School Mandates Research Articles

Promoting 21st Century Health and Wellness Skills in Elementary School Children: a Group Randomized Trial

In a group randomized trial of 45 elementary schools, a whole-child health and wellness curriculum introduced as a regular part of the educational programming was compared to education as usual over 2 years with a 2-year follow-up. The curriculum focused on integrating multiple SEL skills—mindfulness, compassion, and physical awareness—with the intent to advantage developmental patterns for these skills, academic engagement, personal well-being, and student behavior. The program design and trial implementation were launched with end-use delivery and long-term sustainability as integral considerations. Effects were shown for several SEL skills and behavioral indicators previously robustly correlated to long-term outcomes. Effects were demonstrated more broadly in schools serving high-poverty communities, suggesting the impact was stronger where the need was greater. Results are interpreted regarding supporting school-based SEL, the potential of applying group randomized trials with end-use conditions of implementation, and the value of fitting innovation efforts to school system operations, mandates, and priorities for promoting sustainability.

Facilitators and barriers of HPV vaccination: a qualitative study in rural Georgia

IntroductionHuman papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination protects against HPV-associated cancers and genital warts. Healthy People 2030 goal for HPV vaccine uptake is 80%, but as of 2021, only 58.5% of adolescents are up to date in Georgia. The purpose of the study is to assess the attitudes, vaccine practices, facilitators, and barriers to receiving the HPV vaccine in southwest Georgia.MethodsWe conducted 40 semi-structured interviews in the United States from May 2020-Feburary 2022 with three different audiences (young adults, parents, and providers and public health professionals) guided by the P3 (patient-, provider-, practice-levels) Model. The audiences were recruited by multiple methods including fliers, a community advisory board, Facebook ads, phone calls or emails to schools and health systems, and snowball sampling. Young adults and parents were interviewed to assess their perceived benefits, barriers, and susceptibility of the HPV vaccine. Providers and public health professionals were interviewed about facilitators and barriers of patients receiving the HPV vaccine in their communities. We used deductive coding approach using a structured codebook, two coders, analyses in MAXQDA, and matrices.ResultsOut of the 40 interviews: 10 young adults, 20 parents, and 10 providers and public health professionals were interviewed. Emerging facilitator themes to increase the uptake of the HPV vaccine included existing knowledge (patient level) and community outreach, providers’ approach to the HPV vaccine recommendations and use of educational materials in addition to counseling parents or young adults (provider level) and immunization reminders (practice level). Barrier themes were lack of knowledge around HPV and the HPV vaccine (patient level), need for strong provider recommendation and discussing the vaccine with patients (provider level), and limited patient reminders and health education information around HPV vaccination (practice level). Related to socio-ecology, the lack of transportation and culture of limited discussion about vaccination in rural communities and the lack of policies facilitating the uptake of the HPV vaccine (e.g., school mandates) were described as challenges.ConclusionThese interviews revealed key themes around education, knowledge, importance of immunization reminders, and approaches to increasing the HPV vaccination in rural Georgia. This data can inform future interventions across all levels (patient, provider, practice, policy, etc.) to increase HPV vaccination rates in rural communities.

"Black Is Not Monolithic": Complexities in COVID-19 Vaccine Decision-Making.

Longstanding inequities in the USA have resulted in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black Americans. Coupled with medical mistrust, COVID-19 vaccine uptake is lower in Black populations. We sought to understand the perspectives of Black parents on the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 vaccination for themselves and their children, and trust with the medical community. Using qualitative methodology, we conducted in-depth semi-structured in-person interviews of Black parents of children admitted to the inpatient pediatric units in our tertiary academic medical center in Connecticut from July to November 2021. We used the grounded theory approach, and the constant comparative method until saturation was reached. We interviewed 20 parents who identified as Black; 50% were vaccinated against COVID-19. The following 5 themes and sub-themes emerged: (1) mixed feelings influenced COVID-19 vaccine decision-making ranging from much needed relief and feelings of uncertainty, distrust, and fear; (2) COVID-19 vaccine uptake was influenced by individual and family's health concerns and job or school mandates; (3) deferring the COVID-19 vaccine was influenced by the perception of risk and concerns about vaccine integrity; (4) institutional mistrust within the Black community bred by systemic racism influenced vaccine decision-making; and (5) conflicted feelings about the COVID-19 vaccine for their child. Our findings reiterate the complexities around vaccine decision-making and underscore the importance of recognizing the pervasive influence of institutional mistrust when counseling Black families about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Early Childhood Field Experience Supervision: Negotiating Praxis

This case examines the complex partnership between the university teacher education program and the host school district. Many factors contribute to the expectations and requirements of both institutions, which can at times, conflict in fundamental ways. The theoretical and research-based methods of early childhood coursework are often different than the reality of those classrooms. Furthermore, the adoption of initiatives like, Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading standards by university teacher education programs must translate to the fieldwork. School and district-wide mandates often overrule best pedagogical and developmentally appropriate practices. With these opposing perspectives how can supervisors bridge the gap between the university classroom and the primary classroom? How can supervisors support teacher candidates and mentor teachers in negotiating rigid curricular programming, and maintain professional partnerships?

Acceptance and hesitancy of parents to vaccinate children against coronavirus disease 2019 in Saudi Arabia.

BackgroundVaccination of masses against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is critical to overcome the pandemic and restore normalcy. However, vaccine refusal and hesitancy prevail in many countries. COVID-19 has rapidly spread in Saudi Arabia since 2020. The acceptance rate of COVID-19 vaccines has been investigated in adults aged >18 years in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to understand the acceptance and hesitancy of parents to vaccinate children aged <12 years against COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia and identify strategies that can encourage their engagement.MethodsWe used an online cross-sectional survey distributed to parents who lived in all regions of Saudi Arabia to investigate parents’ views on the acceptability of a future COVID-19 vaccine for their children aged <12 years. Five hundred parents living in Saudi Arabia completed the survey.ResultsThe survey indicated that mothers were more enthusiastic about participating in the study than fathers. The participant aged 37.31 ± 8.52 years. A total of 38.6% of participants refused to vaccinate their children. Additionally, 56% were unsure if the vaccine would cause serious side effects in children. A total of 48.8% of parents believed that the Pfizer vaccine was suitable for children, while 64.5% failed to decide whether to administer vaccines to their children.ConclusionVaccine hesitancy remains a major problem worldwide. A lack of scientific evidence on vaccine efficacy, low education level, and reduced level of health education and promotion are the most common factors in parents in Saudi Arabia. However, some participants agreed to receive vaccines only to protect their family members, and due to governmental rules and school mandates. Therefore, vaccine efficacy and safety in children must be clearly communicated to the public. This information would aid in reducing the hesitancy of parents to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.

School Mandate and Influenza Vaccine Uptake Among Prekindergartners in New York City, 2012-2019.

New York City (NYC) introduced a universal prekindergarten program in 2014 that mandated influenza vaccination for enrollment. We conducted a difference-in-difference-in-differences study to evaluate the program using 2012 to 2019 MarketScan claims data. After the introduction of the program, influenza vaccine uptake among four-year-old children in NYC during the subsequent seasons increased by 6.3 to 9.8 percentage points compared with the rest of New York State. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(5):719-723. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306765).

179. Individual and State-level Factors Associated with Receipt of Multiple Recommended Adolescent Vaccines in the United States

BackgroundThe Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) routinely recommends several adolescent vaccines, including human papillomavirus (HPV); quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY); and tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines. Limited data are available on the percentage of adolescents receiving this complement of ACIP-recommended vaccines and factors that may increase likelihood of completion.MethodsThis study used 2015–18 pooled National Immunization Survey-Teen (NIS-Teen) data to estimate national and state-level completion rates by age 17 of a two-dose MenACWY series, two- or three- dose HPV series (depending on age at first vaccination), and a Tdap vaccine, using multivariable logistic regression modeling to adjust for individual characteristics. NIS-Teen data were then combined with public state-level data to construct a multilevel model evaluating effects of both individual- and state-level factors on completion.ResultsAfter adjusting for individual-level factors, the national completion rate for these ACIP-recommended vaccines by age 17 was 30.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.1–31.0%). However, rates for individual states varied substantially, from 11.3% in Idaho (CI: 6.9–18.0%) to 56.4% in Rhode Island (CI: 49.8–62.8%) (Figure 1).In the multilevel model, individual characteristics associated with increased likelihood of receiving the recommended vaccines by age 17 included female gender, black or Hispanic race, Medicaid coverage (vs. private/other), last provider visit at age 16 or 17, generally having ≥1 provider visit in last year, and receiving a provider recommendation for HPV vaccination. Residing in a state with a MenACWY vaccination mandate for elementary and secondary schools was the only state-level variable that significantly increased the likelihood of completion (odds ratio: 1.6; CI: 1.2–2.3) (Figure 2).Figure 1: Model-Adjusted Completion Rates of ACIP-Recommended HPV, MenACWY, and Tdap Vaccines by Age 17 Years in the United States, 2015–18. ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; HPV, human papillomavirus; MenACWY, quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate; Tdap, tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis. Note: Vaccination completion is based on completion of the HPV series (i.e., receipt of 2 doses for individuals aged 9–14 years at first vaccination or receipt of 3 doses for individuals aged 15 years or older at first vaccination), completion of the MenACWY series (i.e., receipt of 2 doses), and receipt of a Tdap vaccine. Note: Model-adjusted composite vaccination completion is adjusted for sex, race/ethnicity, mother’s educational attainment, health insurance status, continuity of health insurance coverage since age 11, whether the individual was 16 or 17 years old at their last checkup, number of physician or other healthcare professional visits in past 12 months, whether a doctor or other healthcare professional ever recommended that the individual receive HPV vaccination, and state. The model-adjusted estimate is generated by taking the average of the predicted probability of vaccination for each individual as if they were all from the same state (while retaining all other characteristics). Figure 2: Individual-Level and State-Level Characteristics Associated with an Individual’s Completion of ACIP-Recommended HPV, MenACWY, and Tdap Vaccines by Age 17 Years in the United States, 2015–18. ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; CI, confidence interval; HCP, healthcare professional; HPV, human papillomavirus; MenACWY, quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate; ref, referent category; Tdap, tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis. Note: Bold characters and darker circles indicate significant results. Note: Vaccination completion is based on completion of the HPV series (i.e., receipt of 2 doses for individuals aged 9–14 years at first vaccination or receipt of 3 doses for individuals aged 15 years or older at first vaccination), completion of the MenACWY series (i.e., receipt of 2 doses), and receipt of a Tdap vaccine. ConclusionRecommended adolescent vaccine completion rates are suboptimal and highly variable across states. Provider recommendations, visits at 16–17 years of age, and state mandates for MenACWY are implementable strategies associated with completion of recommended adolescent vaccines.FundingGlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA (study identifier: HO-19-19991)Disclosures Elizabeth M. La, PhD, RTI Health Solutions (Employee) Diana Garbinsky, MS, GSK (Other Financial or Material Support, The study was conducted by RTI Health Solutions, which received consultancy fees from GSK. I am a salaried employee at RTI Health Solutions and received no direct compensation from GSK for the conduct of this study..) Shannon Hunter, MS, GSK (Other Financial or Material Support, Ms. Hunter is an employee of RTI Health Solutions, who received consultancy fees from GSK for conduct of the study. Ms. Hunter received no direct compensation from the Sponsor.) Sara Poston, PharmD, The GlaxoSmithKline group of companies (Employee, Shareholder) Patricia Novy, PhD, GSK (Employee, Shareholder) Parinaz Ghaswalla, PhD, ORCID: 0000-0002-2883-5590, GlaxoSmithKline (Employee, Shareholder)

The State of HPV Vaccination in Rhode Island: Qualifying Outcomes of a School Entry Vaccine Mandate [17A

INTRODUCTION: In 2015, RI became one of two states and Washington, DC to mandate HPV vaccination for school entry and RI's is the only mandate to include boys. Previous studies have described longitudinal trends in HPV vaccination rates in RI but no studies to date have evaluated factors predictive of vaccine series completion. The goal of this project was to identify factors predictive of up-to-date HPV vaccination status in RI and evaluate how factors change in the face of an implemented mandate. METHODS: Data were extracted from the National Immunization Survey-Teen for years 2012–2017 and then transformed and analyzed in Julia. Binomial logistic regression modeling was applied to evaluate predictive factors related to up-to-date vaccination status for RI teens surrounding implementation of the school mandate. RESULTS: In the pre-mandate period, maternal education level and income level were predictive (p less than 0.05) of up-to-date vaccine status for girls. In the post-mandate period, maternal education level and income level remained predictive in addition to patient-reported provider recommendation for girls (p less than 0.05). No factors in the pre- or post-mandate period were predictive of up-to-date status for boys. CONCLUSION: Parent-reported provider recommendation was predictive of up-to-date HPV vaccination status for girls in RI in the setting of a vaccine mandate. Qualifying significant predictors of HPV vaccine series completion and effectiveness of provider recommendation is important at the individual and policy level for implementing, evaluating, and improving the efficacy of an opt-in versus opt-out structure of HPV vaccination.

Policy support for expanding the adolescent vaccine school mandate in Pennsylvania to include the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine

Approximately 27,000 men and women are affected by human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer every year. The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) routinely recommend that adolescents receive HPV, tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis [Tdap]) and meningococcal (MCV) vaccines at age 11-12 years. Although the CDC and professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics make national vaccine recommendations, according to the National Vaccine Information Center, it is the responsibility of "state health departments to make and enforce vaccine mandates for school entry." The Pennsylvania Department of Health has only mandated two of the recommended three vaccinations: Tdap and MCV. As of 2016, 92% of adolescents aged 13-17 years in Pennsylvania received the Tdap vaccine and 92.7% received the MCV. However, only 58% of females and 44.4% of males aged 13-17 years received all three doses of the HPV vaccine. A comparison of HPV vaccine rates in states with school mandates was compared with Pennsylvania rates. Human papillomavirus vaccination rates were found to be significantly higher in the District of Columbia and Rhode Island, which have HPV vaccine school-entry requirements, supporting the need for a statewide HPV mandate in Pennsylvania.

The evolution of immunization waiver education in Michigan: A qualitative study of vaccine educators

BackgroundIn 2015, Michigan implemented an education requirement for parents who requested nonmedical exemptions from school or daycare immunization mandates. Michigan required parents to receive education from public health staff, unlike other states, whose vaccine education requirements could be completed online or at physicians’ offices. Methods and FindingsResults of focus group interviews with 39 of Michigan’s vaccine waiver educators, conducted during 2016 and 2017, were analyzed to identify themes describing educators’ experiences of waiver education. The core theme that emerged from the data was that educators changed their perception of the purpose of waiver education, from convincing vaccine-refusing parents to vaccinate their children to promoting more diffuse and forward-looking goals. ConclusionsMichigan, and other communities that require vaccine waiver education, ought to investigate whether and how waiver education contributes to public health goals other than short-term vaccination compliance. Research shows that education requirements can decrease nonmedical exemption rates by discouraging some parents from applying for exemptions, but further studies are needed to identify ways in which waiver education can promote other public health goals, while minimizing costs and burdens on staff.

Litigating Alternative Facts: School Mandates in the Courts

In June 2015, California's governor signed into law SB277, which removed the personal belief exemption to school immunization requirements, making medical exemptions the only valid way to send an unvaccinated child in the affected categories to school. Naturally, vaccine-hesitant parents opposed the legislation. After their efforts failed in the legislature, they turned to the courts, raising arguments old and new. To date, the five lawsuits opponents filed against the new law failed. This Article explains why courts in the United States, which consistently upheld school immunization requirements, are correct to do so. These requirements are supported by strong policy reasons, since they dramatically reduce the risk of outbreaks of potentially deadly diseases, and fit with our basic principles of state police power, reasonable limits on individual rights, and protecting children. They are also supported by over a hundred years of jurisprudence. Using the opponents' arguments to identify the strongest claims against SB277, the Article explains why those arguments - including claims based in the First Amendment, in parental rights, and in the right to education - cannot stand.

A Constructive Reframing of Student Roles and Systems Learning in Medical Education Using a Communities of Practice Lens.

Health systems are in the midst of a transformation that is being driven by a variety of forces. This has important implications for medical educators because clinical practice environments play a key role in learning and professional development, and evolving health systems are beginning to demand that providers have "systems-ready" knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Such implications provide a clear mandate for medical schools to modify their goals and prepare physicians to practice flexibly within teams and effectively contribute to the improvement of health care delivery. In this context, the concepts of value-added medical education, authentic student roles, and health systems science are emerging as increasingly important. In this Article, the authors use a lens informed by communities of practice theory to explore these three concepts, examining the implications that the communities of practice theory has in the constructive reframing of educational practices-particularly common student roles and experiences-and charting future directions for medical education that better align with the needs of the health care system. The authors apply several key features of the communities of practice theory to current experiential roles for students, then propose a new approach to students' clinical experiences-value-added clinical systems learning roles-that provides students with opportunities to make meaningful contributions to patient care while learning health systems science at the patient and population level. Finally, the authors discuss implications for professional role formation and anticipated challenges to the design and implementation of value-added clinical systems learning roles.

Adolescent Vaccines: Latest Recommendations, Addressing Barriers, and Improving Vaccine Rates.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that the Tdap, HPV, and meningitis vaccines be administered to youth beginning between the ages of 11 and 12. The school nurse, knowledgeable about vaccine schedules and the rationale for the schedules, is in a unique position to advocate for all adolescent vaccines and their timely administration through addressing parent-guardian concerns and supporting other healthcare providers in completing the adolescent vaccines. This article reviews current recommendations for adolescent vaccinations and the actions needed to improve vaccination rates with a focus on Human Papillomavirus vaccine, the vaccine with the lowest completion rates among this age group. Additionally, school nurses are introduced to Middle School Health Starts Here, a program for school nurses designed to address the whole child as students progress from 5th grade to middle school. Public policy issues including school mandates, along with possible barriers to vaccine completion in adolescents, are discussed.

Boys Get the Cervical Cancer Virus? Understanding How Parents of Boys Feel About the HPV Vaccine

Goal: The human papilloma virus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that can lead to several cancers in men and women (Markowitz, 2007). The vaccine was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 and was marketed as a vaccine for girls aged 9 to 26 to fight against cervical cancer. In 2009, the FDA with guidance from the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices approved the vaccine for boys as well (FDA, 2010). Both vaccines are now recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control for adolescent males and females (CDC, 2015). The U.S. Health and Human Services “Healthy People 2020” campaign has a goal of 80 percent uptake of three doses of the HPV vaccine for girls and boys by the year 2020. However, vaccine rates are low – only 38 percent of females and 14 percent of males receive all three doses of the HPV vaccine (Stokely et al, 2014). The results of this study will help guide campaigns to increase the uptake of this anti-cancer vaccine to meet this ambitious goal. Much of the existing literature looks at parental attitudes toward daughters receiving the vaccine. The purpose of this study is to understand parental attitudes toward the vaccine for sons that are potential barriers to vaccination. Theoretical framework/theories used: For this research, we used the Health Belief Model and the Social Learning Therapy.Research question: Do parents of male children have the same interests and concerns about the HPV vaccine as to the parents of female children?Method: Thomas and colleagues (2013) created a nurse-led survey instrument to gauge parental attitudes, primarily of parents of females, toward the vaccine. For this study, the survey instrument has been altered to specifically focus on parents of boys aged 18 and younger and their knowledge and attitudes toward the HPV vaccine for their sons. Open ended-questions also collected qualitative data that was analyzed. Results: A total of 252 surveys were initiated and 185 surveys were ultimately completed. The results show that generally parents are supportive of the HPV vaccine. Thirty-two percent of respondents said their sons had already received the HPV and 60 percent of parents said they would have their sons vaccinated for the vaccine, even if it is not required by a school mandate. Overall, parents of boys still have a lot to learn about HPV and how it is spread. Only 26 percent of respondents correctly recognized that condoms are not effective at stopping the spread of HPV while 26 percent also believed that a person with HPV is unable to have children. That said, they did correctly identify that HPV is related to cancer. Eighty-five percent of respondents correctly identified that HPV can cause cervical and anal cancers in women. Forty-nine percent of respondents correctly identified that HPV leads to penile, anal and testicular cancers. However, more telling is that 45 percent of respondents are unsure if HPV leads to those cancers in men.

Systematic review of the effect of immunization mandates on uptake of routine childhood immunizations

The efficacy of immunization mandates for childcare or school entry is a long-standing controversy. The United States (US) adopted school entry immunization mandates in the 1800s, while most countries still do not have mandates. The objective of this systematic review was to analyze the evidence that immunization uptake increases with mandates. A search was conducted for studies that compared immunization uptake in a population prior to and after mandates, or in similar populations with one group having and the other not having mandates. Data were extracted and synthesized qualitatively due to the heterogeneity of study design. Eleven before-and-after studies and ten studies comparing uptake in similar populations with and without mandates were included. Studies were from the US (n=18), France (n=1) and Canada (n=2). Eleven of the 21 studies looked at middle school mandates. All but two studies showed at least a trend towards increased uptake with mandates. Higher uptake was associated with a more long-standing mandate. Immunization mandates have generally led to increased short-term and long-term uptake in the group to whom the mandate applies. Many studies have centered around middle school mandates in the US and there is a paucity of studies of childcare mandates or of studies of mandates in other countries or in settings with relatively high baseline immunization uptake.

Teen Pregnancy Policy: An Analysis of the Healthy Teens Act

The purpose of my research paper is to analyze the proposed bill called the Healthy Teens Act. This bill would provide grant funding for comprehensive sexual education programs in New York State. The Healthy Teens Act would also establish standards for all programs receiving funding including medical accuracy, providing culturally appropriate and unbiased information, family communication, and healthy decision-making skills. The Healthy Teens Act would award grants to programs that exemplify these standards and would set high-need communities as a priority. Currently, there is no legal mandate for schools to teach sexual education in public schools in New York State, with the exception of HIV/AIDS education. The only incentive given to schools is federal funding for abstinence-only sexual education programs. In my paper, I compare the two different types of programs and their approaches to providing sexual education. I ultimately hope to show how a comprehensive sexual education program would ultimately be more effective in reducing teen pregnancy rates.

Assessment in Performance-Based Secondary Music Classes

After sharing research findings about grading and assessment practices in secondary music ensemble classes, we offer examples of commonly used assessment tools (ratings scale, checklist, rubric) for the performance ensemble. Then, we explore the various purposes of assessment in performance-based music courses: (1) to meet state, national, and school mandates; (2) to provide documentation for grades; (3) to improve individual musicianship and understanding; and (4) to improve instruction. Finally, we conclude with assessment dilemmas and questions for consideration.

Vaccines, School Mandates, and California's Right to Education

California recently enacted Senate Bill 277, which abolishes the personal-beliefs exemption to school immunization requirements. One possible challenge to the law’s constitutionality is that it impermissibly limits the right to education. This Essay rebuts such positions. California’s jurisprudence regarding access to education applies to protected categories; it does not limit the ability of the state to impose health and safety regulations such as immunization requirements. Moreover, the requirement would withstand even strict scrutiny, if applied, because disease prevention in the school context is a compelling interest and there is no alternative that is as effective. Finally, the law actually protects the right of access to education for those whose parents do not have the luxury of choice, such as immune-compromised children, while still reasonably preserving parental choice overall.

School–Community Partnerships, Friend or Foe? The Doublespeak of Community With Educational Partnerships

In recent reform efforts, school–community partnerships have been touted as a means for promoting student success (Decker, Decker, & Brown 2007; Epstein 2010) and meeting student needs (Hands 2010). Yet, despite any accolades, the motives and results of school–community partnerships are contested. Gary Anderson (1998) points out that partnerships tend to be designed to graft members into prior objectives and goals instead of being designed to facilitate staff members in working together to redefine goals. Auerbach (2010) echoes this concern, suggesting that the literature regarding school partnerships focuses primarily on academic achievement while operating under “limited school agendas or mandates for collaboration” which do little to promote “socially just” schools (p. 729). And, schools are egregiously unjust. Thus, in this article, I first evaluate the school–community partnership in a new light by broadly conceptualizing how community exists as a term within the public education system and considering the impact of the historical situatedness of communities and political lines on renderings of community. Second, I offer an understanding of how school–community partnerships are discussed in terms of doublespeak, illustrating how the very word community can be employed across a spectrum of different meanings, interpretations, and implications. Last, I argue that community partnerships have been promoted as educational reform with little prospect of challenging meta-narratives that tell a story of who has something to offer to our schools and who does not.

Constituting the Identity of an Elementary School Teacher in the 21st Century World of Teaching and Learning

The study uses teacher identity as a lens to explore how teachers make sense of their work and constitute professional identities in the often complex world of teaching and learning. Three teachers who completed the same teacher preparation program and taught in the same school district were observed and interviewed for the study in 2009-2010. A multiple case methodology was used to explore the question: How do teachers who go through the same teacher preparation program and teach in the same school district constitute their professional identities? Findings indicate that school and district mandates have a strong influence in shaping teacher identities because these mandates appeared to either limit or distract teacher reflective practices. It was found that teachers caught up in the logic of the mandated curricular and assessments were less likely to use constructivist frameworks to understand student perspectives or to connect with the lived experiences of their students. On the other hand, it was found if a teacher was engaged in critical inquiry about teaching and learning, that teacher was likely to use multiple assessment strategies to understand students, and was likely to engage student learning through open-ended, classroom conversations. We concluded that since a teacher is the single most important factor affecting student achievement, school districts should be forums for continuous teacher learning. The goal for such learning should be to create adaptive experts or – teachers who continually expand the breadth and depth of their expertise. Additionally, such learning should be both practice –centered and inquiry oriented.