An empirical examination of the Indian Child Welfare Act and its impact on cultural and familial preservation for American Indian children

OBJECTIVE: Cultural and familial ties are crucial for the overall well-being of children. Extant research and permanency planning practices support the reunification of children with their families when possible. In 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted to promote cultural and familial preservation for Indian children, but sparse empirical research has examined the implementation and outcomes associated with this landmark legislation. This article examines the relationship between compliance with ICWA in one Southwestern state and the rate of reunification of Indian children with family or tribal members following out-of-home placement. METHOD: Public child protection records were reviewed for 49 ICWA-eligible children who were placed in alternate care. Data were collected on compliance with placement type, use of qualified expert witnesses, and incorporation of Indian culture and resources. Additionally, 78 state caseworkers and 16 tribal workers were surveyed regarding knowledge and attitudes about three areas of compliance. RESULTS: Case record reviews indicated that the majority (83%) of Indian children were placed according to preferences outlined by ICWA. Almost all cases included a court finding that active efforts were applied to prevent family breakup. While state workers reported limited understanding of many ICWA's requirements, both state and tribal workers reported a high level of state-tribal cooperation in working with Indian families and children. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study point to two major patterns of findings: (1) individual case record reviews suggest compliance with ICWA; and (2) differences exist in knowledge and perceptions of ICWA by state and tribal workers. Furthermore, state child protection systems should follow the American Indian lead in further emphasizing cultural and familial ties for children. Highlighting such ties acknowledges the importance of reunification and cultural and familial preservation to enable children to have a clear sense of tradition and belonging. Evidence indicates that compliance with ICWA promotes better outcomes through reunification.     

Can the Arts Get Under the Skin? Arts and Cortisol for Economically Disadvantaged Children

This within‐subjects experimental study investigated the influence of the arts on cortisol for economically disadvantaged children. Participants were 310 children, ages 3–5 years, who attended a Head Start preschool and were randomly assigned to participate in different schedules of arts and homeroom classes on different days of the week. Cortisol was sampled at morning baseline and after arts and homeroom classes on two different days at start, middle, and end of the year. For music, dance, and visual arts, grouped and separately, results of piecewise hierarchical linear modeling with time‐varying predictors suggested cortisol was lower after an arts versus homeroom class at middle and end of the year but not start of the year. Implications concern the impact of arts on cortisol for children facing poverty risks.     

Examining agreement and longitudinal stability among traditional and RTI-based definitions of reading disability using the affected-status agreement statistic

Rates of agreement among alternative definitions of reading disability and their 1- and 2-year stabilities were examined using a new measure of agreement, the affected-status agreement statistic. Participants were 288,114 first through third grade students. Reading measures were Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Oral Reading Fluency and Nonsense Word Fluency, and six levels of severity of poor reading were examined (25th, 20th, 15th, 10th, 5th, and 3rd percentile ranks). Four definitions were compared, including traditional unexpected low achievement and three response-to-intervention-based definitions: low achievement, low growth, and dual discrepancy. Rates of agreement were variable but only poor to moderate overall, with poorest agreement between unexpected low achievement and the other definitions. Longitudinal stability was poor, with poorest stability for the low growth definition. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The Evolution and Fragmentation of Olympic Media Consumption and Its Impact on the Entertainment Value of the 2018 Winter Olympics

This fragmentation of Olympic media is a fascinating trend to explore on an international level to examine if there are similarities in how citizens of different countries consume Winter Olympic media. Another curiosity is the amount of entertainment value different media platforms add to the experience of the Winter Olympics. Using an international sample of 2,245 participants across six countries, a survey was conducted to explore the differences in media consumption during the 2018 Winter Olympics among citizens in six countries, as well as what media consumption habits predict one’s perception of the entertainment value of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Results showed that while participants are adopting more digitally based means to consume Olympic media, television and print media were the strongest predictors of entertainment value.     

Applying spaced practice in the schools to teach math vocabulary

Spaced practice, or the distribution of practice opportunities across time, is a well‐known and effective practice for improving retention. However, spaced practice is not effectively implemented in schools, perhapsl as a result of a lack of educationally relevant research in the area. We conducted an educationally relevant investigation of the spaced practice. Using a quasi‐experimental between‐subjects design, we taught 62 third‐ and fourth‐grade students eight math vocabulary words under two patterns of spaced practice (fixed interval and expanded interval) and massed practice. Results showed a benefit of spaced practice over massed practice, but no difference between fixed interval and expanded interval spaced practice. The findings suggest that spaced practice may be implemented to improve the retention of math vocabulary words; however, more research is needed to provide guidelines to support educators in implementing spaced practice in schools.     

Promoting college student development through collaborative learning: A case study of hevruta

Inger Bergom, Mary C. Wright, Marie Kendall Brown, and Michael Brooks describe an innovative academic approach to collaborative learning in a large lecture class.     

Becoming Literate: Looking Across Curricular Structures at Situated Identities

The United States is becoming more multilingual with globalization. Public schools continue to enroll increasing numbers of students who speak a language other than English. This adds to the rich diversity of classrooms while at the same time offers challenges for educators. This collaborative-ethnographic style research study investigates the ways in which identities are constructed for and by an English language learner (ELL) as she uses language at school. The author explores classroom reading events and the ways one ELL negotiates these events with her peers in an English dominant classroom. Results reveal the fluidity of identities across classroom curricular structures at school.     

When 18 Days of Television Coverage Is Not Enough: A Six-Nation Composite of Motivations for Mobile Device Use in 2018 Winter Olympic Games

A survey of 2,296 people from 6 nations (Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States) deciphered uses and gratifications for consuming content on a variety of media platforms during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. Results indicate that media diets significantly differed by platform and device, all 16 uses and gratifications were significantly different by nation, and the 2 inverse predictors of Olympic media consumption relate to the desire to interact (companionship and relationship building), whereas none of the 4 direct predictors (entertainment, arousal, competition, and Schwabism) pertained to interpersonal aims. Findings bifurcated by media platform as well; for instance, the inverse predictor of smartphone use—passing time—was a direct predictor of television use. Moreover, relationship building and habitual use were direct predictors of tablet use for Olympic consumption yet were both inverse predictors within the television realm. Implications for uses and gratifications and cross-nation media research are advanced.