School Board Policies Research Articles

Pulled In All Directions

Kindergarten educators are experiencing tensions with pedagogical approaches for early literacy learning (e.g., Forgie et al., 2022; Pyle et al., 2018). They feel pressured to abandon play-based approaches in favour of direct instruction due to changes in provincial curriculum and school board policies (e.g., OHRC, 2022). This paper highlights themes and responses by participants in a study with kindergarten educators during the fall of 2023. Challenges expressed included changing messages from school boards, a lack of clarity regarding direction, and the introduction of prescriptive programs. Suggestions of ways educators can build knowledge and agency through collaborative conversations will be shared.

Toward Equity and Transparency: A Content Analysis of Florida Elementary Acceleration Policies

In 2012, Florida adopted the Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) statute establishing minimum requirements for local education agencies to provide access to accelerated learning options for eligible K–12 public school students. This study examined Florida public school district acceleration policies for elementary students one decade after the enactment of the statute. We analyzed Student Progression Plans, school board policies, and district websites to explore the status of acceleration policy in the state, compare the accessibility of acceleration information across districts, and identify policy elements that support equity and those that create potential barriers for elementary students with advanced learning needs who could benefit from acceleration. The findings of this study indicated several areas for improvement, including the accessibility of acceleration information, the service options available to K–5 students, the protocols districts use, criteria for decision-making, and the implementation of acceleration. In addition, we discuss implications for school districts developing or revising acceleration policies and several avenues for future research. The preregistration and open-access materials for this study are available at https://osf.io/yc3xd/ .

Type 1 Diabetes in Ontario Schools: Policy and Practice

ObjectivesType 1 diabetes (T1D) is a challenging chronic condition. Young children with T1D require daily support to manage their condition while at school. In 2018, Ontario established a provincial policy to ensure safe and equitable school participation for children with diabetes. Despite this, children and parents describe very different school experiences. In this qualitative study we describe the interpretation and implementation of school board policy related to the care of children with T1D from the perspective of school educators (principals/teachers). MethodsPolicy documents were reviewed employing a qualitative descriptive research design using directed qualitative content analysis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 teachers and principals from 10 publicly funded elementary schools across the Hamilton and Toronto District School Boards in 2021. ResultsThere are major differences in how policies regarding T1D are being implemented in schools. This includes how school staff are educated about T1D, and how they interpret and act on blood glucose information. Although educators often play an active role in supporting children, many face barriers, including competing priorities, fear, lack of information, and lack of support. Facilitators include effective communication/collaboration, actionable information, time, and a diabetes “champion.” In some instances, access to nursing support could help to resolve barriers or create care gaps. ConclusionsSchool board policy provides high-level guidance on how to support children with T1D in school, but gaps remain. We provide specific recommendations regarding policy, staff education/training, roles and responsibilities, and future research.

Toby Goes to Catholic School: Gender Expression Human Rights, and Ontario Catholic School Board Policy

In this article, we share findings from an analysis of Ontario Catholic school board policy documents (N = 179) containing Canada’s newest human rights grounds: gender expression and gender identity. Our major finding may be unsurprising—that Ontario Catholic boards are generally not responding to Toby’s Act (passed in 2012) at the level of policy, as few boards have added these grounds in a way that enacts the spirit of that legislation. While this finding is likely unsurprising, our study also yielded findings that unsettle any facile binary of “Catholic boards/bad” and “public secular boards/good” in relation to gender diversity. We also leverage our findings to suggest a striking possibility for a vigorous and doctrinally-compatible embrace of gender expression protections in Catholic schools, if not gender identity protections. We argue that fear of gender expression protections may stem from an erroneous conflation of “gender expression” with “gender identity” when these are in fact separate grounds—a conflation that is also endemic within secular Ontario school board policy; this doubles as a conflation of gender expression with “transgender,” as the latter is unfailingly linked with gender identity human rights. We make a series of recommendations for policy, and a case for Catholic schools embracing their legal duty to provide a learning environment free from gender expression discrimination without doctrinal conflict and arguably with ample doctrinal support, so that students of all gender expressions can flourish regardless of whether they are or will come to know they are transgender.

P03-05 State of the Evidence of Active Living among Children and Youth in India: A Scoping Review Informing the Global Matrix 4.0

BackgroundThere is strong evidence of physical inactivity's link to global disease and economic burden. Physical inactivity among Indian children and youth has particular consequences for the global economy, as youth in India make up a substantial proportion of the world's workforce. As part of the 60-country Active Healthy Kids Alliance Global Matrix 4.0 initiative, a systematic scoping review was conducted to appraise the current state of evidence of active living among children and youth in India.MethodsA systematic search of peer-reviewed and grey literature published over the last decade was conducted for 11 indicators of active living: overall physical activity, organized sport participation, active play, active transportation, sedentary behavior, family and peers, school programs and policies, community and built environment, government strategies, physical fitness, and yoga. Data sources included national, state (i.e., province) and city-level surveys, as well as primary data from ongoing longitudinal studies. Relevant grey literature, including government reports and school board policies, were also reviewed.ResultsPhysical activity levels vary widely across India, with children and youth in rural settings accumulating greater moderate-to-vigorous activity and lower screen time compared to their urban counterparts. The majority of Indian children and youth report active transportation, however; they are not meeting recommended physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines. Despite the availability of many non-profit and organized programs, several indicators of active living including organized sports, active play, and yoga programming have not been evaluated for uptake or impact. Physical activity type and levels varied significantly across gender and socioeconomic status, with girls belonging to lower socioeconomic status having the greatest disadvantage due to cultural and safety perceptions.ConclusionsWhile the vast majority of Indian children and youth are not accumulating recommended physical activity levels, there are encouraging signs of active transportation and active play?a phenomenon that needs to be further explored in India and other high-, middle- and low-income countries. The findings point to widespread disparities in access to active living resources and infrastructure between urban and rural settings. Targeted programs, policies, and resource allocation are necessary to improve built environment and safety for children and youth.

Concussion Public Policy in Elementary and High Schools in Ontario, Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey to Examine Implementation Compliance, Barriers, and Facilitators.

Concussion public policies have been developed to address the burden of concussions. The aim of the present study was to examine implementation compliance, barriers, and facilitators of Canada's first concussion public policy, Ontario's Policy/Program Memorandum 158: School Board Policies on Concussion (PPM158). An electronic survey was sent to 515 randomly selected elementary and high school principals across specific geographic, language, and publicly funded school types in Ontario. Data were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. One hundred and thirty-five principals responded to the survey (26%). Concussion education was provided to teachers in 81% of schools, to students in 83%, and coaches in 79%. Additionally, 89% reported having a return-to-learn protocol in place and 90% reported having a return-to-play protocol. Implementation barriers included difficulties in providing concussion education to parents (42%), obtaining notes from physicians, and maintaining the volume of documentation. Eighty-seven percent of respondents believed that PPM158 improves student well-being. Identified implementation barriers and facilitators can inform concussion policy practices to improve student well-being. We recommend: (1) an appointed concussion policy lead at each school, (2) electronic documentation, (3) determining the optimal education format to improve parent/guardian education, (4) fostering relationships between schools and health care professionals, and (5) student concussion education in every grade in Ontario schools.

Effectiveness and Utilization of Field Trip as a Method of Teaching and Learning Chemistry in Senior Secondary Schools in a Council Area of Imo State, Nigeria

The study assessed the effectiveness and utilization of field trip as a method of teaching and learning chemistry at senior secondary schools in Owerri Municipal Council Area of Imo State, Nigeria. The population of the study was all the 4664 chemistry students in the government-owned secondary schools in the Council. Simple random sampling technique was used to select five schools and 20% of the numbers of chemistry students in each of the sampled schools were used to obtain the sample size of 288 chemistry students. Four research questions were posed for the study. The research was descriptive survey design and questionnaires were used to elicit relevant data while mean rating was used for the analyses of the data obtained for the study. The results gave grand means of 3.14, 1.70, 3.51 and 3.21 for research questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. These findings showed that field trip is interactive, motivating and provides opportunity for chemistry students to widen their practical knowledge of industrial application of chemistry; chemistry teachers do not utilize field trip in teaching and learning of chemistry; lack of chemistry and chemical process-based industries, time constraint, transportation cost/risk, and the organizing process are the factors that influence effective utilization of field trip. Based on the findings, it was recommended that school field trips should reinforce the curriculum and they should be arranged at every level of the Department at various times, criterion based set of guidelines for planning and conducting successful field trips should be developed; workshops and seminars should be organized for teachers on the importance of field trip and its utilization in the teaching and learning of chemistry. Again, when considering a field trip, teachers are advised to first consult with their administrator regarding existing school board policies and follow that recommended procedure. School authorities should assist in the provision of funds or transportation for field trips.

Taking Aim at Preventing School Shootings: A Comparative Analysis of School Board Policy Related to the Practice of Arming Educators

ABSTRACT The issue of school safety is of paramount concern but what is lacking is clarity on the best course of action aimed at bolstering safety in public schools. We sought to answer the following research questions: What topics are addressed in school board policies related to arming employees? What outlying policy topics are addressed in school board policies related to arming employees? The analyzed data came from 14 school district policies, in 13 states, that allow school district employees to access firearms at school. The qualitative analysis resulted in specific themes common in a majority of school district policies as well as outlier policy statements.

Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy: A Critical Analysis of School Board Policy Documents

Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy: A Critical Analysis of School Board Policy Documents

“It didn’t make me a better teacher”: inservice teacher constructions of dilemmas in high-stakes teacher evaluation

ABSTRACTThis article explores how inservice teachers articulate and challenge notions of effective teaching as part of an environment of high-stakes teacher evaluation (HSTE) in Tennessee. Drawing on data from public forum speeches at school board meetings, policy documents, and interviews, we used thematic discourse analysis to investigate how teacher effectiveness is discursively constructed by teachers. Findings demonstrate how participants drew upon competing definitions of effective teaching to build a discursive case for potential areas for improvement regarding the observation of teaching as part of HSTE policies. Because measures of teacher performance are an issue of much debate in the United States, teachers’ descriptions of the relationships between teaching evaluations, observations, professional development, and student learning are critical to understanding how to develop effective procedures for observation and evaluation. Implications for developing evaluation informed by teachers’ experiences are discussed.

Challenges and Changes Faced by Rural Superintendents

This research study was designed to build grounded theory about the challenges faced by rural superintendents. Participating rural superintendents identified five areas that presented a challenge but that also applied to superintendents in other settings: school law, finance, personnel, government mandates, and district or board policies. Further, these superintendents identified challenges related specifically to the rural setting and to their lack of acculturation to the demands of rural school leadership. Focus group research conducted among rural superintendents in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee indicated that the challenges of the rural superintendency were distinct enough to warrant some specialized preparation for such service.

Local-level philanthropic partnerships in public education: Dilemmas for equity and public responsibility

ABSTRACT Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have a growing presence in U.S. public schools in activities ranging from standardized testing to after-school programs to charter schools. A smaller scale mode of collaboration between public schools and private actors not typically described as a PPP is fundraising by parents and community members through parent–teacher associations or organizations (PTAs or PTOs) and school- or district-level foundations. These organizations have dramatically expanded fundraising in reaction to several trends. This article describes case studies of 2 districts in which school board policy was modified to address concerns that such fundraising produces inequity. In Newton, Massachusetts, and Bellevue, Washington, policy limits fundraising benefiting individual schools in favor of approaches to benefit the entire district. Drawing on interviews and public documents, the article examines how these policies were adopted and what approach they take to address inequity. It concludes by considering this phenomenon in relation to urban inequality and describing policy concerns on the horizon related to philanthropy of this nature.

School Policy and Transgender Identity Expression: A Study of School Administrators’ Experiences

School administrators are charged with establishing and enforcing school policies that provide safe and equitable learning environments for all students while adhering to state and federal laws as well as adopted school board policies. This qualitative research focuses on school administrators’ experiences with transgender students’ identity expression as it relates to school policies and student body experiences of transgender inclusion. Implications for district and building policy are also discussed.

Contested spaces: trans-inclusive school policies and parental sovereignty in Canada

ABSTRACTThis article analyses five public consultation meetings about revisions to an LGBTQ-related school board policy on unceded Coast Salish territory in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. These meetings focused largely on the new provision that students in publicly funded schools be allowed to use the washroom that corresponds with their gender identity. Almost all of the objections to the policy revisions were articulated by parents of non-queer, or not openly queer students. We found that these parental concerns centred around two perennial issues in Canadian educational studies; namely, how schools regulate students’ gender identities and expressions, and the role of the state in publicly funded schooling. We conclude by drawing upon emerging literature on best practices for trans youth in schools to offer alternative visions for how these issues can be better addressed with the public, and parents in particular.

Local Social Media Policies Governing Teachers’ Professionally Oriented Participation Online: a Content Analysis

In light of recent scholarship about teachers leveraging social media to support their continuing professional development, this article documents an investigation of school board policies governing teachers’ use of social media. Focusing on 30 traditional public school systems within a 10-county region in the Midwestern United States, the author collected social media policies and conducted an ethnographic content analysis to build an understanding of the policies that stand to guide teachers’ professionally oriented participation online. Of the 30 public school districts included in the study, 19 districts published policies specific to teachers’ use of social media. Reporting the study’s findings, the author addresses the districts’ efforts to craft policies that define social media, reiterate relevant pre-existing policies and support educational uses of social media. Implications for teachers, teacher educators and policymakers are included.

School Board Policies on Prevention and Management of Anaphylaxis in İstanbul: Where Do We Stand?

Allergic diseases with a potential for anaphylaxis pose a critical public health issue in schools. This study was carried out to identify the current status of prevention and management of anaphylaxis in school children with the main goal of establishing such an action plan. Cross-sectional study. Schools were randomly selected from 11 different regions of Istanbul. A questionnaire was filled out by 2596 teachers/school principals from 232 public schools. A school safety committee was absent in 80% of elementary schools (ES) and 60.8% of preschools (PS). Although some form of health recording system was available in many schools, no such system was available in 24.5% of ESs and 10% of PSs. A specific inquiry for detecting children with food allergies was a routine practice in only 4% of ES and 10% of PS. Approximately 27% of teachers stated that monitoring children in school places was not possible at all times. Eighty four percent stated that no written anaphylaxis treatment protocol was available in their school and only around 2.3% in ES and 3.1% in PS stated that they would perform an epinephrine injection in the event of anaphylaxis. Our survey demonstrated critical gaps in the organization of schools for the management of children at risk of anaphylaxis. Data derived from this study would provide the initiative for legislators to review the current situation of school health policies along with the relevant authorities to establish school anaphylaxis guidelines.

A Foucauldian analysis of literary text selection practices and educational policies in Ontario, Canada

Like schools, curricula are socially constructed and constituted within broader social, political, and historical relations of power, powerfully shaping students’ beliefs and attitudes about themselves and their relationship toward the world. In light of this, the importance of literature selection cannot be overstated. School-sanctioned texts often provide the core curriculum, and secondary school English teachers rely on them heavily. The self-regulatory practices a teacher engages in will shape not only how the teacher begins to understand the self, but also works to construct an ‘appropriate’ teacher identity. Using a Foucauldian theoretical lens, this paper draws upon findings from a synthesis of school board policies and interviews with English teachers and department heads in Ontario, Canada, to explore the discursive practices that shape literary text selection.

Factors That Influence School Board Policy Making

Purpose: This article examines factors that affect school board policy making about student diversity within two southern urban-suburban school districts experiencing changing demographics: Jefferson County Public Schools and the Wake County Public School System. Both districts have a history of voluntary integration efforts, and research shows that racially diverse countywide districts can make integration more feasible. However, as courts constrain mechanisms used in policies to establish/maintain racial integration, it is crucial to examine how school boards make policy decisions while navigating the politics of their communities and competing conceptions surrounding racial diversity. Research Method/Approach: This study employed qualitative case study methods to understand under what circumstances school boards are creating policy, paying particular attention to the local sociopolitical and geographic contexts. Data collected consisted of 37 interviews with school district officials and community stakeholders. Mainstream and specialty media articles, legal documents, and policy documents from the districts or other governmental bodies also helped frame the local contexts. Findings and Lessons Learned: The two districts in our study illustrate political and legal factors that create complex environments to pursue school-level diversity even in districts with a long history of diversity policies. Our study also illustrates the difficult role of the superintendent and school boards in leading diverse communities with different histories and experiences as they navigate the local politics of diversity amid a variety of competing policy goals. We conclude with implications including the importance of remaining vigilant about student diversity efforts and perfecting technical details to minimize politicization about diversity policies.

The Success of Gay–Straight Alliances in Waterloo Region, Ontario: A Confluence of Political and Social Factors

This article outlines how gay–straight alliances (GSAs) work to connect youth with community resources, and outlines the political and social context of GSAs in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. Fifteen individuals (youth, teachers, and a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer [LGBTQ] youth service provider) participated in interviews about the role of GSAs in creating supportive school environments for LGBTQ youth and their allies. Analyses of the interview data found that, apart from providing direct support to LGBTQ students, GSAs in Waterloo Region decrease isolation by connecting youth with other LGBTQ community members, events, and resources. This article discusses how the confluence of government and school board policy and community agency support facilitates the implementation, maintenance, and success of GSAs.

Outside Speakers can Arouse Conflict

Outside speakers can enhance the education that schools offer students. They also can lead to lawsuits, protests, and new school board policies.