Identifying the Supports and Challenges of High School Latino English Language Learners

Two out of three English Language Learners (ELLs) graduate from secondary schools nationwide. Of the nearly five million ELLs in public schools, more than 70% of these students’ first language is Spanish. In order to understand and resolve this phenomena and in an effort to increase the number of graduates, this research examined what high school Latino ELLs identified as the major external and internal factors that support or challenge them on the graduation pathway. The study utilized a 32 quantitative and qualitative question student survey, as well as student focus groups. Both the survey and the focus groups were conducted in English and Spanish. The questions considered the following factors: 1) value of education; 2) expectations in achieving their long-term goals; 3) current education levels; 4) expectations before coming to the United States; 5) family obligations; and 6) future aspirations. The survey was administered to 159 Latino ELLs enrolled in grades 9-12. Research took place at three high schools that provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes in a large school system in the Mid-Atlantic region. The three schools involved in the study have more than 1,500 ELLs. Two of the schools had large ESOL instructional programs, and one school had a comparatively smaller ESOL program. The majority of students surveyed were from El Salvador (72%) and Guatemala (12.6%). Using Qualtrics, an independent facilitator and a bilingual translator administered the online survey tool to the students during their ESOL classes. Two weeks later, the researcher hosted three follow-up focus groups, totaling 37 students from those students who took the survey. Each focus group was conducted at the three schools by the lead researcher and the translator. The purpose of the focus group was to obtain deeper insight on how secondary age Latino ELLs defined success in school, what they identified to be their support factors, and how previous and present experiences helped or hindered their goals. From the research findings, ten recommendations range from suggested policy updates to cross-cultural/equity training for students and staff; they were developed, stemming from the findings and what the students identified.

Factors associated with the retention of HIV-infected children in care in Botswana

Lost to follow up (LTFU) in the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS represents a particularly problematic aspect when evaluating the success of treatment programs. Identifying modifiable factors that lead to LTFU would be important if we are to design effective retention interventions. The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges faced by children seeking care and treatment at a large HIV Clinic in Botswana. In order to identify those factors, we used mixed methods from different sources of information available at the Baylor Clinic. The first method involved a case-control study through which we interviewed a select representation of children 1-18 years who, at some point in time, have attended clinic at Baylor Clinic in Gaborone, Botswana. We document this in detail using the first journal article. We defined LTFU as patients who had not attended clinic for more than 6 months at the onset of the study; the comparison group was recruited from among those who have attended clinic at any point in the 6 months leading to the start of study. Factors were compared between the cases and controls. The second methodology involved conducting in-depth interviews with health providers to elicit their opinions and experiences dealing with patients at the at the Baylor clinic in general and the LTFU patients in particular. We document this methodology and its findings in the second journal article. ^ We found that most patients that are LTFU failed to engage with the clinic. Most of the LTFU made only one visit to the clinic (47.66%) as compared to less than 1% in the control group (P<0.01, 2-tailed Fisher's exact test). Among the interviewed patients, psychosocial factors such as stigma, religious beliefs, child rebellion and disclosure of HIV status concerns were characteristic of the LTFU population, but psychosocial issues were not cited among the comparison group. We also found that these psychosocial aspects of the patients point towards a bigger problem of mental health that needs to be addressed. Socioeconomic factors such as lack of transport, school-related activities and forgetting check-up dates were cited predominantly by the controls than cases. ^ From these findings, there is need to target interventions towards engaging pediatric patients at their initial clinic visit. Such interventions would focus on psychosocial support, as well as involving faith-based organizations in planning joint responses.^

Life Raft Australia?

In the helter skelter of people legally and illegally seeking refuge in Australia, often overlooked are the realities of how to obtain that hoped for better life. One of the avenues chosen to achieve their dream is higher education; however, once enrolled in higher education many such students [termed Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)] find they are ill equipped to achieve academic success; they become overwhelmed by the pressures of study/family/work; and ultimately lose heart and their place at university. Life raft Australia has just become another disillusioning vehicle to a depressing future. This paper discusses how universities across Australia are now putting processes in place that will enable CALD students to confront and overcome academic and social barriers, and thus realise their dream of a better life. Exemplars from the University of Tasmania provide practical models of how higher education institutions, not only in Australia but globally can assist immigrant students to self actualize; to be empowered to become integral and successful members of the Australian community.

Life Raft Australia?

In the helter skelter of people legally and illegally seeking refuge in Australia, often overlooked are the realities of how to obtain that hoped for better life. One of the avenues chosen to achieve their dream is higher education; however, once enrolled in higher education many such students [termed Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)] find they are ill equipped to achieve academic success; they become overwhelmed by the pressures of study/family/work; and ultimately lose heart and their place at university. Life raft Australia has just become another disillusioning vehicle to a depressing future. This paper discusses how universities across Australia are now putting processes in place that will enable CALD students to confront and overcome academic and social barriers, and thus realise their dream of a better life. Exemplars from the University of Tasmania provide practical models of how higher education institutions, not only in Australia but globally can assist immigrant students to self actualize; to be empowered to become integral and successful members of the Australian community.

Bin Laden in the Suburbs: Criminalising the Arab Other

This book examines public worrying over 'ethnic crime' and what it tells us about Australia today. How, for instance, can the blame for a series of brutal group sexual assaults in Sydney be so widely attributed to whole ethnic communities? How is it that the arrival of a foundering boatload of asylum-seekers mostly seeking refuge from despotic regimes in 'the Middle East' can be manipulated to characterise complete cohorts of applicants for refuge 'and their immigrant compatriots' as dangerous, dishonest, criminally inclined and inhuman? How did the airborne terror attacks on the USA on 11 September 2001 exacerbate existing tendencies in Australia to stereotype Arabs and Muslims as backward, inassimilable, without respect for Western laws and values, and complicit with barbarism and terrorism? Bin Laden in the Suburbs argues that we are witnessing the emergence of the 'Arab Other' as the pre-eminent 'folk devil' of our time. This Arab Other functions in the national imaginary to prop up the project of national belonging. It has little to do with the lived experiences of Arab, Middle Eastern or Muslim Australians, and everything to do with a host of social anxieties which overlap in a series of moral panics. Bin Laden in the Suburbs analyses a decisive moment in the history of multiculturalism in Australia. 'Unlike most migrants, the Arab migrant is a subversive will ... They invade our shores, take over our neighbourhood and rape our women. They are all little bin Ladens and they are everywhere: Explicit bin Ladens and closet bin Ladens; Conscious bin Ladens and unconscious bin Ladens; bin Ladens on the beach and bin Ladens in the suburbs, as this book is aptly titled. Within this register ... even a single Arab is a threat. Contain the Arab or exterminate the Arab? A 'tolerable' presence in the suburbs, or caged in a concentration camp? ... The politics of the Western post-colonial state is constantly and dangerously oscillating between these tendencies today. It is this dangerous oscillation that is so lucidly exposed in this book'.

Les déterminants de la santé des personnes exposées à des crises majeures : le cas des déplacés internes au Burundi

PROBLÉMATIQUE La violence collective, à travers les guerres civiles et autres conflits politiques violents, constitue un lourd fardeau pour la santé publique. Plus de la moitié des décès causés par l’ensemble des conflits dans le monde entier se trouvent en Afrique. L’une des conséquences est le déplacement massif des populations qui se réfugient vers l’extérieur du pays, mais aussi de plus en plus à l’intérieur des frontières nationales. Ceux qui ne traversent pas sont appelés déplacés internes. Leur état de santé est au moins aussi vulnérable que celui de réfugiés, mais est très peu documenté. De 1993 à 2005, le Burundi a plongé dans une crise politico-sociale sans précédent. En 2001, environ 10 % de la population vivaient dans des camps de déplacés. OBJECTIF Documenter l’état de santé des personnes déplacées par la guerre au Burundi et identifier ses déterminants. CADRE CONCEPTUEL Le cadre conceptuel est basé sur la modélisation de l’association entre les événements traumatiques, les facteurs de l’environnement post-traumatique et l’état de santé des déplacés internes burundais. MÉTHODE Une enquête transversale a été menée dans deux camps de déplacés au Burundi. Les données ont été obtenues de façon rétrospective sur l’exposition aux événements traumatiques et de manière transversale pour l’état de santé et les facteurs de l’environnement post-traumatique. Les participants ont été interrogés sur les événements traumatiques vécus personnellement ou par leurs proches selon une courte échelle élaborée à cet effet. De même, les facteurs de l’environnement post-traumatique ont été documentés. Pour la mesure de l’état de santé, un questionnaire comportant certains des 17 items du profil de santé de Duke a été utilisé. Deux traductions ont été réalisées et plusieurs items ont été adaptés. RÉSULTATS Les événements traumatiques vécus par les déplacés internes burundais sont négativement associés à l’état de santé physique, à l’état de santé sociale, à l’état de santé perçu et, positivement, avec l’incapacité. De même, plusieurs facteurs de l’environnement post-traumatique sont associés à l’état de santé. Par contre, certaines associations sont à interpréter selon leurs interactions avec les événements traumatiques. Celles-ci agissent parfois comme modificateurs d’effet, en amortissant ou en amplifiant le lien associatif initial entre certains événements traumatiques et l’état de santé des déplacés. CONCLUSION : Les résultats font ressortir un effet différentiel associé d’une part aux événements traumatiques vécus précédemment et d’autre part, en interaction avec ces derniers, à l’environnement post-traumatique. Notre thèse en arrive à la conclusion que les facteurs de l’environnement post-traumatique constituent des déterminants importants de l’état de santé des déplacés de guerre.

Suboptimal Vitamin D Associated with Dental Caries at an Urban Pediatric Hospital

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Habitat use and foraging ecology of a batoid community in Shark Bay, Western Australia

Worldwide declines in populations of large elasmobranchs and the potential cascading effects on marine ecosystems have garnered considerable attention. Far less appreciated are the potential ecological impacts of changes in abundances of small to medium bodied elasmobranchs mesopredators. Crucial to elucidating the role of these elasmobranchs is an understanding of their habitat use and foraging ecology in pristine conditions. I investigated the trophic interactions and factors driving spatiotemporal variation in abundances of elasmobranch mesopredators in the relatively pristine ecosystem of Shark Bay, Australia. First, I describe the species composition and seasonal habitat use patterns of elasmobranch mesopredator on the sandflats of Shark Bay. Juvenile batoids dominated this diverse community and were extremely abundant in nearshore microhabitats during the warm season. Stomach content analysis and stable isotopic analysis revealed that there is a large degree of dietary overlap between common batoid species. Crustaceans, which tend to be found in seagrass habitats, dominated diets. Despite isotopic differences between many species, overlap in isotopic niche space was high and there was some degree of individual specialization. I then, investigated the importance of abiotic (temperature and water depth) and biotic (prey and predator abundance) factors in shaping batoid habitat use. Batoids were most abundant and tended to rest in shallow nearshore waters when temperatures were high. This pattern coincides with periods of large shark abundance suggesting batoids were seeking refuge from predators rather than selecting optimal temperatures. Finally, I used acoustic telemetry to examine batoid residency and diel use of the sandflats. Individual batoids were present on the sandflats during both the warm and cold seasons and throughout the diel cycle, suggesting lower sandflat densities during the cold season were a result of habitat shifts rather than migration out of Shark Bay. Combined, habitat use and dietary results suggest that batoids have the potential to seasonally impact sandflat dynamics through their presence, although foraging may be limited on the sandflats. Interestingly, my results suggest that elasmobranch mesopredators in pristine ecosystems probably are not regulated by food supply and their habitat use patterns and perhaps ecosystem impacts may be influenced by their predators.

La Comunità ebraica di Shanghai

The Jewish community in Shanghai was among the first to settle in the Treaty Ports which were opened after the Opium war. Jewish population grew until the rendition of the foreign settlements to the Chinese authorities, and its history broadly consists of three periods.The first Jews came to Shanghai in the XIX century were sephardits from Iraq and India. Among those emigrated to Shanghai following the expansion of the British commerce in China were such famous families as Sassoons, Hardoons and Kadoories.The second wave arrived with the White Russians exodus after the October Revolution; they were askanzits Jews who fled from pogroms and the Russian civil war. The third wave were Jews fleeing from central Europe in the 1930s. This group was the largest of the three.The first settlers saw Shanghai as a port of opportunities, while the others came there seeking refuge.The interwar Shanghai could offer protection and a temporary place of residence for Jewish people. In the 1920s and 1930s Jews coming to Shanghai were helped by local Jewish associations, which supported them in the search for accommodations and jobs. This net of associations was effective until WWII. The war, however, made them face increasing number of contraints. In this constrained situation we should remember that the Japanese authorities, occupying the International Settlement, imposed a ban for new Jewish arrivals to settle in the Hongkou district; while the French authorities under the Vichy government imposed a complete ban on Jewish residents in their concession. Finally, the Jewish immigration to Shanghai had stopped completely in 1942, because there were no more ways to get there.Japanese authorities, however, were not interested in applying the racial laws as their priority lay in the conquest of China. And although the Jews were in an enemy's territory, they were not persecuted. In fact, when the war was over they left Shanghai directly to the United States and Israel.

Treatment-seeking behavior and delay in children with severe malaria in Uganda: results of a Markov analysis

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

In the mouth of the imagination : positioning children as co-researchers and co-artists to create a professional children's theatre production

In recent decades a number of Australian artists and teacher/artists have given serious attention to the creation of performance forms and performance engagement models that respect children’s intelligence, engage with themes of relevance, avoid the cliche´s of children’s theatre whilst connecting both sincerely and playfully with current understandings of the way in which young children develop and engage with the world. Historically a majority of performing arts companies touring Australian schools or companies seeking schools to view a performance in a dedicated performance venue engage with their audiences in what can be called a ‘drop-in drop-out’ model. A six-month practice-led research project (The Tashi Project) which challenged the tenets of the ‘drop-in drop-out’ model has been recently undertaken by Sandra Gattenhof and Mark Radvan in conjunction with early childhood students from three Brisbane primary school classrooms who were positioned as co-researchers and co-artists. The children, researchers and performers worked in a complimentary relationship in both the artistic process and the development of product.

Why is there a gender gap in children presenting for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder services?

This study addressed why girls are less likely to be referred for mental health services for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than boys. Ninety-six parents of children with elevated ADHD symptoms and 140 elementary school teachers read vignettes about children with ADHD. Half of the participants read vignettes with boys' names, and half read the same vignettes but with girls' names. Participants then rated their likeliness to seek or recommend services for the child in each vignette. Parents and teachers were less likely to seek or recommend services for girls than boys with ADHD, but results did not support the hypothesis that this is because girls are less disruptive than boys. Rather, differences in service seeking were explained by the fact that parents and teachers believed that learning assistance is less effective for girls than boys with ADHD.