education policies and their legitimacy discourses concerning their (lack of) engagement with the social question. Despite using different approaches to navigate political pressures, both the nativist illiberal and inclusive liberal visions of religion and their corresponding policies have reinforced the structures of segregated education and legitimised the government’s education policy.

The Relevance of the Cross-Border-Student Mobility along the Hungarian-Romanian Border Region

The settlements inhabited by the Hungarian minority in Romania have mixed (with Hungarian and Romanian language) and partly segregated (Hungarian) school network. After the Romanian integration to the European Union and the simplification of border crossing, the Hungarian minority along the Hungarian-Romanian border, a new process appeared: the cross-border commuting of university and secondary school students the two-step migration. This process fills some of the demographic deficit in the Hungarian education network, but, at the same time it is creating hiatus in the Hungarian school network in Romania. This process has a negative effect on the sustainability of minority institutions in the short term, and in the medium term it has a negative effect on the available human resources and limits the development opportunities of the local economy. Over the past four years, we have followed the process of choosing a high school with the help of quantitative and qualitative studies. The results are suitable for exploring the significance and proportion of the process of cross-border two-step migration.

“They Behave Like Jews”: Anti-Speculation Propaganda and the Creation of a Caste of “New Traders” in Lithuania in 1941–1944

The article analyses socio-economic propaganda campaigns that were actively developed in the Lithuanian press during the period from 1941 to 1944: 1) anti-speculation propaganda; 2) calls for Lithuanians to engage in trading (this can be visually called the creation of a cast of “new traders”). In 1941, after the occupation of Lithuania by Nazi Germany, speculative activities increased due to the difficult economic situation, the faltering supply of food products to cities and the interruption of the supply of industrial goods (for example, kerosene, textiles) to villages. The occupation regime carried out an active anti-speculation propaganda campaign, which manifested itself in three ways: 1) calls not to buy goods from speculators and to report speculators to the authorities; 2) promoting legal alternatives to speculation (such as commissions or barter stores); 3) intimidation through repression. The creation of the caste of “new traders” was based on the belief that Lithuanians would willingly take advantage of the Holocaust, when Jewish traders who had held significant positions in pre-war Lithuanian trade, especially in the private sector, were killed (or isolated in ghettos) along with the Jewish community. Lithuanians were urged through the press to engage in trade business, to create a new, nationally socially oriented, qualitatively different trade system. The network of trade schools had been actively expanded in the towns of the provincial regions. Despite their ambitions, these two propaganda campaigns did not achieve their goals. Speculation was active throughout the war, while its legal alternatives were unattractive and unpopular, and the actual practice of punishing speculators was far more moderate than the press calls for the death penalty. The creation of the “new traders” caste was also unsuccessful: although trade schools soon began to prepare new trade sector employees, relatively few were prepared, and the same press soon began to criticize “new traders” for taking over “Jewish speculation” and for tending to deceive buyers and the regime.

Factors contributing to the development of health-promoting schools, applying Fullan’s triple change model – A qualitative study

Objective: Schools and the education system are powerful tools for cultivating healthy lifestyles. This research focuses on characterising the factors contributing to the development of health-promoting schools in Israel, and understanding how schools can offer a framework for improving students’ health. Fullan’s triple change model with its focus on three phases in the change process in schools – the initiation phase, the implementation phase and the institutionalisation phase – served as a framework for analysis. Design and setting: This qualitative-constructivist study involved the analysis of data collected from 26 elementary school principals in Israel, 15 of whom belonged to the health promotion school network (HPSN) and 11 who did not. In addition, 10 health promotion leaders from within the schools were interviewed. Methods: Data collection took place by means of semi-structured interviews. in which the questions asked referred to the three phases identified in Fullan’s process of change model. We analysed the data using thematic content analysis. Results: Each identified theme was associated with one of the phases proposed in Fullan’s model of change. The initiation phase included collaboration with key stakeholders, principals’ personal commitment, and dissemination of ideas through personal connections. The implementation phase included gaining access to appropriate tools and materials, action to deal with barriers to change, and the creation of a holistic health promotion environment. The institutionalisation phase included the development of administrative strategies such as adherence to routines, the inclusion of regular events in the school calendar, and the allocation of time frames for the activities undertaken. Conclusion: Fullan’s model proved useful in analysing efforts to develop health-promoting schools. The model signalled the importance of using a structured approach throughout the institutionalisation phase in a manner attuned to the unique nature of the school. Alongside identifying key factors that support assimilation, it is crucial to assess their integration into the school culture. The school principal’s role is critical throughout all the phases of the development process.

Synthesizing lifeworld and system to sustain and grow cross school connections: a consideration of practice architectures

ABSTRACT Policies for cross school collaboration can be devised with intentions to strengthen practices across communities; however, their enactments may vary greatly across contexts. Drawing on the Habermasian theory of communicative action and Kemmis and colleagues’ theory of practice architectures, this article addresses the dynamics of the lived experience of school leaders within a policy context that fosters cross school collaborations and networking. This article examines the interplay between lifeworld dynamics and system logic within an Aotearoa New Zealand policy initiative that emphasizes professional learning, transitions across schooling sectors, and inter-school collaborations. Drawing on interviews with 10 school principals, the research investigates the dynamics produced through professional learning and collaboration across schools. The principals’ experiences reveal both the potential for synergies between lifeworld and system logic in fostering educational collaboration and tensions that arise from the doubleness of the different system demands that layer with lifeworld experiences. The theory of practice architectures is used to highlight the complexities of policy enactment in educational settings. The findings underscore the delicate balance required to navigate the benefits of collaboration and the challenges posed by different systems, ultimately calling for a nuanced understanding of the interdependencies between educational policies, enactments across communities, and professional practices.

Infant and early childhood mental health consultation: evaluating change in classroom climate and teaching practices by dosage of program exposure

This study evaluated the effects of infant and early childhood mental health consultation dosage (IECMHC) on observations of classroom climate and teacher behavior management practices in seven schools from a charter school network. Classrooms were prioritized for consultation based on indicators collected during observations and either received no consultation, one cycle, or two or more cycles, each of which was approximately 10 weeks long. Fidelity of implementation was comparable between the two groups that received consultation at varying program exposure levels. Multilevel regression analyses examined how variation in the dose of consultation exposure related to both indicators of program quality considering the clustering of teachers within schools. The results showed that teachers most in need of consultation received it and that both short and long doses of consultation led to improvements in classroom climate and teaching practices outcomes over the academic year. Classrooms that received consultation for longer showed the largest change over time. Classrooms were equivalent on outcome indicators by the end of the school year and consultation appeared to have a protective effect against negative classroom climate.