The Keep Children and Families Safe Act amendment to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) of 2003 mandated children under age three who are involved with Child Welfare (CW) to receive ...a referral to the system for early intervention (EI). While there is strong rationale for providing developmental services to young children and families impacted by maltreatment, the early implementation of this policy brought about many challenges related to interagency coordination and readiness of providers to provide cross-systems care. Currently, as the system and providers within the system recover from the effects of Covid-19, a predicted increase in need of services may exacerbate historical gaps in the provision of services to families involved with CW.
This policy-focused paper explores issues impacting CW and EI providers who coordinate care between CW and EI services.
This paper provides a historical examination of these challenges and proposes an approach for improving developmental services for families referred from CW, specifically through the lens of addressing resources and supports available to providers.
The proposed approach includes an increase and reprioritization of resources to support provider readiness and well-being.
By focusing on support for providers, the authors propose a reduction of stress and improvement of services at each level of the “well-being” system.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Public schools and districts use social media to share announcements and communicate with parents and the community, but alongside such uses run risks to students’ privacy. Using a novel data set of ...18 million posts on Facebook by schools and school districts in the United States, we sought to establish how frequently photos of students were shared. Through sequential mixed-methods, we estimated that around 4.9 million posts included identifiable images of students and that approximately 726,000 of these posts also included students’ first and last names and their approximate location. We discuss these findings’ implications from a data ethics perspective.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Schools and school districts use social media for a variety of reasons, but alongside the benefits of schools' social media use come potential risks to students' privacy. Using a novel dataset of ...around 18 million Facebook posts by schools and districts in the United States, we explore the extent to which personally identifiable information of students may be revealed. We find that around 4.9 million posts depict one or more students' faces, and approximately 726,000 posts also identify the full name of one or more students. We also examine which Facebook page characteristics and structural factors might be associated with posts that depict or identify students. We find that districts with a higher student poverty rate and districts that share a greater number of posts were more likely to depict students. We discuss these findings and recommendations for educational leaders and researchers through the lens of data ethics.
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BFBNIB, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Despite the potential positive impact of augmentative and alternative communication, the literature suggests that many individuals with disabilities experience barriers in developing communication ...skills and access to appropriate supports. Parents can provide valuable insight into the barriers and facilitators experienced by their children with complex communication needs. Previous studies exploring parent perspectives of the complex communication needs of children with various disabilities have revealed similarities and differences in experiences. This supports the need to examine the barriers and facilitators experienced by different populations, including individuals with Koolen de Vries syndrome (KdVS). As a newly identified syndrome, information on individuals with KdVS is limited, and studies examining parent experiences in supporting the communication needs of children with KdVS have not been conducted. This study obtained parents' perspectives regarding the communication barriers and facilitators experienced by their children with KdVS. Fifteen parents participated in one of two focus group sessions. The data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis, resulting in 13 categories discussed in relation to previous research and conceptual frameworks. Research and practical implications for developing a deeper understanding of the barriers experienced by children with KdVS are proposed.
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IJS, NUK, OILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
In the spring of 2020, public schools across the United States were forced to close their campuses due to an emerging public health crisis caused by the detection of the first cases of the COVID-19 ...virus. Although schools closed their buildings, the delivery of educational services did not stop. This included the ongoing provision of services mandated by federal law under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which establish educational protections, processes, and rights for students with disabilities and their families to ensure educational equity. In this article, we describe the potential legal implications of COVID-19 for schools, students with disabilities, and their families with a focus on challenges faced in rural areas. Strategies for mitigating legal impacts are described.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Collaboration with caregivers and between disciplines and agencies is a recommended practice in the field of early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) as well as required by ...federal legislation for young children with disabilities. Review of relevant literature suggests that collaboration entails a complex set of principles and practices that are essential for teams and programs to employ if they are to ensure effective and sustained change. Despite the recognized complexity of collaboration in EI/ECSE, few systems frameworks have been proposed that organize the essential components of effective collaboration. We offer a framework that defines the core components of collaboration in EI/ECSE. The proposed system further identifies and operationalizes the infrastructure and practices associated with the components and the levels of action at which these practices operate.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Due to increasing incidence of mental health challenges in college students and its relation to poorer student outcomes (e.g., recruitment, retention, graduation), higher education institutions have ...turned their attention toward the needs of students experiencing mental health challenges (Collins & Mowbray, 2005). In attempts to ameliorate poorer student outcomes, some states have investigated the impact of mental health on those enrolled in higher education as well as the needs for supports and services for those impacted (e.g., Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission OHECC, Office of Academic Policy and Authorization, 2018). However, despite these initiatives, limited empirical research is available related to the lived experiences of individuals with mental health challenges in higher education settings; including the supports and barriers they may experience while navigating these complex settings. This study begins to address this knowledge gap by using qualitative content analysis to examine and compare key stakeholder lived experiences related to mental health challenges in higher education, including the similarities and differences regarding service and support needs, determinants to usage (support and barriers), and recommendations for future research and improving the continuum of care. Considerations for policy, practice, and future research are provided.
Public Policy Relevance Statement
In spite of the link between mental health challenges and poorer outcomes in higher education (recruitment, retention, graduation), there is a dearth of research on the contributing factors to successful outcomes, or lack thereof. This study expands the research base by identifying potential factors underpinning student outcomes, access to services, and participation in higher education settings. Ultimately these findings give light to a range of themes relevant to improving precision of interventions, supports, policies, and directions for future research.
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CEKLJ, FFLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PEFLJ, UPUK
In early care and education (ECE), including early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE), professionals regularly express a love for the individualized nature of the work with ...children and families as a large reason why they enter this workforce. This article aims to provide ECE professionals supporting young children with disabilities and their families with foundational knowledge of systems, strategies, and processes for engaging in educational policy and advocacy. Specifically, the authors (a) discuss policy impacts on systems and practices, (b) summarize foundations for understanding policy, and (c) provide a scaffolded approach for ECE professionals to begin engaging in policy and advocacy through dipping a toe in, wading in, or diving in to support a range of engagement styles, resources, and levels of understanding. This introductory article provides foundational knowledge and a range of opportunities for engaging with policy. By engaging with advocacy to influence policy, ECE professionals are not only enacting professional and ethical obligations but are also impacting systems that have long-term influence on the lives of young children and their families.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The use of exclusionary discipline practices in schools has been well documented since the 1970s with the passing of the Safe Schools Act and implementation of zero‐tolerance policies. Despite ...research indicating the ineffectiveness of exclusionary practices, students continue to receive suspensions and expulsions at alarming rates. Additional research highlights that there may be misconceptions regarding the application of suspensions and their perceived functions and effectiveness on students and their families. The purpose of this article is to discuss common misconceptions regarding the effects of suspension and provide teachers, school psychologists, and administrators with proactive strategies for implementation in local systems to create positive school climates and optimize successful outcomes for all students and staff.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
As the field of education, and especially gifted education, gradually moves toward open science, our research community increasingly values transparency and openness brought by open science ...practices. Yet, individual researchers may be reluctant to adopt open science practices due to low incentives, barriers of extra workload, or lack of support to apply these in certain areas, such as qualitative research. We encourage and give guidelines to reviewers to champion open science practices by warmly influencing authors to consider applying open science practices to quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research and providing ample support to produce higher-quality publications. Instead of imposing open science practices on authors, we advocate reviewers suggest small, non-threatening, specific steps to support authors without making them feel overwhelmed, judged, or punished. We believe that these small steps taken by reviewers will make a difference to create a more supportive environment for researchers to adopt more open science practices.
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NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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