Reforming Teacher and Leader Preparation to Improve Instruction and Schooling for Students With Disabilities: The CEEDAR Way

Effective preparation systems are critical for preparing teachers and school leaders who have the knowledge and skills to educate students with disabilities to achieve college and career ready standards. These systems must provide teachers and leaders with effective practice-based opportunities to learn about evidence-based and high-leverage practices in their initial preparation and throughout their careers. Creating such systems, however, depends on comprehensive systems change where aligned research-based policy and preparation/induction practices are implemented in higher education and k-12 schools. This article describes the ingredients of effective systems change, and how the CEEDAR Center TA approach is informed by implementation drivers, as articulated by the National Implementation Research Network. The outcomes achieved by the Center thus far are also articulated as are challenges encountered.

Inter-hospital and inter-disciplinary variation in planned birth practices and readiness for change: a survey study

Background How the application of evidence to planned birth practices, induction of labour (IOL) and prelabour caesarean (CS), differs between Australian maternity units remains poorly understood. Perceptions of readiness for practice change and resources to implement change in individual units are also unclear. Aim To identify inter-hospital and inter-professional variations in relation to current planned birth practices and readiness for change, reported by clinicians in 7 maternity units. Method Custom-created survey of maternity staff at 7 Sydney hospitals, with questions about women’s engagement with decision making, indications for planned birth, timing of birth and readiness for change. Responses from midwives and medical staff, and from each hospital, were compared. Findings Of 245 completed surveys (27% response rate), 78% were midwives and 22% medical staff. Substantial inter-hospital variation was noted for stated planned birth indication, timing, women’s involvement in decision-making practices, as well as in staff perceptions of their unit’s readiness for change. Overall, 48% (range 31–64%) and 64% (range 39–89%) agreed on a need to change their unit’s caesarean and induction practices respectively. The three units where greatest need for change was perceived also had least readiness for change in terms of leadership, culture, and resources. Regarding inter-disciplinary variation, medical staff were more likely than midwifery staff to believe women were appropriately informed and less likely to believe unit practice change was required. Conclusion Planned birth practices and change readiness varied between participating hospitals and professional groups. Hospitals with greatest perceived need for change perceived least resources to implement such change.

The Cost and Benefit of Fear Induction Parenting on Children’s Health during the COVID-19 Outbreak

Objective. The outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was an unprecedented global public health emergency with a significant psychological toll. This study aimed to understand how specific COVID-19 related stressors contributed to Chinese parents’ fear induction practices, and how these practices, in turn, contributed to their children’s disease prevention practices during the outbreak and depressive symptoms after the outbreak. Method. Parents (N=240, Mage=38.50 years, 75% mothers) with elementary-school-aged children (Mage=9.48 years, 46% girls) in Wenzhou, one of the most impacted cities in China, reported on the presence of confirmed or suspected cases in their communities, their frequencies of consuming COVID-19-related information, fear induction practices, and their children’s trait anxiety and disease prevention practices during the outbreak (January 28 to 30, 2020). Child-reported depressive symptoms were collected between March 7 and 11, 2020, during which there were very few remaining cases and no new confirmed cases or deaths. Results. Parents’ higher frequency of virus-related information consumption but not the presence of community infection was associated with their engagement in more fear induction practices, which was in turn associated with children’s greater engagement in prevention practices during the outbreak, but more post-quarantine depressive symptoms. Child trait anxiety exacerbated the association between parent fear induction and child depressive symptoms. Conclusion. Using fear induction parenting may promote children’s willingness to cooperate and participate in disease prevention practices during the crisis but at the cost of children’s long-term mental health.

A learning development-faculty collaborative exploration of postgraduate research student mental health in a UK university

Mental ill-health is an escalating problem in higher education. Not only does this impact students’ ability to learn, it can lead to poor completion, with learners opting to withdraw from studies, even if attainment has been satisfactory. The aim of this study was to gain insight about perceptions of poor mental health from postgraduate research students in a diverse UK university and canvas opinion regarding how the University could improve this. A short, pragmatic survey with basic quantitative and qualitative responses was distributed. This was analysed by a team comprising the learning developer responsible for postgraduate researcher learning development, academics and a doctoral student. The study found that poor mental health was evident, with over three quarters of respondents reporting some experience of mental ill-health. We identified five areas in need of attention: University Systems, Supervisor Training, Well-being Monitoring, Building Networks, and Finance. Sources of University-based stress were finance, administrative support, and an environment where a perception that poor mental health was an expectation rather than a problem was experienced. Students preferred to access support outside the academic environment. This is the first study of its kind at a diverse, plate-glass UK university, to consider research student mental ill-health, with a staff-student team working with data, and the learning developer spear-heading changes across postgraduate research. These findings have already influenced university strategy, staff training, and induction practices. The synthesis of the five areas could be used to visualise where further work is needed to improve mental health in these learners.

Innovations in Induction Practices: Emerging Trends in Digitalized Organizations

The aim of this paper is to examine the importance of the Induction program and how new hires can be effectively integrated into the teams and can be set up for success in working with their colleagues and the company as a whole. Once the recruitment and hiring process is completed, good management of the first day of the new employee can ensure a smooth transition. The paper will shed light on the work to be done before Day1 and how to create good experiences for the first day, week, month and three months. The paper is built on a review of literature in the domain of employee Induction, sometimes known as organizational socialization. In order to arrive at a series of activities to be done to help new employees gain the knowledge, skills, behaviors and necessary connections to become an effective member of the organization, the author has reviewed the existing body of work on the subject. There is a good amount of work to do to ensure that the new employee really hits the ground running. After analyzing the existing literature, the author has arrived at distinct kinds of information new hires need to be given long before their first day of job and has addressed many of the tasks that need to be completed internally before new hires arrival.

Novice teachers’ views on induction practices in Turkey

The aim of this study is to identify the opinions of the novice teachers about the problems experienced during the induction process and the fields of training needed to overcome these problems so as to contribute to the their professional development. This study was conducted with survey research model and the study group consisted of 812 novice teachers. As a result of the research, it was determined that the novice teachers mostly thought that they would not have problems. In addition, It was found out that they believed that individuals taking part in the education process of the novice teacher training the tasks undertaken and the aims of the education process were appropriate. They believed that there six months extention of their nomination starting from September, having them prepare files should be abolished. In line with the results of study, It was proposed to conduct the process of novice teacher education in the place of duty, provide the documents online, and to evaluate the supervisor teachers and school administrators as well.