Education in a culture of violence: a critical pedagogy of place in wartime

What is the role of education in wartime? To what extent should environmental and science educators directly address violent conflict and a culture of prolonged war? This article gestures with empathy toward all educators who are working in wartime. It posits that a critical pedagogy of place provides a theoretical framework that contextualizes all environmental work and all education in the context of cultural politics. I argue that a fundamental component of a critical, place-based inquiry must be acknowledging the contested history of colonization with respect to land (environment) and homeland (culture). I cannot think of a place on the planet where this history is as complex and contested than it is in Israel and Palestine. However, colonization and its legacy is a shared reality around the world, and acknowledging the context of colonization should not be limited to inquiry in places where the bombs are still smoldering and where the rubble has yet to be cleared. Acknowledging colonization may be especially appropriate in the US, where the historical record of militarized colonization remains hidden behind the myths of global “progress” for the world’s remaining “superpower.”     

Measuring the potential for child maltreatment: the reliability and validity of the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory--2

OBJECTIVE: The field of child protection needs reliable and valid methods of assessing the potential for child abuse and neglect. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory--2 (AAPI-2), Form B, using a sample of 309 low-income, rural families in a southern state. METHOD: The AAPI-2 is a 40-item survey designed to assess the parenting and child rearing attitudes of adult and adolescent parent and pre-parent populations. Each of the five AAPI-2 scales was (a) examined using factor analysis in order to determine the unidimensionality of the scale, (b) evaluated based on estimates of the scales reliability in order to determine the consistency with which the construct was measured, and (c) when possible, examined to determine if it is related to other constructs in meaningful and expected ways. RESULTS: While the factor structure reported by the developer was not fully confirmed in this sample, there is some evidence that the instrument is measuring at least two of the constructs it purports to measure and that the total score may be useful. Correlations with other instruments measuring parenting behavior and child behavior were significant, and in the expected direction, offering some support for the validity of the AAPI-2. CONCLUSIONS: While the AAPI-2 appears to measure attitudes related to harsh or neglectful parenting, caution should be used in the interpretation of the individual AAPI-2 scales.     

The (limited) use of local-level assessment system: A case study of the Head Start National Reporting System and on-going child assessments in a local program

Using concepts from the evaluation literature, this case study describes the instrumental, conceptual, and political influence of the Head Start National Reporting System (NRS) and on-going child assessments in a local Head Start program. This study found that a local program intentionally aimed to limit the influence of the NRS. The NRS validated the program's performance for the program administrators and local governing bodies. It had no impact on teaching and learning, and was not used to make decisions to guide local program improvement. On-going child assessments were more widely valued within the local program. These assessments had some impact on teachers’ individualization of instruction for children, and managers made some effort to use program-level findings to inform program development. Similar to the NRS, the on-going child assessments were also used to provide accountability with local governing bodies. Based on these findings, implications for the use of local-level systems in early childhood programs are discussed.     

Adults matter: Protecting children from the negative impacts of bullying

This study examines the degree to which support from parents and teachers buffers the level of depression for four groups of children involved in bullying (victim, bully, bully‐victims, or not involved children). Nine hundred and seventy‐seven 5th‐, 9th‐, and 11th‐grade students in the rural South completed questionnaires on bullying, social support, and depression. Children who were not involved in bullying reported less depression and more social support than children involved in bullying, and bully‐victims were the most at‐risk group. Furthermore, results indicate that in all four bully status groups, children reported fewer symptoms of depression when support from parents was high compared to when it was low. For all groups except victims, when parental support was low, support from teachers was associated with fewer symptoms of depression. When parental support was high, the impact of support from the teacher was not significant. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Parental history of positive development and child behavior in next generation offspring: A two-cohort prospective intergenerational study

This study examined whether positive development (PD) in adolescence and young adulthood predicts offspring behavior in two Australasian intergenerational cohorts. The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study assessed PD at age 19–28 (years 2002–2010) and behavior in 1165 infants (12–18 months; 608 girls) of 694 Australian-born parents (age 29–35; 2012–2019; 399 mothers). The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Parenting Study assessed PD at age 15–18 (years 1987–1991) and behavior in 695 preschoolers (3–5 years; 349 girls) and their New Zealand born parents (age 21–46; 1994–2018; 363 mothers; 89% European ethnicity). In both cohorts, PD before parenthood predicted more positive offspring behavior (β_range = .11–.16) and fewer behavior problems (β_range = −.09 to −.11). Promoting strengths may secure a healthy start to life.     

Do deaf and hard of hearing youth need antitobacco education?

Little research has focused on tobacco use among deaf and hard of hearing youth. Findings are reported from a first-ever tobacco-related survey, completed by 226 California middle and high school students using either a written questionnaire or the Interactive Video Questionnaire, an interactive multimedia computer video technology. Rates for current smoking (3.1%), ever smoking (45.1%), and multiple types of tobacco use (10.6%) were found to be lower than among high school students generally; mainstreamed students were likelier to have ever tried smoking than their deaf school peers (57.8% vs. 31.8%). No statistically significant associations were found between ever smoking and race/ethnicity, gender, school performance, or prelingual vs. postlingual deafening; a quarter of the sample experienced occasional peer pressure to use tobacco products. Tobacco use covariates, exposure to cigarette marketing and antismoking programming, and tobacco education needs of deaf and hard of hearing youth are discussed.     

Supporting Child Welfare and Parent Involvement in Preschool Programs

This article discusses the findings from a mixed-method study examining the relationship between social resources and levels of parent involvement in state-funded preschool programs in Illinois. Using survey data from the Illinois Birth to Five Evaluation (n = 843) and interviews with ten preschool administrators who completed the survey, the study found the number of social resources provided by a program was positively associated with levels of parent involvement. The correlation analysis (r = −0.22, p = .0001) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) F(2,708) = 23.19, p = .0001 findings both demonstrated positive relationships wherein high numbers of social resources were associated with higher levels of parent involvement in programs. Administrator interviews confirmed survey findings and suggested additional influences on parent involvement levels and use of social resources in programs. Implications for supporting child welfare and policy recommendations for early childhood programs are provided.     

0–60 MPH: Data-Phobic to Data-Driven

As educators, we need to stop fearing data and embrace its power. This article discusses how classroom teachers can design, implement, and analyze longitudinal assessments to diagnose issues related to student achievement and meet the demands of our evolving data-driven educational culture. Practical advice on exam production and data analysis provide a footprint which allows teachers to begin the process locally and immediately.     

Disentangling Mathematics Target and Access Skills: Implications for Accommodation Assignment Practices

Appropriate assignment of accommodations is predicated on a clear distinction between target skills and access skills. In this study, we examine the agreement between test developer/researchers’ and educators’ classification of target and access skills as a possible explanatory mechanism for assigning accommodations. Findings indicate that participants with expertise in mathematics education had the highest agreement when classifying target skills, as evidenced by a higher overall sensitivity value and the greatest number of items with the highest sensitivity value. Conversely, special education faculty members had the highest overall agreement when classifying access skills, as evidenced by a higher overall specificity value. Mathematicians, however, had the highest sensitivity values for the greatest number of items. Implications for accommodation assignment practices are discussed.     

Research into demand for counselling/therapeutic provision in a group of primary schools

A questionnaire survey was conducted among a group of primary schools in south‐east England to try to establish what level of demand there would be for a counselling/educational therapy service, and whether headteachers would be prepared to allocate the required funding. The research shows that there is a significant number of children who could benefit from such a service and that there is some willingness to make funds available for this although, not surprisingly, there was a good deal of reservation about how much money could be allocated.