Reported school experiences of young people living with sickle cell disorder in England

A survey of 569 young people with sickle cell disorder (SCD) in England has found such pupils miss considerable periods of time from school, typically in short periods of two or three days. One in eight has school absences equating to government‐defined ‘persistent absence’. Students with SCD report that they are not helped to catch up after these school absences. Half the children reported not being allowed to use the toilet when needed and not being allowed water in class; a third reported being made to take unsuitable exercise and being called lazy when tired. Children perceived both physical environment (temperature, school furniture) and social environment (being upset by teachers or other pupils) as triggers to episodes of their illness. Policy initiatives on school absences; preventive measures to ensure maintenance of good health; and measures to prevent perceived social attitudes precipitating ill health would also support children with other chronic illnesses at school.     

Preliminary investigation of an early mental health intervention for Head Start programs: Effects of Child Teacher Relationship Training on children's behavior problems

Head Start teachers and their aides (n = 24) were assigned to either the experimental or active control treatment in this preliminary investigation on the effects of Child Teacher Relationship Training (CTRT) on 52 disadvantaged preschool children identified with behavioral problems. CTRT is based on the principles and procedures of Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), a structured, time‐limited approach that trains young children's caregivers to be active participants in an early mental health delivery system. Analysis of pre‐ to mid‐ to posttest findings revealed that, compared to the active control, CTRT demonstrated a large treatment effect on reducing children's externalized behavior problems; furthermore, the between‐group difference over time was statistically significant. The statistical, practical, and clinical significance of findings provide preliminary support for CTRT as a developmentally responsive school‐based intervention for at‐risk preschool children exhibiting clinical levels of behavioral problems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Empowering Latino families: Effects of a culturally responsive intervention for low‐income immigrant Latino parents on children's behaviors and parental stress

This randomized, controlled study examined the effectiveness of Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) in school settings with 48 low‐income Latino immigrant parents whose children were identified with behavioral concerns. Results from a 2 (group) × 2 (measures) split plot analysis of variance indicated that parents who participated in 11 weeks of CPRT reported statistically significant decreases (p < .001) in child behavior problems and parent–child relationship stress. Large treatment effects were demonstrated for all dependent variables. Clinical significance of findings and cultural considerations are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A Developmental Comparison of the Out‐of‐school Recreation and Leisure Activity Participation of Boys and Girls With and Without Physical Disabilities

Similarities and differences were examined in the out‐of‐school recreation and leisure activity participation of 422 children with physical disabilities and 354 children without disabilities. The roles of age (six to eight years, nine to 11 years, and 12–14 years), gender, and disability status were examined with respect to the diversity, intensity, location, companionship, and enjoyment of participation in five types of activities, controlling for family income. The findings indicate that dimensions and types of activity participation are differentially influenced by age, gender, and disability. Age cohort comparisons indicated that children without disabilities experienced a widening social world characterised by more intense social participation, greater participation with non‐family members, and stable levels of enjoyment across the age groups. In contrast, children with disabilities in the various age groups were similar in their intensity of social participation and the nature of their companionship, with 12–14 year olds reporting less enjoyment of social activities than those aged six to eight years or nine to 11 years. The findings support the utility of a developmental and contextual perspective in understanding children’s patterns of participation. The information can be used by service providers and managers interested in creating centre‐based or community‐based recreational opportunities, and in providing information to parents about how to encourage children’s recreation and leisure participation.     

The Letterbox Club: the impact on looked-after children and their carers of a national project aimed at raising achievements in literacy for children aged 7 to 11 in foster care

This paper considers the initial impact of a national project funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families which provides books, number activities and stationery items (once a month over a 6-month period) directly to children aged 7–11 in their foster homes. The context of the project, established against a background of low attainment in literacy among looked-after children in foster care in the UK, is explored. This paper focuses explicitly on the impact of the reading materials on the children who received them and on other people within the children's foster care environment. Particular reference is made to issues of ownership, textual preference and use of or engagement with the reading books, together with the implications that these findings may have for future work in this field both nationally and internationally.     

The first year university experience: using personal epistemology to understand effective learning and teaching in higher education

Personal epistemological beliefs, or beliefs about knowing, provide a way in which to understand learning in a range of educational contexts because they are considered to act as filters for all other knowledge and beliefs. In particular, they provide a useful framework for investigating learning and teaching for first year students in tertiary education, who are typically considered to hold less sophisticated epistemological beliefs. Using semi-structured interviews, this study investigated the nature of beliefs about knowing and learning of 35 first year teacher education and creative writing students at a large metropolitan university in Australia. The interview analysis indicated that a relationship existed between individuals’ core beliefs about knowing and their beliefs about learning. This relationship has implications for the way in which we support first year students’ learning as they transition into university and progress through their courses.     

“Depend On,Rely On,Count On”: Economic Subjectivities Aboard <Emphasis Type="Italic">The Polar Express</Emphasis>

Christmas literature and film produced for children is an important, albeit under-researched, site for the production of cultural values and norms. This paper analyses Chris Van Allsburg’s 1985 picture book The Polar Express, the 2004 Warner Brothers feature film of the same title, the film’s official website, and resources for teachers distributed online by Houghton Mifflin, considering how these texts construct childhood subjectivities in economic terms. The argument made is that nostalgic depictions of ordered, middle-class lifestyles, the representation of social class inequalities as immutable structural norms, and signifiers of corporate capitalism, together locate childhood and child subjectivities as inexorably tethered to socio-economic circumstance and experience. Dr. Sue Saltmarsh is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Teacher Education at Charles Sturt University, Australia, where she lectures in Cultural Politics of Education and Qualitative Research Methods. Sue’s recent work concerns the ways that cultural texts and practices construct children and childhood in economic terms, utilising poststructuralist theory as a lens through which to explore the discursive production of economic subjectivities.     

Legislation and Equality in Basic Education for All in China

In China, legislation exists which requires compulsory schooling for all students of school age. This article examines the functions of and the constraints on using law to institutionalize equality in basic education. It argues that, in China, law is a last resort, holding governments of various levels accountable. Law can be a device of social justice to promote equity in education by serving as an important mechanism to check and balance the state’s power regarding its obligations toward instituting basic education, redistributing public resources, reducing disparities, and promoting equality in compulsory schooling. However, the use of legislation to promote equity in basic education is constrained by economic conditions and other extra-legal factors. This article concludes by offering an explanation of the functions of and constraints on law in the quest for equality in basic education, as well as the implications of China’s experience for understanding law and change.