Prevalence and factors associated with thinness among adolescent girls attending high schools in rural and urban high schools of Soro District, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Background Despite the government of Ethiopia is striving to reduce the prevalence of the undernutrition, thinness among adolescents is one of the challenging nutritional issues in lifecycle approach in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed on determining the prevalence of thinness and its associated factors among adolescent girls attending high schools in Soro District, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Methods Institution based comparative cross sectional study design was employed. The study was conducted from March 15 to April 15, 2019 in high schools of rural and urban settings of Sorro District, Hadiya Zone. Both binary and multivariable logistic regression analysis were done to identify the factors associated with thinness among adolescent girls. Result A total of 414 adolescent girls were participated in this study making the response rate of 100%. The mean age were (17.01± 1.55) and 16.90 ± 1.48, P = 0.437) among adolescent girls in rural and urban high schools respectively. The overall prevalence of the thinness among female adolescents attending high schools in Soro district, Hadiya Zone was 6.8%. There was no statistically significant difference in thinness among adolescent girls in rural and urban high schools. Household wealth tertile AOR: 4.19; 95% C.I: 1.13-15.47, P <0.05, source of drinking water AOR: 2.31; 95% C.I: 1.01-5.30, P <0.05, dietary diversity AOR: 3.99; C.I: 1.15-13.82, P <0.05 and skipping breakfast AOR: 2.97; C.I: 1.28-6.92, P <0.05 were found to be independent factors associated with thinness. Conclusion Being low in household wealth tertile, unprotected source of drinking water, inadequate dietary diversity and skipping breakfast were those factors identified to be independently associated with thinness among female adolescents. Attention should be given from government and nongovernmental organizations by empowering household economic capacity, extending access for pure drinking water and increasing nutrition sensitive agriculture focusing on maintaining food varieties.

Designing Multiple Book Clubs to Meet the Interest of Diverse Populations

Reading for recreation has been an on-going problem for our high school so we decided to create an after-school book club. However, in large urban high schools with diverse populations, it is difficult to meet the interest of all students with one book club. In our school there are fifty-two languages represented and students from various backgrounds, ethnicities and academic abilities. Data was collected, analyzed and a question emerged. If we developed book clubs around the interest of students, would recreational reading activities increase at our high school? The following paper is what we found to be the answer.

Coping Power in the City: Promoting Coping in African American Male Students

This article describes efforts to adapt an adolescent version of the Coping Power program, called Coping Power in the City, for use with high school students attending an urban school district with high concentrations of students exposed to community violence and challenges related to elevated tensions between youth and police. The goal of this group-based preventive intervention is to provide a comprehensive, school-based approach to stem rates of violence, discipline problems, and related mental health concerns for adolescents. A novel feature is the integration of a school police component into the intervention model with concurrent supports for students, parents, and teachers to supplement school counseling efforts. We present an overview of the program and a rationale for its adaptation to meet the needs of African American males in urban high schools. We summarize baseline data for 514 ninth graders (46% African American males) across 10 urban high schools participating in a randomized controlled trial. We also address lessons learned and implications for school-based counseling practices for African American male students and engagement of school police officers in urban high schools.

How a principal's action as an invitational leader with a social justice orientation can serve as a factor in recruiting and reciprocally retaining teachers at high-poverty, high-minority, high needs urban high schools

The number of individuals going into the teaching profession was dwindling at a time when the rate of retirement and people leaving the profession was increasing. Sutcher et al. (2016) noted that in 2015-16, the United States was short 64,000 qualified teachers. They predicted this to grow to as much as 300,000 teachers needed per year by 2020 and up to 316,000 by 2025. The COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate this challenge even more (Page, 2020). Teachers need to be recruited, supported, and retained in high-poverty, high-minority, high-needs, urban high schools (Freedman and Appleman, 2008; Greenlee and Brown, 2009; Hughes, 2012; Petty, et. al, 2012; Podolsky, et. al., 2016; Simon and Johnson, 2015; Stotko, et. al., 2006; Waddell, 2010). In a time when inequities are being exacerbated in the field of education, the principals and the teachers will be called upon to do more with less (Page, 2020). Empowerment of school principals who are willing to take on the schools that are the most challenging (Bartanen, 2019; Levin and Bradley, 2019) is needed. They must to be trained to demonstrate leadership dimensions and supporting actions (Martin and Miller, 2017) that can guide them to build a team of team of irreplaceable teachers (The Irreplaceables, 2012), which will build collective efficacy (Hattie, 2016) to help students furthest from opportunity reach their high potential in academic and personal achievement. In the contention of Martin and Miller, (2017) aligning the dimensions of invitational leadership (Purkey and Novak, 2016; Purkey and Siegel, 2003) with action and self-reflection of social justice leadership for principal leadership will better prepare principals leading schools with diverse populations. This study further contends that if the principal's action as an invitational leader with a social justice orientation it will serve as a factor in recruiting and retaining teachers in the schools where they are needed most.

Connected literacies of anti-racist youth organizers

Purpose This article aims to share findings from a youth-informed study with interracial anti-racist youth activist groups in two urban high schools. Design/methodology/approach The study used mostly critical ethnographic methods. Findings The findings showed that the agency of youth activists amplified their literacies of love and resistance, organizing, critical teaching, and knowledge. More research is needed in English education related to youth organizing activities across contexts as youth organizing work is largely unknown or underused by educators and schools. Originality/value Overall, this research supports humanizing collectives that amplify the literacies of youth and position youth-centered education for liberation.

A Call for Intersectionality in US Schooling: Testimonios of Chicana Students in High School

Guided by the concept of nepantleras and critical race nepantlera methodology, Nancy Acevedo presents the testimonios of Citlalli Bejarano and Natalie Ibarra Collazo, two Chicana students who attend urban high schools. Citlalli and Natalie share various forms of inclusion and exclusion that they experience as Chicanas attending private and public high schools in California. The article highlights a need for schooling experiences that acknowledge the intersectional identities of Chicana students, foster critical consciousness, and provide the opportunity for students to contribute to their education and the world.