Background Truancy has long been regarded a common problem in urgent need of effective intervention. Knowledge about factors associated with truancy can guide the development and implementation of interventions. Method This paper examined trends in truancy rates between 2002–2014 and correlates of truancy across racial/ethnic groups. Variables of interest included sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, gender, socio-economic background), behavioral factors (e.g., substance use, violence), and psychosocial factors (e.g., academic engagement, grades, parental control). Using data from a large sample of adolescents (n=209,393; 12–17 years) we estimated truancy prevalence rates and examined trends and correlates via regression analyses. Results Truancy rates remained constant between 2002 (10.8%) and 2014 (11.1%). Rates were highest among older youth, females, and Hispanic youth. For all racial/ethnic groups, truancy was significantly correlated with alcohol and marijuana use, fighting, the propensity to take risks, and lower academic engagement and school grades. Other factors were differentially associated with racial/ethnic groups. This divergence in risk patterns for different racial/ethnic groups points to some heterogeneity amongst truant youth. Discussion Despite truancy reduction efforts, truancy rates have remained stable. Efforts to prevent truancy and to intervene with truant youth may need to target risk factors more prevalent in specific racial/ethnic groups.

The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal association between externalizing and internalizing behavior and children’s academic achievement, particularly in terms of whether these variables varied as a function of gender and race. Data pertaining to externalizing and internalizing behavior, academic achievement, gender, and race from three waves of the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (N = 2028) were used. Results indicate that behavior problems had a negative relationship with academic performance and some of these associations endured over time. Externalizing behavior impacted reading scores more negatively for females compared to males at baseline, but the impact of externalizing behavior on long-term reading outcomes did not vary by gender. Externalizing behavior impacted reading scores more negatively for Black children than White children at multiple points in time. Differences between males, females, Black, and White children concerning behavior and achievement are explained. Implications, limitations, and ideas for future research are also presented.

The popularity, demand, and increased federal and private funding for after-school programs have resulted in a marked increase in after-school programs over the past two decades. After-school programs are used to prevent adverse outcomes, decrease risks, or improve functioning with at-risk youth in several areas, including academic achievement, crime and behavioral problems, socio-emotional functioning, and school engagement and attendance; however, the evidence of effects of after-school programs remains equivocal. This systematic review and meta-analysis, following Campbell Collaboration guidelines, examined the effects of after-school programs on externalizing behaviors and school attendance with at-risk students. A systematic search for published and unpublished literature resulted in the inclusion of 24 studies. A total of 64 effect sizes (16 for attendance outcomes; 49 for externalizing behavior outcomes) extracted from 31 reports were included in the meta-analysis using robust variance estimation to handle dependencies among effect sizes. Mean effects were small and non-significant for attendance and externalizing behaviors. A moderate to large amount of heterogeneity was present; however, no moderator variable tested explained the variance between studies. Significant methodological shortcomings were identified across the corpus of studies included in this review. Implications for practice, policy and research are discussed.

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Objectives: Gaining medical residency interviews has become more competitive and costly for medical students. Although limited evidence from residency programme directors indicates predictors for successfully matching into a programme, past research has not sufficiently explored the application components necessary to receive an interview offer. The present study will identify which application components are most helpful in obtaining interview offers for different medical specialties. Methods: Data were sourced from the Texas Seeking Transparency in Application to Residency (STAR), a survey of recently matched fourth-year American medical students who self-reported information on their residency application components and interview offers. Multi-level logistic regression analyses were employed to predict the odds of interview offer according to applicants' academic, research and extracurricular characteristics. Sub-analyses were conducted for each medical specialty. Results: Nearly 10 000 students reported information on over 419 010 applications submitted, which resulted in 164 696 interview offers. Across the sample, applicants had greater odds of receiving an interview offer if they had a geographic connection to the programme (odds ratio [OR] = 4.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.00-4.20), had completed an away rotation at the programme (OR = 16.00, 95% CI 14.92-17.15), were Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society members (OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.36-1.64), or had been inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society (OR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.39-1.62). Applicants had reduced odds of getting an interview if they had been required to remediate a course in medical school (OR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.64-0.83) or had failed the US Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 or Step 2 examination on their first attempt (OR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.33-0.47). Predictors of obtaining an interview varied by specialty. Conclusions: The present findings can assist senior medical students as they prepare residency applications and identify programmes to which they will apply. Knowledge of the significant factors can help applicants more efficiently use resources to maximise their number of interview offers. Completing away rotations and selecting programmes with which applicants have geographic connections may increase their odds of receiving interview offers. | 199 KREMER Et al. Research year, n (%) 35 866 (8.56%) Honoured clerkships, mean ± SD 3.21 ± 2.43 3 Research experiences mean ± SD 3.86 ± 2.58 3 Abstracts for presentations mean ± SD 4.30 ± 3.53 3 Peer-reviewed publications mean ± SD 2.11 ± 2.70 1 Leadership positions mean ± SD 3.90 ± 2.62 3 Volunteer experiences mean ± SD 6.62 ± 3.01 6 Academic quartile, n (%) Bottom 25% (0-25%) 37 690 (9.00%) Middle (26-49%) 63 390 (15.13%) Middle (50-74%) 86 202 (20.57%) Top 25% (75-100%) 117 770 (28.11%) No quartile at school 113 958 (27.20%) Gold Humanism, n (%) 69 454 (16.58%) Remediated course, n (%) 25 361 (6.05%) Failed Step 1 or Step 2, n (%) 12 167 (2.90%) Region of programme, n (%) South 185 088 (44.17%...

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Background Nearly two million school-aged children in US are currently homeschooled. This study seeks to examine homeschooled adolescents’ attitudes toward, access to, and use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) compared to their non-homeschooled peers. Methods The study uses data between 2002 and 2013 from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for school-attending respondents aged 12–17 (n = 200,824). Participants were questioned regarding peer use of licit and illicit substances, ease of accessing illicit substances, and past 12-month substance use. Survey adjusted binary logistic regression analyses were systematically executed to compare non-homeschooled adolescents with homeschooled adolescents with respect to views toward, access to, and use of substances. Results Findings indicate that homeschooled adolescents were significantly more likely to strongly disapprove of their peers drinking (AOR = 1.23) and trying (AOR = 1.47) and routinely using (AOR = 1.59) marijuana. Homeschooled adolescents were significantly less likely to report using tobacco (AOR = 0.76), alcohol (AOR = 0.50), cannabis (AOR = 0.56) and other illicit drugs and to be diagnosed with an alcohol (AOR = 0.65) or marijuana (AOR = 0.60) use disorder. Finally, homeschooled adolescents were also less likely to report easier access to illicit drugs and to be approached by someone trying to sell drugs compared to non-homeschooled peers. Conclusions Homeschooled adolescents’ views, access, use and abuse of ATOD are uniquely different from those of non-homeschooled adolescents. Findings point to the need to more extensively examine the underlying mechanisms that may account for these differences.

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