Assessment matters—Integration,reflection, interpretation: Realizing the goals of a general education capstone course

For the past twenty‐three years, students at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona have benefited from a sequential, interdisciplinary general education program that culminates in a capstone course. A departmental culture focused on assessment enabled faculty members to examine this capstone experience and make changes that have substantially improved student learning.     

Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors of Children with Writing Disabilities

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) are more likely to exhibit internalizing and externalizing behaviors than typically developing peers. Virtually none of the literature, however, reports on the behaviors of students at-risk for writing disabilities (AR-WD). We compared the behaviors of writers who are AR-WD and typically developing writers (TDW) from first through fourth grade (N = 138). We found that students who are AR-WD were only significantly different from TDW on Externalizing and Total Behaviors at Grade 2. These findings illustrate the benefits of studying behavior across different forms of SLD, as it appears that students ARWD do not consistently manifest significant behaviors, although interventions that simultaneously target writing and behavior may be warranted and mutually beneficial.     

Singing Along the Way to Becoming Baby-Friendly

In this column, two assistant nurse managers describe an innovative and fun strategy they developed and implemented at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York to assist the nursing staff in preparing for their Baby-Friendly auditors’ visit.     

Reviews

Introduction: Despite government support of culturally appropriate sex and relationships education (SRE), young people's access to information is limited and sexual health needs are not being met, particularly among youth from black and minority ethnic groups. Joint‐working between health, education, voluntary sectors and parents has been heralded as key in redressing inequalities in sexual health outcomes and access to information. Our study focuses on SRE provision for young Muslim Bangladeshis, highlighting the complexities involved in streamlining SRE messages.

Objective: To explore stakeholder views about SRE and ways to improve SRE delivery.

Design: Sixteen semi‐structured interviews were conducted in 2005 with stakeholders from schools, National Health Service, and parent and voluntary sector bodies in a London borough.

Results: Two key factors enhancing Bangladeshi youth's risk of infection and unwanted pregnancy were identified: inadequate parental understanding about sexual health and limited parent‐delivered SRE; and patchy provision of culturally appropriate, school‐based SRE. Factors affecting SRE provision included culturally rooted perceptions of sex/sexuality and limited participation of stakeholders, (religious leaders, parents), in developing and delivering SRE.

Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of widespread community engagement, underlining that joint‐working, and the development and delivery of culturally appropriate and consistent SRE, necessitates communication and collaboration among stakeholders in young people's health and well‐being.