Public School District Research Articles

Ceilings Made of Glass and Leaving En Masse? Examining Superintendent Gender Gaps and Turnover Over Time Across the United States

Given that a national superintendent dataset has never existed, claims about superintendent turnover and gender gaps have traditionally been based on conjecture or data from a single year and small sample of superintendents. Utilizing a new dataset of all K–12 public school district superintendents in the United States across four school years, this study explores how the superintendent gender gap and turnover have changed over time and across states and district types. Analyses reveal that superintendent turnover has increased, particularly among men, and the superintendent gender gap has marginally narrowed. Although men are increasingly turning over, women are seldom filling those positions—a necessity if the superintendent gender gap is to narrow. State and district analyses are presented, as well as discussion of the implications of the findings and the power of a longitudinal superintendent dataset.

Evaluation of a COVID-19 rapid antigen testing program among student athletes in a public high school district

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate a COVID-19 rapid antigen testing program among high school athletes through testing data and qualitative analysis from key stakeholders. MethodsTesting data was obtained by the partnering school district. Testing staff, coaches, and parents participated in a focus group using a semi-structured focus group guide. Transcripts were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to produce the themes of the study. ResultsRapid antigen tests quickly identified a COVID-19-positive student athlete, which allowed for quick isolation and zero transmission to teammates. Focus groups with parents, testing staff, and coaches indicated the testing program improved perceived safety and demonstrated the ability for school staff to implement a widespread COVID-19 screening program with minimal training. ConclusionsAs schools continue to respond to various waves of COVID-19 infections, targeted testing for high-risk activities in school settings such as sports programs may help prevent school outbreaks during times of high community transmission rates. This evaluation adds to a body of literature that will aid schools and policy makers in their decision on how to best keep student athletes and school communities safe for future waves of COVID-19 infection and other pandemics.

The Effects of Campus Shootings on School Finance and Student Composition

AbstractBetween 1999 and 2018, 210 shootings have occurred on public school campuses in the United States. The increased need for security and student support may crowd out instructional resources post-shooting. Shootings may also cause students, especially those from socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds, to move away, leading to declines in enrollment. Both changes in the budget allocation and the student composition could exert a negative impact on achievement. First, we examine the effects of campus shootings on public school districts’ revenue, expenditure, debt, and staffing using a long panel of district-year data. Results from event study and difference-in-differences analyses indicate that shootings increase per-pupil spending by $248, which is funded primarily through increased federal transfers. Most spending increases occur in noninstructional functions, such as pupil support services, and capital projects, but they do not crowd out instructional spending. Using school-level data, we show that shootings are followed by a decline in enrollment, driven almost exclusively by reductions in students who do not receive free or reduced-price lunch. Private schools in the area also experience enrollment drop. In sum, despite the increased intergovernmental transfers, campus shootings reduce the desirability of the community and lead to the exit of relatively well-off families.

The Epidemic of Internalizing Problems Among Latinx Adolescents Before and During the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Objective Latinx youth exhibit disproportionately higher internalizing symptoms than their peers from other racial/ethnic groups. This study compares depression and anxiety symptoms between referred students of Latinx and non-Latinx backgrounds before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines key determinants within the Latinx sample. Method Data are analyzed from four academic years – two before and two during the pandemic – from 1220 5th through 8th grade students (M age = 12.1; 59.6% female; 59.9% Latinx or mixed-Latinx) referred for services across 59 Chicago Public School District (CPS) elementary schools. Using the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), mean scores and risk levels for depression, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety are examined. Results Higher internalizing risk and comorbidity rates were found in the second year of the pandemic, compared to pre-pandemic levels. Latinx students reported higher depression, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety symptoms than non-Latinx students. During the pandemic, more Latinx students were classified as having comorbid depression and anxiety, and scored in the clinical range for depression, generalized anxiety, and social anxiety than non-Latinx students. Within the Latinx sample, girls and gender non-conforming students reported the highest maladjustment. Conclusions Results highlight the pressing need to examine the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of Latinx children and adolescents, and to address their internalizing problems.

Shuttering Schools in the Gateway City: School District Viability and Black Community Relations After Mass K-12 School Closures in St. Louis, MO

ABSTRACT Since 1990, over 40% of schools have closed in the St. Louis Public Schools District (SLPSD) because of steep enrollment decline. Tracing educational trends over 30 years, I examine when, where, and why K-12 public schools closed in St. Louis in order to highlight the social conditions and policy decisions that contract contemporary urban education. I ask: What key social factors influence K-12 school closure patterns in St. Louis, Missouri? This mixed methods study summarizes analyses of data from the U.S. Department of Education, the St. Louis Public Schools District, and local news coverage to describe trends, determinants, and consequences of K-12 public school closures in St. Louis, Missouri (1990–2020). Findings demonstrated that closures in the city district were concentrated in majority-Black neighborhoods, with limited evidence of benefits to youth and communities. Findings also indicated that attempts to create educational change through the desegregation transfers program, charter school expansion, and administrative restructuring all triggered waves of closures. Drawing from community relations perspectives, I interpret mass closures as racialized policy practices that strain Black community relations and contract city districts. I argue that recurrent closures undermine youth and community development and disengage Black communities in ways that threaten district viability. Conclusions weigh whether the closure practices in the district have caused irreparable damage to Black community relations or if new policy objectives can foster long-term growth.

Teacher Perceptions of Past Classroom Behaviors Influence Adolescents’ Receptivity and Responsiveness to a Belonging Intervention

This study shows how receptivity and responsiveness can influence the efficacy of an intervention helping adolescents reappraise worry or uncertainty following the difficult transition to middle school. The intervention was implemented at-scale in a diverse sample of sixth-grade public school district students followed through eighth grade (N = 1,180; 41% Black or Latinx; 44% low socioeconomic status). Results suggest the intervention’s effects on grade point average are confined to a racially and socioeconomically diverse subgroup of adolescents who had high teacher evaluations of their classroom behaviors in kindergarten that declined over the early elementary school years (i.e., “Disengagers”). These findings suggest that adolescents’ past school experiences with educators may bound the extent to which interventions can promote success in school.

COVID-19 Test Allocation Strategy to Mitigate SARS-CoV-2 Infections across School Districts.

In response to COVID-19, schools across the United States closed in early 2020; many did not fully reopen until late 2021. Although regular testing of asymptomatic students, teachers, and staff can reduce transmission risks, few school systems consistently used proactive testing to safeguard return to classrooms. Socioeconomically diverse public school districts might vary testing levels across campuses to ensure fair, effective use of limited resources. We describe a test allocation approach to reduce overall infections and disparities across school districts. Using a model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in schools fit to data from a large metropolitan school district in Texas, we reduced incidence between the highest and lowest risk schools from a 5.6-fold difference under proportional test allocation to 1.8-fold difference under our optimized test allocation. This approach provides a roadmap to help school districts deploy proactive testing and mitigate risks of future SARS-CoV-2 variants and other pathogen threats.

Leader and Provider Perspectives on Implementing Safe Alternatives for Teens and Youth - Acute (SAFETY-A) in Public School Districts Serving Racial/ethnic Minoritized Youth.

Racial/ethnic minoritized (REM) youth represent a high-risk group for suicide, yet there are striking disparities in their use of mental health services (MHS) even after risk is identified in schools. Prior research suggests that school-based risk assessments and hospitalization encounters can be negatively experienced by REM youth and families, thus deterring likelihood of seeking follow-up care. The Safe Alternatives for Teens and Youth-Acute (SAFETY-A) is a brief, strengths-based, cognitive-behavioral family intervention demonstrated to increase linkage to MHS when implemented in emergency departments. With its focus on strengths and family engagement, SAFETY-A may cultivate a positive therapeutic encounter suited to addressing disparities in MHS by enhancing trust and family collaboration, if appropriately adapted for schools. Thirty-seven school district leaders and frontline school MHS providers from districts serving primarily socioeconomically disadvantaged REM communities participated in key informant interviews and focus groups. First, interviews were conducted to understand usual care processes for responding to students with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and perspectives on the strengths and disadvantages of current practices. An as-is process analysis was used to describe current practices spanning risk assessment, crisis intervention, and follow-up. Second, focus groups were conducted to solicit perceptions of the fit of SAFETY-A for these school contexts. Thematic analysis of the interviews and focus groups was used to identify multilevel facilitators and barriers to SAFETY-A implementation, and potential tailoring variables for implementation strategies across school districts.

On Whose Territory Does Our School District Reside? Beginning Steps Toward Relationship Development With Urban First Nations

Following the 2015 release of Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report in Canada, disciplines at various levels of federal and provincial infrastructures have begun taking up reconciliation in their practice. In 2018, the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) and the Psychology Foundation of Canada (PFC) released a joint response, which outlines how the profession has violated its own ethics with respect to practice with Indigenous peoples and how to move forward through a reconciliatory process as individuals and as a profession. What is unclear is how individual psychologists and psychologist teams are taking up reconciliation in their practice, years after the CPA/PFC Response to the TRC. As psychologists and other helping professionals learn about the history of marginalization of Indigenous peoples within the discipline of psychology, many may be searching for more specific examples of how to begin or extend the process of addressing reconciliation. This Brief Commentary will focus on the practice of one group of school psychologists working in a public school district in an urban setting in British Columbia who are engaging in relationship development with First Nations communities on whose territory the district resides. Psychologists from the team will contribute reflections regarding their experience with the process as a whole. These psychologists have been part of a school psychology team that has been involved in reconciliation for some time and are actively pursuing individual and group accountability toward Indigenous people. The context of the group and steps taken from the team’s personal and professional introduction to the topic of reconciliation, and facilitators and considerations that impacted the group’s progress will be explored.

Structural School Characteristics and Neighborhood Risk Factors: Associations with Student-Reported School Climate in a Large, Urban Public School District in the United States.

School climate consistently predicts youth academic success, social-emotional well-being, and substance use, and positive school climate can buffer the negative effects of community violence exposure on youth development. Various structural school and neighborhood factors have been associated with school climate, but prior research has not examined these relations comprehensively. We examined the relation between 18 school building and school neighborhood factors with student-reported school climate among 15,833 students in 124 public schools in a large, urban district in the United States. In this sample, attendance rate was most consistently associated with school climate (β = 0.015; p < .001). Teacher years of experience, mobility rate, number of students in special education, adult arrests in the school neighborhood, and service calls for shootings and dirty streets and alleys in the school neighborhood were also significantly associated with various domains of school climate. These findings highlight the need for future longitudinal research on the influence of both school building and school neighborhood factors on school climate for public schools. Schools in our sample had a wide range of school climate scores despite consistently high crime rates and other structural risk factors such as low socioeconomic status throughout the city, so there are implications for researchers and education leaders to work together to identify opportunities for schools to foster positive school climate despite systemic school and/or neighborhood risk factors.

Unions, Monitoring, and Deferred Compensation: Evidence From California School Districts

Public agencies vary considerably in the extent to which they defer compensation until later in workers’ careers and often heavily backload compensation even when frontloaded compensation would likely be more efficient. I use two-way fixed effects models and detailed longitudinal data on collective bargaining agreements, salaries, and fringe benefits in public school districts in California to test two common theories about the prevalence of deferred public sector compensation. I find no evidence that stronger unions bargain for more backloaded compensation on average. However, I find suggestive evidence that unions may prefer to bargain for more backloaded compensation when their members are more veteran. I find no support for the theory that administrators prefer to defer compensation when employee performance is more difficult to monitor. These results suggest that other explanations for the backloadedness of public sector compensation may hold more promise, though they also call for additional empirical investigation.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Awareness of New Jersey Public High School Students about Concepts of Climate Change, including Environmental Justice.

Increasing acknowledgement of climate change (CC) has encouraged various responses, such as education standard mandates. In 2021, New Jersey (NJ) became the first U.S. state to require K-12 CC education across subjects, effective fall 2022. This necessitated introductory science courses on CC to support high school (HS) curricula. Thus, NJ Safe Schools Program (NJSS) created a new course titled, "Introduction to HS Students to CC, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice (EJ)." Given that the COVID-19 pandemic continues (2020-2023 school years) and vaccination coverage varies, this course was developed and approved in an asynchronous online format. Its five modules cover environmental science, CC, natural disasters and extreme weather events, sustainability, including energy conservation and efficiency definitions, and EJ. A 20-question survey included at the end, modified/adapted from a larger nationwide U.S. Student Conservation Association (SCA) survey 2019-2020, examined the perspectives of HS students concerning CC. Selected volunteer NJ HS enlisted students (n = 82/128 finished) to pilot this course February-April 2022. Results such as average scores ≥90% suggested success regarding initial knowledge and awareness gained; for individual modules, two knowledge checks >80% and three knowledge checks >90%. The SCA survey results, overall and by region in NJ, highlighted how most students felt about CC and extreme weather events, plus issues such as EJ. This NJSS introductory course opened in July 2022 for NJ public county secondary school districts and comprehensive HS with approved career-technical education programs, and potentially elsewhere.

Perceptions of the Emotional Self for Adolescents Who Are Gifted

ABSTRACT Self-report, trait-based instruments have provided data about adolescents and their emotional development. However, a holistic and self-referential view of the emotionality of the adolescent who is gifted remains elusive. The theoretical framework of emotionality was tailored for this inquiry by combining two prominent theories of emotional intelligence with emotional development. This merge allowed for the generation of a large body of descriptive statements. These were sampled according to procedures in Q methodology to result in 41 statements, which were sorted by 28 adolescents identified as gifted by their public school district personnel. Q factor analyses revealed four types of emotionality among the gifted adolescents who participated, which were interpreted as Humanitarians, Politicians, Regulators, and Stabilizers. These findings provide insight into the self-descriptions of emotional lives of adolescents who are gifted.

Self-Efficacy towards Inclusive Education among Foreign Exchange Teachers in North Dakota

This descriptive-correlational study investigated the self-efficacy among foreign exchange teachers in handling students with disabilities in an inclusive classroom and it also identified the variables that had significant influence on their self-efficacy. The study consisted of 32 Filipino exchange teachers in special education and general education from a public school district in North Dakota, USA for school year 2021–2022. Data were collected electronically using a standardized tool that measured the self-efficacy to teach in inclusive classrooms and participants voluntarily accomplished the tool. The results revealed that the teachers had the highest level of efficacy in teaching students with disabilities in relation to collaboration, while their lowest level of efficacy is in managing the inappropriate behavior of the students with disabilities. The multiple linear regression analysis indicated that their teaching assignment whether they are special education teachers or general education teachers had a significant influence on their self-efficacy. Meanwhile, the variables like the grade level they belong to, the number of years of teaching in the U.S., and having experience in handling students with special needs did not have significant effect on their self-efficacy. Overall, the teachers’ high score was indicative of their positive teaching efficacy towards inclusion. This showed that the teachers believe in their ability in carrying out necessary activities that promote inclusive education. The results also implied that having specialized training and educational background in special education can influence their ability in implementing inclusive practices. It is recommended that the exchange teachers are given professional development programs that will enhance their effectiveness in handling students with special needs.

A Phenomenological Study of Black Female Secondary School Counselors and Their Experiences With Self-Care

This phenomenological study aimed to explore the self-care practices of Black female secondary school counselors serving in public school districts in central Indiana. Eight participants were recruited through purposive sampling and participated in semistructured interviews. Findings indicate that participants engage in various self-care practices but experience challenges in their school counseling roles that serve as barriers to self-care. Themes that emerged include (a) the struggle to engage in self-care, (b) school counselor role as a reminder for self-care, (c) Black identity related to personal boundaries, and (d) institutional barriers to self-care. The discussion highlights the importance of self-care for Black female secondary school counselors and the challenges they face. We explore implications for Black female school counselors, school counselors overall, school administrators, and school counselor training programs. Finally, we suggest future research in the self-care practices of Black female school counselors in different contexts.

Athletic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affect high school student-athletes social-emotional well-being.

To examine whether high school student-athletes who experienced more COVID-19 disruptions had increased anxiety, increased dejection, increased anger, decreased excitement, and decreased happiness as measured by the validated Sports Emotion Questionnaire (SEQ). During the COVID-19 pandemic high school student-athletes faced disruptions which resulted in cancelation of competitions, reduced in-person training sessions, and quarantine of athletes. The impact of these disruptions on the mental health and well-being of student-athletes is unknown. An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was electronically distributed to high school student-athletes in one school district during the spring of the 2020 to 21 academic year. Basic demographic questions, sport information, and personal and team disruptions were collected. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess correlation between each emotional domain on the SEQ with independent variables such as personal or teammate quarantines, cancelations, season, sport gender, indoor or outdoor location, and level of competition. 125 surveys were returned representing 28 different sports. Student-athletes who were personally quarantined (22.4%) during their athletic season experienced greater dejection (β = 0.78, P = .003) and greater anger (β = 0.78, P = .005). Those with teammates quarantined (61.6%) experienced more anxiety (β = 0.30, P = .048). Spring sports, which faced fewer restrictions, were associated with less anger (β = -0.48, P = .048). Student-athletes who were directly affected by COVID-19 disruptions experienced increased anxiety, more dejection, and more anger. Public health authorities and school districts should minimize disruptions to athletic participation using established COVID-19 safety protocols to avoid causing harm to athletes' social-emotional well-being. If athletics must be disrupted, student-athletes should receive wellness support and virtual or remote training options.

Negotiating for Meaning Along “Language Borders”: Refugee Families from Burma/Myanmar in a US Public School District

ABSTRACT How do Burmese refugee families navigate the linguistic and cultural landscapes of US school systems? How do school personnel respond (or not) to these families’ words and needs? The data in this ethnographic study led me to answer these questions by developing a grounded theory of a “language border” (as opposed to “barrier”), along which these families and school personnel negotiate for meaning around education. As a Burmese-language interpreter and participant-observer in family-school interactions, I describe four “landmarks,” or locations of cultural friction, on this “language border”: English and Burmese terms that are dictionary equivalents but carry different implications. The friction between these terms illustrates conflicting and evolving perceptions about schooling, as well as opportunities for new possibilities to emerge. My findings of this “language border” are significant for school personnel serving Burmese refugee families, and reflect issues that other refugee and immigrant groups may encounter in schools.

The enrolment reform of schools and housing price: Empirical evidence from Shanghai, China

Based on the housing transaction data from Shanghai of China, the Difference-in-Differences (DID) model is taken to evaluate the synchronous enrolment policy which aim to equalize access to public and private schools. The results indicate that the policy increased the housing prices of high-quality public primary school districts by an average of 1.6%. Moreover, the policy has different impacts on housing premium in elite school districts at different levels. The estimated values of the housing premium in top-, second- and third-class key primary schools district were 6.7%, 2.5% and −1.2%, respectively. The policy impacted mainly significantly on small-sized houses. For the houses smaller than 40m2 and 40–60m2, the housing premiums were 2.1% and 1.8% respectively. To eliminate the uncertainty of participating in public school enrolment after the failure of enrolment in private schools, many families gave up the rights to choose private schools and bought houses in high-quality public-school districts with lower enrolment risk. The policy inhibited the families’ zeal for choosing high-quality private schools, but intensified the competition of “school selection by housing” for high-quality public schools. In order to bridge the gap between public schools and private schools, systematic policy adjustments are suggested including “double reduction policy”, “muti-schools district policy”, etc.

Disrupting majoritarian narratives in high stakes testing: A critical race theory analysis of assessment

This article looks at high stakes standardized tests through the lens of critical race theory (CRT) tenet three (Capper, 2019), counter-storytelling and majoritarian narratives, and explores approaches to assessment that are culturally relevant and affirming. We discuss existing literature and research focused on the impact of high stakes testing, especially on marginalized communities, while also highlighting practices that honor the lived experiences and stories of these communities. We utilize a phenomenological methodology as we interview educators in a variety of positions within the same public school district in Texas in order to identify themes and trends in their perceptions of, and relationships to, high stakes standardized testing. The following three themes were identified: (a)majoritarian narratives, (b) perception of the assessment, and (c) change over time. We also identified examples and recommendations for culturally responsive and culturally affirming assessment practices and include specific examples and future implications and recommendations.

Applying an Ecological Systems Framework: How a Historically Black University, a Predominately White Institution, and a Public School System Created a Collaborative Undergraduate Research Experience

Abstract Guided by the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics and measures of competence provided by the Council on Social Work Education, the social work field serves as a model for strategies that promote collaboration across difference, strengths-based advocacy with communities, and education through engagement. These values and perspectives are relevant beyond social work, as they are applied in various disciplines and settings including educational systems. In academic environments, social workers and educators work together to facilitate the development of knowledge, attitudes, skills, and interactions that are individualized, empowering, equitable, strengths-focused, and culturally responsive among all individuals serving children in the school setting, including volunteers from the surrounding community. Using an ecological systems framework to explore the bidirectional relationships between individual student experiences, peer interactions, university–community connections, and collaboration with a local public school district, this article identifies how an interinstitutional student-engaged research partnership between a historically Black university, a predominately White institution, and a local school district models the power of a diverse and equitable collaboration with each subsystem positively contributing to the realization of social work values and ethics. Implications for public school students, staff, and surrounding communities are discussed.