Objective. Young smokers commonly identify themselves as “social smokers,” a pattern of smoking behavior that is poorly understood. We assessed the prevalence and correlates of social smoking among US college students. Methods. Cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 10 904 students enrolled at 119 nationally representative US colleges in 2001. Results. A total of 51% of 2401 current (past 30-day) smokers were social smokers. (To assess social smoking, students were asked, “In the past 30 days, do you smoke mainly when you are with people, mainly when you are alone, or do you smoke as often by yourself as with others?” Students who stated that they smoked mainly with others rather than alone or equally by themselves and others were defined as social smokers for this analysis.) Social smoking was independently associated with a lower frequency and intensity of tobacco use, less nicotine dependence, less intention to quit, and fewer recent quit attempts. Conclusions. Social smoking is a distinct pattern of tobacco use that is common among college students and may represent a stage in the uptake of smoking.

Social smoking among US college students.

Background. Reading skills are critical to children9s success in school and the increasingly technologic workforce. Children from low-income families are at risk for home environments that fail to promote emergent literacy and for reading failure. A home environment that encourages learning and parents who are involved in their children9s education are important factors in school achievement. Objective. To evaluate the effects of a literacy promoting intervention delivered by pediatric providers as part of well-child care on parent attitudes and behaviors and on child language. Design/Methods. A multicultural group of 205 low-income families with 5- to 11-month-olds were prospectively enrolled, interviewed, and randomized to intervention ( n = 106) or control ( n = 99) groups. Families in the intervention group received developmentally appropriate children9s books and educational materials and advice about sharing books with children, while those in the control group received no books or materials relevant to literacy. After an average of 3.4 well-child visits in both groups, 153 (75%) were reinterviewed and the children9s receptive and expressive vocabulary was tested using a modified version of the MacArthur Communication and Development Inventory (Short Form). Parents were asked if their child understood (receptive vocabulary) or said (expressive vocabulary) each of 100 words, half of which were in the books given. Families were found to have a Child-Centered Literacy Orientation if they mentioned reading aloud as one of their child9s favorite activities or as one of their own favorite joint activities or if they usually read together at bedtime. At follow-up toddlers were 18.4 months old on average. Results. Intervention and control groups had similar literacy related characteristics at baseline. There was a 40% increase in Child-Centered Literacy Orientation among intervention families compared with 16% among controls. Intervention families read more with their toddlers (4.3 vs 3.8 days/week). Both receptive and expressive vocabulary scores were higher in older intervention toddlers (18–25 months old; n = 88), but not in younger intervention toddlers (13–17 months old; n = 62). This significant effect of the intervention on vocabulary scores in older toddlers was found for both the 50 words in the books and those not in the books. After parent education, foreign birth and language proficiency, and child age were statistically controlled, the intervention remained significantly associated with higher language outcomes in older toddlers. However, when reading aloud was added to the multivariate analysis, the influence of the intervention was no longer evident, suggesting the intervention9s effect on child language was mediated through increased shared reading with these toddlers. Conclusion. This simple and inexpensive intervention, delivered as part of well-child care, changed parent attitudes toward the importance of reading with their infants and toddlers. These intervention parents and their children read more together and this was associated with enhanced language development in older toddlers in this diverse group of low-income families.

Literacy promotion in primary care pediatrics: can we make a difference?

This article reports on the results of a mixed method case study investigating the relationship between professional learning community (PLC) activities and teacher improvement in a first-year middle school. Data were collected from core academic sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers using a professional development survey, teacher interviews, and a review of school documents. Results demonstrated that professional learning community activities—that comprised same-subject, same-grade teacher teams—had the potential to achieve significant improvements in teaching effectiveness, but this effectiveness depended on a number of factors. Contributing factors included leadership and organizational practices, the substantive details of PLC activity meetings, the nature of conversations in PLC activities, and the development of community among PLC teams.

/pdf/improving-teacher-effectiveness-through-structured-n9gk7iubvq.pdf

Improving Teacher Effectiveness through Structured Collaboration: A Case Study of a Professional Learning Community

This study investigates the relationship between measures of mathematics teacher skill and student achievement in California high schools. Test scores are analyzed in relation to teacher experience and education and student demographics. The results are consistent with the hypotheses that there is a shortage of qualified mathematics teachers in California and that this shortage is associated with low student scores in mathematics. After controlling for poverty, teacher experience and preparation significantly predict test scores. Short-term strategies to increase the supply of qualified mathematics teachers could include staff development, and recruitment incentives. A long-term strategy addressing root causes of the shortage requires more emphasis on mathematics in high school and undergraduate programs.

/pdf/high-school-staff-characteristics-and-mathematics-test-433hlh3p0u.pdf

High School Staff Characteristics and Mathematics Test Results

INTRODUCTION
Low health literacy (LHL) remains a formidable barrier to improving health care quality and outcomes. Given the lack of precision of single demographic characteristics to predict health literacy, and the administrative burden and inability of existing health literacy measures to estimate health literacy at a population level, LHL is largely unaddressed in public health and clinical practice. To help overcome these limitations, we developed two models to estimate health literacy.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11606-009-1105-7.pdf

Developing Predictive Models of Health Literacy

/pdf/integrating-language-and-culture-in-the-social-studies-a-2535f86elh.pdf

Integrating Language and Culture in the Social Studies. A Final Report to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.

Deborah J. Short

Papers

Integrating Language and Culture in the Social Studies. A Final Report to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.