This study was the first to examine the impact of immigrant-focused public policy on the educational outcomes of Latinx students in professional nursing. Between 2001-2020, 34 states adopted policies that either provided or prohibited in-state resident tuition (ISRT) and/or state financial aid (SFA) to undocumented students. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act (DACA) passed in 2012 gave a new group of largely Latinx, college-age immigrants unprecedented access to public higher education and employment. A rapid increase in the proportion of nursing degrees earned by all Latinx students, not just those who were undocumented, occurred concurrently with these federal and state-level policy changes. This study utilized fixed-effects panel analysis to estimate the relationship between DACA, ISRT, and SFA policies for undocumented students on the percent of nursing degrees earned by Latinx students between 2005-2020. None of the policies analyzed in this study were significant predictors of Latinx nursing degree completions. Broad cohesion among all models instead pointed toward the importance of gains in overall degree production among all Latinx college students, underscoring the important role of higher education in the creation of environments that support the success of students from this target population.

Sammanfattning Denna uppsats syftade till att utforska varför skolfrånvaron och därmed hemmasittandet har ökat. Genom att analysera elevhälsoplaner och jämföra dem med tidigare forskning, identifierades en möjlig koppling mellan ändringar i skollagen och ökningen av hemmasittande. Bronfenbrenners systemteori och Beckers avvikarkarriär-teori användes som huvudsakliga teoretiska ramar för analysen. Resultaten pekade på att förändringar i skollagen har manifesterat sig som strikta riktlinjer i elevhälsoplanerna. Dessa riktlinjer, tillsammans med skolornas stödinsatser, kan ha en oavsiktlig stämplande effekt på elever som inte uppfyller förväntningarna. Studien visade att medan dessa stödinsatser syftar till att hjälpa elever, kan de i vissa fall förstärka elevernas avvikelse från den etablerade normen. Tidigare forskning har belyst vissa riskgrupper, såsom de med ADHD eller ASD, och deras potential att undvika skolan på grund av utmaningar relaterade till sociala faktorer och inlärningssvårigheter. Även om dessa specifika diagnoser inte alltid nämndes explicit i elevhälsoplanerna, antyder planernas fokus på sociala faktorer och inlärningssvårigheter att dessa riskgrupper kan vara i åtanke. Metodologiskt använde studien dokumentanalys av elevhälsoplaner, vilket gav en inblick i skolornas officiella ställningstaganden men kunde sakna insikt i verklig implementering. Studiens implikationer pekar på att skolan kan behöva omvärdera sina stödinsatser för att undvika oavsiktlig stigmatisering. Dessutom kan involvering av fler samhällsinstanser, som socialtjänsten, vara en väg framåt för att bättre stödja elever i riskzonen för hemmasittande. / Abstract This study aimed to investigate the reasons behind the rise in school absenteeism and, consequently, the increase in students staying at home. By analyzing student health plans and comparing them with prior research, a potential link between amendments in the Education Act and the surge in students staying at home was identified. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory and Becker's theory of deviant behavior served as the primary theoretical frameworks for the analysis. The findings indicated that changes in the Education Act have manifested as stringent guidelines in student health plans. These guidelines, combined with schools' supportive interventions, may inadvertently label students who do not meet the expectations. While these interventions aim to assist students, they might, in certain instances, amplify students' deviation from established norms. Previous research highlighted specific risk groups, such as those with ADHD or ASD, and their likelihood to avoid school due to challenges related to social factors and learning difficulties. Even if these specific diagnoses were not always explicitly mentioned in the student health plans, the plans' emphasis on social factors and learning difficulties suggests these risk groups might be considered. Methodologically, the study employed document analysis of student health plans, offering insight into schools' official stances but possibly lacking a comprehensive view of their actual implementation. The study's implications suggest that schools might need to re-evaluate their supportive measures to avoid unintentional stigmatization. Moreover, involving more societal entities, such as social services, might present a proactive approach to better support students at risk of staying home.