Effects of Changes in Lunch-Time Competitive Foods, Nutrition Practices, and Nutrition Policies on Low-Income Middle-School Children's Diets

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 509-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Alaimo ◽  
Shannon C. Oleksyk ◽  
Nick B. Drzal ◽  
Diane L. Golzynski ◽  
Jennifer F. Lucarelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Nutrition Practices ◽  
Nutrition Policies ◽  
Competitive Foods ◽  
Lunch Time

Selection into, and academic benefits from, arts-related courses in middle school among low-income, ethnically diverse youth.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Winsler ◽  
Taylor V. Gara ◽  
Alenamie Alegrado ◽  
Sonia Castro ◽  
Tanya Tavassolie
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Academic Benefits ◽  
Diverse Youth

Successful leadership in a rural, high-poverty school: the case of County Line Middle School

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans W. Klar ◽  
Curtis A. Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Leadership Practices ◽  
Leadership Strategies ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Principalship ◽  
Successful School

Purpose – In this paper, the authors present a case study of successful school leadership at County Line Middle School. The purpose of the paper is to identify how particular leadership practices and beliefs were adapted to increase student achievement in this rural, high-poverty school in the southeastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – After purposefully selecting this school, the authors adapted interview protocols, questionnaires, and analysis frameworks from the International Successful School Principalship Project to develop a multi-perspective case study of principal leadership practices at the school. Findings – The findings illustrate the practices which led to students at this school, previously the lowest-performing in the district, achieving significantly higher on state standardized tests, getting along “like a family,” and regularly participating in service learning activities and charity events. A particularly interesting finding was how the principal confronted the school's negative self-image and adapted common leadership practices to implement a school-wide reform that suited its unique context. Research limitations/implications – While the findings of the study explicate the specific ways the principal adapted leadership strategies to enhance student learning, this study also highlights the need to understand how principals become familiar with their community's needs, cultures, norms, and values, and exercise leadership in accordance with them. Practical implications – The case offers an example of the need for context-responsive leadership in schools. In particular, it illustrates how this principal enacted leadership strategies that successfully negotiated what Woods (2006) referred to as the changing politics of the rural. To realize this success, the principal utilized his understanding of this low income, rural community to guide his leadership practices. Critically, part of this understanding included the ways the community was connected to and isolated from dominant sub-urban and urban societies, and how to build enthusiasm and capacity through appeals to local values. Originality/value – While it is widely acknowledged that school leaders need to consider their school and community contexts when making leadership decisions, less research has focussed on understanding how this can be achieved. This case provides rich examples of how this was accomplished in a rural, high-poverty middle school.

Abstract P037: School Lunch is Associated with Increased Cardiovascular Risk Among Middle-school Children

Circulation ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 133 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa S de Visser ◽  
Rachel Sylvester ◽  
Qingmei Jiang ◽  
Eva Kline-Rogers ◽  
Jean DuRussel-Weston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽  
Low Income ◽  
School Lunch ◽  
School Lunches ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Physiologic Parameters

Introduction: Millions of children consume school lunches daily. Children from low-income families are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. While studies show improvement in the nutritional quality of school lunches, the effect of school lunch or lunch brought from home on cardiovascular risk factors among children is unknown. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that frequently consuming school lunch is associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors when compared with lunch brought from home. Methods: All 15,742 sixth graders enrolled in Project Healthy Schools, a school-based wellness intervention, were included in this cross-sectional study (2004-2015). We examined 10,169 behavioral surveys and 1,845 physiological screenings. We compared self-reported diet, physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors and physiologic parameters (height, weight, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate) in 2 groups, children who reported eating school lunch daily and those who eat home-prepared lunch daily. The groups were further stratified by socioeconomic status (SES); low SES (<$35,000) or high SES (>$50,000) based on the median household income of the school region. Students in the middle SES range ($35,000-$50,000) were excluded from analysis (n=4230). Results: School lunch students were associated with less healthy behaviors (PA, diet [fruit/vegetable servings, meat and sugary beverage intake], and sedentary activities) and physiologic measures (percent of overweight/obesity, systolic BP and recovery heart rate) compared with students bringing lunch from home in low and high SES groups (Table 1). Conclusions: In this large cohort of children, we observed frequent school lunch consumption, even after adjustment for SES, was associated with less healthy behaviors and physiologic parameters. Further research is warranted to determine whether healthier school lunches would improve cardiovascular health characteristics and health behaviors in middle-school students.

Community Service Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 1520-1534
Author(s):  
Tomesha Manora Farris ◽  
Denise Ross ◽  
Brandi Fontenot ◽  
Gaige Johnson ◽  
Margaret Uwayo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Service Research ◽  
Community Service Learning ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Research Education ◽  
Low Income Families

Poverty and low-socioeconomic status can have negative effects on the academic and social outcomes of children and youth. However, despite the growing number of children and families from low-income communities, the American Psychological Association reports that the field of psychology has not contributed significantly to research, education, and advocacy initiatives for low-income families. The purpose of the START model was to recruit and train psychology majors to work in low-income communities by engaging them in service, research, and teaching activities in a middle school located in a high-poverty community. For one semester, psychology undergraduate and graduate students collaborated on a literacy and classroom management project with a local middle school in a low-income community. Results showed an increase in the number of psychology students interested in working with low-income populations and high rates of satisfaction for the teacher who participated. Barriers and facilitators to implementation are discussed.

Associations between Work Experience and Betel Nut, Alcohol, or Tobacco Use among Low-Income Taiwanese Students from Middle School to University

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 1493-1500
Author(s):  
Fengjuan Liang ◽  
Chenghua Jiang ◽  
Tienan Feng ◽  
Dongxu Li ◽  
Baosong Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Betel Nut

Gender Differences in Dating Aggression and Victimization Among Low-Income, Urban Middle School Students

Partner Abuse ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Cascardi ◽  
Sarah Avery-Leaf
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Physical Restraint ◽  
Injury Rate ◽  
Developmental Phase ◽  
Dating Aggression ◽  
School Students ◽  
Urban Middle School

Emerging research on dating aggression in early adolescence suggests that it occurs as early as 6th grade. However, our understanding of dating aggression during this developmental phase remains limited. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine gender differences in various potentially harmful dating behaviors, including physical and psychological dating aggression and victimization as well as jealous, controlling, and monitoring behaviors in a low-income, urban sample of middle school students (N = 3,174). Approximately 40% of youth reported physical dating aggression as a perpetrator or victim. Girls endorsed all forms of physical aggression at a higher rate than boys with one exception: physical restraint. Regarding physical dating victimization, boys reported higher rates of having been slapped; scratched; or kicked, bit, or hit than did girls. There were no statistically significant gender differences in the frequency of injury to self (6% of boys, 2% of girls) or partner (4% of boys and 5% of girls injured a partner). Although the overall injury rate was low, it was not inconsequential. Regarding other potentially harmful behaviors, girls and boys reported jealous accusations, monitoring and spiteful verbal and nonverbal retaliation with the highest frequency. Although, the vast majority of dating aggression was characterized as “just playing around,” many youth demanded apologies and a substantial minority broke up as a result of dating aggression. Of note, boys were significantly more likely to “do nothing” in response to dating aggression compared to girls. Results highlight the complex, variable meaning of aggression, jealousy, and control in early adolescent dating relationships.

Exploring different types of assessment items to measure linguistically diverse students’ understanding of energy and matter in chemistry

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kihyun Ryoo ◽  
Emily Toutkoushian ◽  
Kristin Bedell
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Chemical Reactions ◽  
Low Income ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Diverse Students ◽  
Linguistically Diverse Students ◽  
Different Types ◽  
English Dominant

Energy and matter are fundamental, yet challenging concepts in middle school chemistry due to their abstract, unobservable nature. Although it is important for science teachers to elicit a range of students’ ideas to design and revise their instruction, capturing such varied ideas using traditional assessments consisting of multiple-choice items can be difficult. In particular, the linguistic complexity of these items may hinder English learners (ELs) who speak English as a second language from understanding and representing their ideas. This study explores how multi-modal assessments using different types of open-ended items can document ELs’ and English-dominant students’ (EDSs) understanding of energy and matter in chemistry. 38 eighth-grade, linguistically diverse students taught by one teacher at a low-income middle school completed an assessment designed to elicit their ideas about properties of matter and chemical reactions through arguing from evidence, writing explanations, and developing models of chemical phenomena. The results show that the three types of assessment items captured different correct and alternative ideas that ELs and EDSs held. In particular, modeling appears promising as a tool to assess what ELs know about properties of matter and chemical reactions in middle school chemistry, compared to other written items. The findings of this study provide insights into how different types of assessment items can be used to better understand the range of ideas held by linguistically diverse students.

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