United States high school student obesity rates have doubled in the past 30 years to 13%, threatening the health of millions of adolescents. To mitigate the epidemic, Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) in 2010, which mandated significant changes to school nutrition and physical education. From a public policy perspective, the HHFKA changed school nutrition and exercise policy to affect obesity rates by changing intake and energy expenditure at school, though no study using national-level data examined this relationship. As such, the purpose of the study was to examine whether HHFKA policy compliance had a statistically significant effect on high school obesity rates. The theoretical framework for this study was the energy imbalance theory (EIT), as developed by James Hill, Holly Wyatt, and John Peters. The research questions focused on the relationship of HHFKA nutrition changes and childhood obesity rates. The study used Pearson's Product-moment correlation to test for a simple correlation between Compliance Scores and High School obesity rates. Findings revealed no statistically significant correlation between state high school student obesity rates and HHFKA compliance scores. Future research is needed to validate the findings after more time has passed with the HHFKA mandates in effect. The implications for social change include informing the debate over the efficacy of implementing the HHFKA as currently written to mitigate childhood obesity.

Anti-bullying campaigns and legislation are on the rise, and school districts are fighting in favor of and against various forms of support for gay and sexually diverse (GSD) students, creating very distinct experienced ethoses in their prospective schools. At times, these ethoses stand in direct opposition of the aspirational ethoses of those same schools. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to understand how schools interact with the educational policies in place to create a balanced ethos. This study uses Charmaz*s (2014) constructivist approach to grounded theory methods to answer the following questions: How, if at all, does the aspirational ethos balance with the experienced ethos in high schools for GSD students, and, how, if at all, are schools creating positive high school ethoses for GSD students? Two themes emerged from this study. The first theme, don*t ask, don*t tell, showed that GSD students are often expected to be silent about themselves and their issues. The second theme, policy is just a beginning, revealed that inclusive policy alone is not enough, administration must interact with these policies and GSD students. The findings of this study indicate that for schools to provide a balanced aspirational and experienced ethos for GSD students, these students must be included in the policies, actions, and interactions of the high school. Schools create a positive ethos for GSD students when the balance is achieved. This study has practical and theoretical implications for anti-oppressive educational practices and discourse regarding GSD students.

TITLE: Truancy and school attendance rejection at high school ABSTRACT: Risky behavior among adolescents is a serious society-wide phenomenon. In this context was carried the first research of medical high schools in Karlovy Vary region in school year 2007/2008 which was generally focused on all kinds of risky behavior. From this research have come out, besides others, that 30.80 % of students committed truancy. This work is focused on the issue of truancy and school attendance rejection based on the increasing tendency of truancy. The theoretical part defines truancy, its causes, diagnosis, consequences, intervention and legislative of this issue. Truancy and school attendance rejection for pupils in the 1st and 4th grade at Medical High School in Karlovy Vary analysis, evaluation of related factors influencing truancy and school attendance rejection and comparison of the obtained results was the purpose of the research part. The information from own anonymous questionnaires completed by 180 respondents were used in the practical part. Data analysis confirmed high and still growing number of truants among Medical High School in Karlovy Vary. The results provide many information from which it is possible to deduce concrete preventive measures. KEYWORDS: truancy, school attendance rejection, risky behavior,...

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