The incidence of infant physical abuse in Alaska

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of and risk factors associated with infant (< 1 year of age) physical abuse in Alaska. METHODS: A population-based retrospective cohort study for the 1994-2000 resident birth cohort was conducted by linking data from birth certificates, Child Protective Services, a statewide hospital-based trauma registry, hospital discharge data, and the Alaska Infant Mortality Review (including death certificates). The main outcome measures were the incidences of overall physical abuse and abuse resulting in hospitalization or death. A case of child abuse was defined as an instance of substantiated physical abuse to an infant identified in the Child Protective Services database or an infant death with homicide identified on the death certificate as the manner of death. RESULTS: During the 7-year study period, there were 70,842 births and 325 cases of physical abuse including 72 that led to hospitalization (n = 58), death (n = 4), or both (n = 10); respective incidences for all abuse and abuse leading to hospitalization or death were 4.6 and 1.0 per 1000 live births. Following multivariate analyses, the risk factors with the highest population attributable risks were maternal or paternal education < or = 12 years, unmarried mother, and maternal prenatal substance use. To determine if the study methodology was likely to have missed cases of severe abuse, we examined information for all 216 infants hospitalized for trauma during the study period who did not have identification of abuse in one of the study databases; of these, at least 39 had injuries inconsistent with the reported mechanism (a long bone or skull fracture that reportedly resulted from a fall of less than 3 feet or from a caretaker's arms or for which the caretaker denied a history of trauma). Conclusions: Alaska has one of the highest documented infant physical abuse incidences reported in the literature and abuse is associated with potentially modifiable-primarily social-risk factors. Despite this high incidence, substantial under-reporting of hospitalized cases likely occurs.     

Stability and Consistency in Secondary Schools’ Effects on Students’ GCSE Outcomes over Three Years∗

This paper reports the results of a UK study investigating the issue of differential school effectiveness. The size of overall school effects versus departmental differences in effects on 16 year old students’ General Certificate in Secondary Education performance are examined, as well as the internal (within school) consistency of departmental effects across six GCSE subject outcomes and the stability of school and departmental effects across three GCSE cohorts (1990‐1992). A value added approach is adopted, controlling for selected student intake measures (such as attainment at secondary transfer). The findings of multilevel analyses suggest that very few schools perform both consistently (across subjects) and with stability (over time). The implications of the results are discussed in relation to the publication and interpretation of schools’ examination results as well as the use of school and departmental effectiveness measures for school self‐evaluation.

     

Communities of practice in inclusive education

The data in this paper represent the experiences and perspectives of parents and teachers who worked as communities of practice, designing support plans for the inclusion of three students with intellectual disabilities in general education classrooms. Their reflections, obtained through interviews and questionnaires, show how they constructed relevant knowledge to support these children with special educational needs in their class. The findings show the potential benefits of partnerships and local knowledge in addressing the educational challenge of inclusion.     

Rough and tumble play in children: research and theory

Abstract

The studies referred to have all been done at just one or two schools, and there may be considerable variations between children of different cultural and social class backgrounds. Further research is needed in these areas. So far as we can tell at the moment, r&t is primarily a friendly and playful activity, which does not usually involve any intent to hurt, at least up to early adolescense. Its function remains unclear, but it appears to be part of normal development, and children who rough-and-tumble a lot are generally sociable but not especially aggressive. To this extent, there seems no reason to discourage r&t except in contexts where the noisy and vigorous activities might distract from other (e. g. educational) objectives. It does seem that the motivation behind r&t becomes more complex by adolescence, and the task of giving practical advice on the matter correspondingly more difficult. Finally some adults and some children may have difficulty in distinguishing r&t and agression. Some dissemination of, or training in, the cues which distinguish the two may be helpful.     

Constructive Copying: Exploring the Vocabulary

Increasingly, concerns are being expressed about the negative effects of digital copying in both industry and higher education. A project was formulated to investigate the use of paper‐based drawing methods for copying from visual source material in varied and structured ways and, thereby, to mitigate the adverse effects of design student dependency on screen‐based copying. A Copying Vocabulary Matrix was formulated based on findings accrued through a practice‐based enquiry where methods of copying were explored and a terminology of copying identified by the authors. A Constructive Copying Workshop was then devised for integration into an existing printed textile design course. Students were asked to respond to the words in the matrix through copying from the same visual source and were limited to pencils and paper. They were also encouraged to keep a reflective journal to record their thoughts as they worked. Their views were monitored during and after the workshop, and the drawings produced were then reviewed and analysed. It was found that a wide variety of images were produced based on either experimentation or strategic rationale by the students and that their visual literacy, analytical skills and understanding of textile design were enhanced, leading to the conclusion that similar teaching interventions into the design drawing curricula could benefit the student learning experience.