Showing that Early Childhood Education Works: Lessons from Italy, China, and the USA

Lessons from around the world; What does it matter about early childhood education? Why the controversy about public support for early childhood education? What process or system should be used to determine what works in early education? Can the same process be used to improve services? What is the role of government? Alternatives: 1. Consumers should determine… (What happens when private choices drive the market for early childhood services?) Observed quality of care in four Midwestern states; Parent data: “All things considered, how would you grade the quality of the care your child is receiving from his/her current caregiver?” Role of government What is a Quality Rating System? Ten states have implemented statewide systems (e.g. Colorado, Kentucky, Oklahoma, North Carolina) Findings 2. Objective science should determine… Firm findings from empirical research 3. Something else is needed: Some differences between Italian and American models. Teacher action research (and documentation) from a Reggio-inspired preschool in South Korea by Misuk Kim. Teacher Action Research at the Ruth Staples CDL. Can we now answer our opening questions? What process or system should be used to determine what is best for young children? Can the same process be used to improve the quality of services? Conclusions: The free market does not work well to determine quality in early education and care; Licensing, accreditation, and quality rating systems can help improve the market; Empirical research is useful for measuring what works; Teacher action research (reflective practice) is necessary for fostering continuous quality improvement. The tower of quality.

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY AND COMPONENTS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME IN ADULTS WITH MOOD DISORDERS: RESULTS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL MOOD DISORDERS COLLABORATIVE PROJECT

Objective: We sought to determine whether a reported history of childhood adversity is associated with components of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP-III)-defined metabolic syndrome in adults with mood disorders. Method: This was a cross-sectional analysis of adult outpatients (N = 373; n = 230 female, n = 143 male; mean age [SD] = 42.86 [14.43]) from the International Mood Disorders Collaborative Project (University of Toronto and Cleveland Clinic) with DSM-IV-defined major depressive disorder and bipolar I/II disorder. Childhood adversity was measured with the Klein Trauma & Abuse-Neglect self-report scale. The groups with and without childhood adversity were compared to determine possible differences in the rates of metabolic syndrome and its components. Logistic and linear regressions adjusted for age, sex, education, employment status, and smoking were used to evaluate the association between childhood adversity and components of metabolic syndrome. Results: For the full sample, 83 subjects (22.25%) met criteria for metabolic syndrome. Individuals reporting a history of any childhood adversity had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (systolic: p = 0.040; diastolic: p = 0.038). Among subjects with a history of sexual abuse, a significant proportion met criteria for obesity (45.28% vs. 32.88%; p = 0.010); a trend toward overweight was found for subjects with a history of physical abuse (76.32% vs. 63.33%; p = 0.074), although this relationship did not remain significant after adjusting for potential confounders. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall rate of dyslipidemia and/or metabolic syndrome between subjects with and without childhood adversity. Conclusion: The results herein provide preliminary evidence suggesting that childhood adversity is associated with metabolic syndrome components in individuals with mood disorders. Int'l. J. Psychiatry in Medicine 2012;43:165-177)

Constellations of Disadvantage and Policy Dilemmas in Youth Transitions from School to Work in Bulgaria

In the past years there has been a growing concern in Europe with the drawbacks in youth transition from education to employment and social participation more generally (European Commission (EC) 2001

The Integration of Formal and Non-formal Education: The Dutch “brede school”

The Dutch “brede school” (BS) development originates in the 1990s and has spread unevenly since: quicker in the primary than secondary educational sector. In 2007, there were about 1000 primary and 350 secondary BS schools and it is the intention of the government as well as the individual municipalities to extend that number and make the BS the dominant school form of the near future. In the primary sector, a BS cooperates with crèche and preschool facilities, besides possible other neighborhood partners. The main targets are, first, to enhance educational opportunities, particularly for children with little (western-) cultural capital, and secondly to increase women’s labor market participation by providing extra familial care for babies and small children. All primary schools are now obliged to provide such care. In the secondary sector, a BS is less neighborhood-orientated than a primary BS because those schools are bigger and more often located in different buildings. As in the primary sector, there are broad and more narrow BS, the first profile cooperating with many non-formal and other partners and facilities and the second with few. On the whole, there is a wide variety of BS schools, with different profiles and objectives, dependent on the needs and wishes of the initiators and the neighborhood. A BS is always the result of initiatives of the respective school and its partners: parents, other neighborhood associations, municipality etc. BS schools are not enforced by the government although the general trend will be that existing school organizations transform into BS. The integration of formal and non-formal education and learning is more advanced in primary than secondary schools. In secondary education, vocational as well as general, there is a clear dominance of formal education; the non-formal curriculum serves mainly two lines and objectives: first, provide attractive leisure activities and second provide compensatory courses and support for under-achievers who are often students with migrant background. In both sectors, primary and secondary, it is the formal school organization with its professionals which determines the character of a BS; there is no full integration of formal and non-formal education resulting in one non-disruptive learning trajectory, nor is there the intention to go in that direction. Non-formal pedagogues are partly professionals, like youth- and social workers, partly volunteers, like parents, partly non-educational partners, like school-police, psycho-medical help or commercial leisure providers. Besides that, the BS is regarded by government educational and social policy as a potential partner and anchor for community development. It is too early to make reliable statements about the effects of the BS movement in the Netherlands concerning the educational opportunities for disadvantaged children and their families, especially those with migrant background, and combat further segregation. Evaluation studies made so far are moderately positive but also point to problems of overly bureaucratized structures and layers, lack of sufficient financial resources and, again, are uncertain about long-term effects.

Social and regional variations in health status and health behaviours among Swiss young adults

OBJECTIVE To provide nationwide data on health status and health behaviours among young adults in Switzerland, and to illustrate social and regional variations. METHODS Data came from the Swiss Federal Surveys of Adolescents, conducted in 2010/11. The sample consisted of 32,424 young men and 1,467 young women. We used logistic regression models to examine patterns of social inequality for three measures of health status and three measures of health behaviour. RESULTS Among men, lower self-rated health, overweight and lower physical fitness levels were associated with lower educational and fewer financial resources. Patterns were similar among young women. Unfavourable self-rated health (odds ratio [OR]: men 0.83, women 0.75) and overweight (OR: men 0.84, women 0.85; p >0.05) were less common in the French- than in the German-language region. Low physical fitness was more common in the French- than in the German-language region. In both sexes, daily smoking was associated with fewer educational resources, and physical inactivity was associated with lower educational and fewer financial resources. Males from the Italian-language region were three times more likely to be physically inactive than their German-speaking counterparts (OR 2.95). Risk drinking was more widespread among males in the French- than in the German-speaking language region (OR 1.47). CONCLUSIONS Striking social and moderate regional differences exist in health status and health behaviours among young Swiss males and females. The current findings offer new empirical evidence on social determinants of health in Switzerland and suggest education, material resources and regional conditions to be addressed in public health practice and in more focused future research.

Health literacy among young adults: a short survey tool for public health and health promotion research

Health literacy (HL) is context-specific. In public health and health promotion, HL in the private realm refers to individuals' knowledge and skills to prevent disease and to promote health in everyday life. However, there is a scarcity of measurement tools explicitly geared to private realm contexts. Our aim was to develop and test a short survey tool that captures different dimensions of HL in the context of family and friends. We used cross-sectional data from the Swiss Federal Surveys of Adolescents from 2010 to 2011, comprising 7983 males and 366 females between 18 and 25 years. HL was assessed through a set of eight items (self-reports). We used principal component analysis to explore the underlying factor structure among these items in the male sample and confirmatory factor analysis to verify the factor structure in the female sample. The results showed that the tested item set represented dimensions of functional, interactive and critical HL. Two sub-dimensions, understanding versus finding health-relevant information, denoted functional HL. Interactive and critical HL were each represented with two items. A sum score based on all eight items (Cronbach's α: 0.64) showed expected positive associations with own and parental education among males and females (p < 0.05). The short item set appears to be a feasible measurement tool to assess HL in the private realm. Its broader application in survey studies may help to improve our understanding of how this form of HL is distributed in the general population.

Runaway and Throwaway Youth: Time for Policy Changes and Public Responsibility

The traditional American dream of owning a home, obtaining a college education, and working at a good, paying job is only that, a dream, for scores of homeless youth in America today. There is a growing street population of young people who have been thrown out of their homes by their caretakers or their families, and who face life-threatening situations each day. For these youth, the furthest thing in their lives is reaching the so-called “American Dream;” and their most immediate need is survival, simply living out the day in front of them. They have few options that lead to a decent and safe living environment. Their age, lack of work experience, and absence of a high school diploma make it most difficult to find a job. As a result, they turn to other means for survival; runaways and throwaways are most vulnerable to falling prey to the sex trade, selling drugs, or being lured into human trafficking, and some steal or panhandle. Street youth end up spending their nights in bus stations or finding a room in an abandoned building or an empty stairwell to sleep. Attempting to identify a specific number of homeless youth is difficult at best, but what is even more perplexing is our continued inability to effectively protect our children. We are left with a basic question framed by the fundamental tenets of justice: what is a community’s responsibility to its youth who, for whatever reason, end up living on the streets or in unsafe, abusive environments? The purpose of this paper is to briefly outline the characteristics of homeless youth, in particular differentiating between throwaways and runaways; explore the current federal response to homeless youth; and finally, address the nagging question that swirls around all children: can we aggressively aspire to be a community where every child is healthy and safe, and able to realize his or her fullest potential?

Courses in the language and culture of origin and their impact on youth development in cultural transition: A study among immigrant and dual heritage youth in Switzerland

Elena Makarova traces how the concept of intercultural education in German-speaking European countries promotes the inclusion of courses in the Language and Culture of Origin (LCO) for immigrant youth in the school curriculum of host countries. Such courses are assumed to have positive effects on the development of immigrant youth in the host country. Particularly, it has been suggested that participation in LCO courses increases the self-esteem of immigrant youth, facilitates the development of their bicultural identity and improves their integration in the host society. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on the nature of the effects of LCO course attendance on the acculturation of immigrant youth and their cultural identity. Accordingly, the aim of the study detailed in the chapter is to examine the impact of immigrant youth’s attitudes towards LCO courses and of their attendance of such courses on their acculturation and cultural identity.

Educational Systems and Gender Segregation in Education: A Three-Country Comparison of Germany, Norway and Canada

How do institutional settings and their embedded policy principles affect gender-typed enrolment in educational programmes? Based on gender-sensitive theories on career choice, we hypothesised that gender segregation in education is higher with a wider range of offers of vocational programmes. By analysing youth survey and panel data, we tested this assumption for Germany, Norway and Canada, three countries whose educational systems represent a different mix of academic, vocational and universalistic education principles. We found that vocational programmes are considerably more gender-segregated than are academic (e.g. university) programmes. Men, more so than women, can avoid gender-typed programmes by passing on to a university education. This in turn means that as long as their secondary school achievement does not allow for a higher education career, they have a higher likelihood of being allocated to male-typed programmes in the vocational education and training (VET) system. In addition, social background and the age at which students have to choose educational offers impact on the transition to gendered educational programmes. Overall, gender segregation in education is highest in Germany and the lowest in Canada. We interpret the differences between these countries with respect to the constellations of educational principles and policies in the respective countries.

Prevalence and risk factors of asthma and work -related asthma among U.S. adults: Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988--1994

This cross-sectional analysis of the data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was conducted to determine the prevalence and determinants of asthma and wheezing among US adults, and to identify the occupations and industries at high risk of developing work-related asthma and work-related wheezing. Separate logistic models were developed for physician-diagnosed asthma (MD asthma), wheezing in the previous 12 months (wheezing), work-related asthma and work-related wheezing. Major risk factors including demographic, socioeconomic, indoor air quality, allergy, and other characteristics were analyzed. The prevalence of lifetime MD asthma was 7.7% and the prevalence of wheezing was 17.2%. Mexican-Americans exhibited the lowest prevalence of MD asthma (4.8%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.2, 5.4) when compared to other race-ethnic groups. The prevalence of MD asthma or wheezing did not vary by gender. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that Mexican-Americans were less likely to develop MD asthma (adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.45, 0.90) and wheezing (ORa = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.44, 0.69) when compared to non-Hispanic whites. Low education level, current and past smoking status, pet ownership, lifetime diagnosis of physician-diagnosed hay fever and obesity were all significantly associated with MD asthma and wheezing. No significant effect of indoor air pollutants on asthma and wheezing was observed in this study. The prevalence of work-related asthma was 3.70% (95%CI: 2.88, 4.52) and the prevalence of work-related wheezing was 11.46% (95%CI: 9.87, 13.05). The major occupations identified at risk of developing work-related asthma and wheezing were cleaners; farm and agriculture related occupations; entertainment related occupations; protective service occupations; construction; mechanics and repairers; textile; fabricators and assemblers; other transportation and material moving occupations; freight, stock and material movers; motor vehicle operators; and equipment cleaners. The population attributable risk for work-related asthma and wheeze were 26% and 27% respectively. The major industries identified at risk of work-related asthma and wheeze include entertainment related industry; agriculture, forestry and fishing; construction; electrical machinery; repair services; and lodging places. The population attributable risk for work-related asthma was 36.5% and work-related wheezing was 28.5% for industries. Asthma remains an important public health issue in the US and in the other regions of the world. ^

Adolescents' and young adults' physical activity related to built environment

Objetivos: este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los niveles de actividad fisicas en estudiantes de escuelas secundarias y estudiantes universitarios; estimar su percepción del entorno contruído en relación con la actividad física, y evaluar la relación entre la educación física y el entorno contruído. Metodología: Se aplicó un estudio sociológico trasversal con diseño no experimental. Se completaron el cuestionario internacional de actividad física y el cuestionario de caraterísticas de entorno contruído con una muestra de 1.862 alumnos de escuelas secundarias y universidad en Granada, España. Resultados: los alumnos de la escuela secundaria fueron significativamente más activos que los estudiantes universitarios, quienes alcanzaron niveles insuficientes de actividad física. Sin embargo, consideraron Granada un buen contexto para hacer ejercicio al aire libre. No se encontraron relaciones entre los niveles de actividad física y el entorno contruído. Conclusión: la discrepancia de resultados entre los niveles de actividad física y la percepción del entorno contruído sugieren la necesidad de intervenciones focalizadas en hacer que los jóvenes se den cuenta de las posibilidades que el medio les ofrece para ejercitarse. En consecuencia, el medio puede tener un impacto en la salud al mismo tiempo que los jóvenes aprenden a respetarlo

Adolescents' and young adults' physical activity related to built environment

Objetivos: este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los niveles de actividad fisicas en estudiantes de escuelas secundarias y estudiantes universitarios; estimar su percepción del entorno contruído en relación con la actividad física, y evaluar la relación entre la educación física y el entorno contruído. Metodología: Se aplicó un estudio sociológico trasversal con diseño no experimental. Se completaron el cuestionario internacional de actividad física y el cuestionario de caraterísticas de entorno contruído con una muestra de 1.862 alumnos de escuelas secundarias y universidad en Granada, España. Resultados: los alumnos de la escuela secundaria fueron significativamente más activos que los estudiantes universitarios, quienes alcanzaron niveles insuficientes de actividad física. Sin embargo, consideraron Granada un buen contexto para hacer ejercicio al aire libre. No se encontraron relaciones entre los niveles de actividad física y el entorno contruído. Conclusión: la discrepancia de resultados entre los niveles de actividad física y la percepción del entorno contruído sugieren la necesidad de intervenciones focalizadas en hacer que los jóvenes se den cuenta de las posibilidades que el medio les ofrece para ejercitarse. En consecuencia, el medio puede tener un impacto en la salud al mismo tiempo que los jóvenes aprenden a respetarlo

Adolescents' and young adults' physical activity related to built environment

Objetivos: este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar los niveles de actividad fisicas en estudiantes de escuelas secundarias y estudiantes universitarios; estimar su percepción del entorno contruído en relación con la actividad física, y evaluar la relación entre la educación física y el entorno contruído. Metodología: Se aplicó un estudio sociológico trasversal con diseño no experimental. Se completaron el cuestionario internacional de actividad física y el cuestionario de caraterísticas de entorno contruído con una muestra de 1.862 alumnos de escuelas secundarias y universidad en Granada, España. Resultados: los alumnos de la escuela secundaria fueron significativamente más activos que los estudiantes universitarios, quienes alcanzaron niveles insuficientes de actividad física. Sin embargo, consideraron Granada un buen contexto para hacer ejercicio al aire libre. No se encontraron relaciones entre los niveles de actividad física y el entorno contruído. Conclusión: la discrepancia de resultados entre los niveles de actividad física y la percepción del entorno contruído sugieren la necesidad de intervenciones focalizadas en hacer que los jóvenes se den cuenta de las posibilidades que el medio les ofrece para ejercitarse. En consecuencia, el medio puede tener un impacto en la salud al mismo tiempo que los jóvenes aprenden a respetarlo

The Relation Between Civic Education and Political Attitudes and Behavior

It is generally assumed that civic education efforts will have a positive effect on the political attitudes and behaviors of adolescents and young adults. There is less agreement, however, on the most effective forms of civic education. In the present study, we distinguish between formal civic education, an open classroom climate and active learning strategies, and we explore their effect on political interest, efficacy, trust and participation. To analyze these effects, we rely on the results of a two-year panel study among late adolescents in Belgium. The results indicate that formal civic education (classroom instruction) and active learning strategies (school council membership and, to a lesser extent, group projects) are effective in shaping political attitudes and behavior. An open classroom climate, on the other hand, has an effect on political trust. We conclude that there is no reason to privilege specific forms of civic education, as each form contributes to different relevant political attitudes and behaviors.

The rector and his pupils : being a sequel to The academy, or Picture of youth.

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