State laws vary widely on adolescent consent for sexual assault exams

 Key takeaways:

• Consent laws vary widely by state. Only a minority of states allow adolescents to independently consent to sexual assault forensic exams, and even fewer allow them to consent to related medical treatment.
• Forensic exams and medical care are governed by different laws, and providers must often navigate separate consent requirements for evidence collection and treatment of injuries.
• Parental involvement remains central in most cases, and the study provides a state-by-state reference.

TAMPA, Fla. (June 23, 2026) – In the hours following sexual assault, teens may face difficult decisions about seeking medical care and whether to undergo a forensic exam that could support a future investigation or prosecution. Understanding their ability to consent to these services can be complicated, as laws vary widely from state to state.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 13% of female and 9% of male high school students have reported being sexually assaulted, an urgent reality that USF researchers are aiming to address by equipping medical providers with knowledge to more effectively treat these populations. 

A new study led by Katherine Drabiak, professor in the University of South Florida College of Public Health, summarizes laws across all 50 U.S. states and outlines key legal questions when treating adolescents after sexual assault, including who can consent to exams and care, whether parents must be and how suspected abuse or neglect is handled. The study, “State Law Variation Regarding Informed Consent for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams with Adolescents,” was published today in the Journal of Forensic Nursing.

The research provides a state-by-state snapshot of the sexual assault forensic exam consent process for adolescents, offering providers critical guidance in navigating inconsistent laws while highlighting how these variations can affect timely care and evidence collection.

Adolescent consent varies significantly across states

Adolescents generally cannot legally consent to their own medical care, and parental consent is the standard default, the study found.

While some states allow minors to make decisions about certain sensitive services, such as testing for sexually transmitted infections or contraception, exceptions for sexual assault care vary widely. Only a minority of states allow minors to consent to a medical forensic exam, and even fewer allow them to consent to treatment for their injuries, which are governed by separate laws.

Providers often overlook a key distinction, the findings showed.

“A forensic exam used to document injuries and collect evidence for potential prosecution is legally different from medical care,” Drabiak said. “Each may require separate consent.”

If a parent may be suspected of abuse, providers must follow state-specific legal processes, which can include reporting requirements or obtaining authorization through child protective services or the courts, the study found.

Medical forensic exams involve important legal and privacy considerations

While medical forensic exams play an important role in identifying a perpetrator and supporting an investigation, the research showed they are also a personal choice that includes important considerations.

The process involves collecting DNA from both the patient and alleged perpetrator, which is then shared with law enforcement and may be stored in a database, raising questions about privacy and how that information could be used in the future. In many states, including Florida, a parent must be involved in the decision due to legal and privacy implications related to DNA collection.

“Patients and families should feel informed, supported and empowered to choose what feels right for them in what is an otherwise difficult moment,” Drabiak said.

Parental involvement remains central in most cases

One of the most common misconceptions surrounding adolescent sexual assault care is that minors can independently consent to treatment and forensic exams, Drabiak said. According to the study, this is only true in limited situations and a minority of states.

The research also challenges assumptions that parental consent requirements necessarily create barriers to care. Parents remain the legal decision-makers for minors in most health care settings and often have critical information about their child’s medical history and needs. Knowledge of a reported sexual assault can also be critical to ensuring appropriate care and support.

“Adolescent consent is more limited than many assume, and parental involvement remains central in most situations,” Drabiak said. 

Implementation of play-based learning in kindergarten classrooms

 

The Institute of Education Sciences has released the Exploring Implementation of Play-Based Learning in New Hampshire’s Kindergarten Classrooms study. In 2018, the state of New Hampshire passed legislation requiring a play-based approach to instruction in kindergarten classrooms. This study investigated how familiar kindergarten teachers and elementary school administrators were with play-based learning, what professional learning supports teachers accessed, what barriers they encountered, and the extent to which teachers implemented play-based learning practices. Key findings include: Almost all responding teachers and administrators agreed that play supports the development of skills important in kindergarten and beyond. Most responding administrators were familiar with the 2018 legislative mandate, with that proportion higher among those who had early childhood teaching experience compared to those who did not. Responding novice teachers engaged in professional development related to play-based learning at lower rates compared with their more experienced peers. Sixty percent of responding teachers indicated that they allowed students time for guided play at least twice per week. Most responding teachers agreed that their kindergarten classrooms had the necessary space and materials for play-based learning but reported pressure to achieve academic benchmarks and lack of planning and classroom time as barriers to implementing play-based learning. Considerations for potential next steps to improve the quality and consistency of play-based learning practices are provided. To access the study, please visit: https://ies.ed.gov/use-work/resource-library/report/descriptive-study/exploring-implementation-play-based-learning-new-hampshires-kindergarten-classrooms.

Teacher feedback linked to stronger social and emotional skills

Teacher feedback is a routine part of classroom interaction, providing students with the opportunity to learn about teachers' opinions of their actions and achievements. 

Teacher feedback powerfully influences students'learning, achievement, and social development. However, it remains unclear whether teacher feedback in the classroom affects student social and emotional skills and, if so, what types of feedback can are most beneficial. Furthermore, if teacher feedback is positively related to student social and emotional skills, the factors that play vital roles in this relationship should be explored.

To analyze whether student perceptions of teacher feedback differ across student groups, whether teacher feedback affects students' social and emotional skills, as well as the influence mechanism of teacher feedback, a team of researchers comprising Haili Cui from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Mengmeng Zhang from Shanghai Normal University, and Xingyuan Gao from East China Normal University conducted a quantitative analysis. Their study was published online on June 1, 2026 in the ECNU Review of Education.

This study drew on data from 65,612 students in 15 cities who participated in the SSES 2023, an international survey organized by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The sample comprised younger (10-year-olds) and older (15-year-olds) cohorts. Given the hierarchical structure of the dataset, the researchers employed a three-level model to account for its nested characteristics. Hierarchical linear model analysis and a mediating effect test were performed to examine the relationships among the variables. Teacher feedback was divided into three categories, namely feedback about students' strengths, areas needing improvement, and strategies to improve their performance. Social and emotional skills were evaluated using the OECD framework, which includes five dimensions.

The researchers found that gender, age, immigrant status, and reading grades were associated with student perceptions of teacher feedback. However, the effects of immigrant status, socioeconomic status, and math grades on student perceptions of feedback differed between 10- and 15-year-olds. "Our findings suggest that variations in student perceptions of teacher feedback across different student groups. For instance, the 10-year-olds in our study received more feedback," Cui et al. concluded.

The researchers also found positive associations between teacher feedback and the five domains of student social and emotional skills. Feedback about students' strengths, areas needing improvement, and strategies to improve their performance were each positively related to these skills.

The researchers further reported that teacher feedback affected student social and emotional skills through the teacher–student relationship, after controlling for students' background characteristics. This finding reveals that teacher feedback provides students with opportunities to understand teachers' perceptions of their personal characteristics and school performance, helping them feel respected and understood. In turn, this process improves students' favorable impressions of teachers, which contributes to more positive teacher–student relationships and support the development of students' social and emotional skills.

"Considering the significant value of this feedback in students' promoting academic performance and social and emotional skills, teachers could provide students with feedback that focuses on their personal strengths, areas for improvement, and actionable strategies for improving their academic performance," suggested Cui et al.

The insights gained from this study may provide valuable suggestions for teachers school leaders, and policymakers seeking to strengthen adolescents' social and emotional development through everyday classroom practice.

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Journal

ECNU Review of Education

DOI

10.1177/20965311261422772 

Screen time in early childhood may have lasting effects on learning and memory

 

Caption

Screen time in early childhood may have lasting effects on learning and memory. Children who spent more time viewing screens during early childhood tended to show poorer academic performance and weaker working memory years later. The strongest associations were observed for screen exposure during infancy, suggesting that early childhood may be a particularly sensitive period for cognitive development.

Credit

World Journal of PediatricsAs screens become nearly universal in young children's lives, questions about their long-term impact on learning have grown more urgent. A new longitudinal study followed children from age 1 to 8 years and found that higher screen viewing time—particularly during infancy and around school-entry age—was consistently associated with poorer academic performance at age 9 and weaker working memory at age 10.5. The findings suggest that the timing of screen exposure may be as important as the amount of screen time itself.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend no screen time before 18–24 months and less than one hour per day for children ages 2 to 5. Yet many young children exceed these limits, and evidence on how screen viewing affects cognitive development has been mixed. Most studies have been cross-sectional, focused on school-age children, or lacked repeated measurements across early childhood. Longitudinal studies spanning multiple developmental stages are therefore needed to identify potentially sensitive periods of exposure and better account for family and environmental influences.

A team of researchers from Inserm and the National University of Singapore conducted the study, which was published (DOI: 10.1007/s12519-026-01046-1) online ahead of print on April 9, 2026, in the World Journal of Pediatrics Using data from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) birth cohort, they analyzed parent-reported screen time at six time points and assessed children’s academic achievement and working memory several years later.

The study followed 502 children from infancy through middle childhood and found that higher screen viewing time during certain developmental periods was associated with poorer later academic performance and weaker working memory. The associations were most consistent for screen exposure during infancy and around school-entry age, suggesting that these stages may represent particularly sensitive windows for cognitive development. Children with higher overall screen exposure across childhood also tended to perform less well academically. The findings indicate that the timing of screen use may matter as much as the total amount of exposure, with early childhood appearing to be a critical period when screen habits could have lasting implications for learning and memory.

"The effect sizes we saw at age 1 were the largest among all time points we examined," the authors said. "That suggests early infancy may be a window of heightened sensitivity, when the developing brain is particularly vulnerable to the displacement of learning interactions by screen time. We were also surprised to see that while screen use at age 2 and 3 did not show significant links, the associations re-emerged at age 6—when children enter formal schooling. So it is not just about early years; screen use later in childhood still matters."

The findings support the principle that "less is better" when it comes to children’s screen time, the authors said. While an individual child might not experience noticeable harm from an extra hour of daily viewing, even modest shifts at the population level could move a meaningful number of children toward lower academic performance. Public health interventions aimed at reducing screen time may benefit from starting early—during infancy—while also reinforcing limits around school entry age. The authors emphasize that future research should examine not only the duration of screen use but also factors such as content quality, device type, and parental co-viewing, which may influence developmental outcomes.

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References

DOI

10.1007/s12519-026-01046-1

States of Segregation: Ranking the states on racial and economic segregation in public schools

“In approaching this problem, we cannot turn the clock back… We must consider public education in the light of its full development and its present place in American life throughout the Nation.”

Those words were written by the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruling about the impossibility of changing the past and the need to address the problem of school segregation at that very moment. America’s public education stakeholders must consider this sentiment today as segregation has not only failed to be eradicated, but has increased over the past few decades to the point that schools are as segregated today as they were in the 1970s.

Segregation ensures division, while integration can lead to significant increases in school resources that produce higher outcomes–particularly for students of color. Additionally, research shows that school integration causes positive, permanent changes in mindset that can improve social cohesion and the health of our democracy.

Researchers Ann Owens and Sean Reardon have estimated racial/ethnic and economic segregation across every school in the U.S. at the Segregation Tracking Project. Using the most recent data from the 2023-24 school year, they have ranked the states by their degree of racial segregation (segregation between white students and minoritized students (Black, Hispanic, and Native American students)) and economic segregation (segregation between students who qualify for Free and Reduced Priced Lunch—a measure of poverty—and those who don’t.)

They also have included a measure that explains what percentage of total racial/ethnic or economic segregation occurs between school districts (as opposed to within districts). Nevada, for example, has high economic segregation relative to the rest of the country, and that is due almost entirely to segregation between schools in one school district. Therefore, segregation between schools in the same district drives segregation. In contrast, New Jersey has both high racial and economic segregation, and the vast majority of school segregation—95 and 92 percent respectively—is due to segregation between districts; entire districts are segregated. Compared to the rest of the country New Jersey has high between district segregation. Policies that rethink these district lines, like moving to county-wide districts or allowing students and resources to shift between them, have shown the ability to lessen between district segregation.

Complete charts of state rankings bt economic and racial segregation are available here:

https://www.brownspromise.org/statesofsegregation

Exposing students to concentrated poverty is uniquely harmful. It is very hard to teach and learn in a classroom where almost all students are from low income households, and, therefore are more likely to have unmet health needs or be over-exposed to trauma. District leaders cannot deconcentrate poverty, however, if nearly every student in the district is low-income. In some states—especially those with hundreds of tiny school districts—there are many high-poverty districts located directly next to much wealthier districts. This sort of district-wide "poverty packing" is a uniquely harmful problem that requires state action to address. 

These are the five states with the dubious distinction of having the highest level of between district economic segregation in the country: 

1. New Jersey

2. Massachusetts

3. Connecticut

4. Illinois

5. Ohio

Teacher training improves preschool children's social–emotional well-being

 Social–Emotional Learning (SEL) plays a vital role in shaping children's ability to understand emotions, build healthy relationships, and navigate social environments effectively. Developing social–emotional skills in the early years is critical for children's overall growth and future academic success. A lack of emphasis on SEL makes children more susceptible to risky behaviors, substance abuse, delinquency, violence, and mental health challenges. 

The school curricula predominantly emphasize language and cognitive development, and SEL often remains on the periphery of classroom instruction. Consequently, a notable disparity exists in policies, interventions, and services aimed at addressing socioemotional issues at the school level.

Led by Dr. Seema Lasi of Aga Khan University in collaboration with researchers from Ball State University, the study demonstrates that structured teacher training in SEL significantly improves classroom environments and enhances preschool children's well-being in Pakistan.

Published in ECNU Review of Education (2026), the study examines the impact of a four-month SEL professional development program for preschool teachers in public schools across Karachi. The findings highlight the transformative role of teacher training in addressing early childhood behavioral and emotional challenges.

Transforming Classrooms Through Teacher Development

The quasi-experimental study involved 12 public schools, 24 teachers, and 410 preschool children, comparing outcomes between intervention and control groups. Teachers in the intervention group received 48 hours of SEL-focused training, along with ongoing mentorship to implement strategies in real classroom settings.

Results showed significant improvements in classroom quality across key domains, including:

• Emotional support (p = .036)
• Classroom organization (p = .009)
• Instructional support (p < .001)

These improvements reflect stronger teacher–student interactions, better classroom management, and more engaging instructional practices.

Positive Impact on Children's Well-Being

Children in classrooms led by trained teachers exhibited meaningful gains in social–emotional outcomes, including:

• Significant reduction in overall behavioral difficulties (p < .001)
• Improved peer relationships (p < .001)
• Increased prosocial behaviors such as cooperation and empathy (p < .001)

Notably, the proportion of children with behavioral difficulties was substantially lower in intervention schools compared to control schools. While improvements in emotional symptoms, conduct problems, and hyperactivity were not statistically significant, researchers emphasize that the overall gains highlight the effectiveness of SEL-focused teacher training.

Addressing a Critical Gap in Education

Social–emotional learning remains underdeveloped in many low- and middle-income countries, including Pakistan, where a significant proportion of children enter school lacking essential emotional and social skills. The study underscores that teacher preparedness is central to addressing this gap.

“Teachers are at the heart of early childhood development. When equipped with the right tools and support, they can create nurturing environments that profoundly influence children's lifelong outcomes,” said Lasi et al.

Policy and Practice Implications

The research highlights the urgent need to integrate SEL into teacher education programs and early childhood policies. Key recommendations include:

• Embedding SEL training in pre-service and in-service teacher education
• Scaling up professional development programs in public schools
• Prioritizing classroom interaction quality alongside curriculum delivery
• Designing culturally relevant SEL curricula tailored to local contexts

The study also demonstrates that effective educational interventions are feasible even in resource-constrained settings, offering a scalable model for similar contexts.

A Step Toward Holistic Education

The findings add to a growing body of international evidence showing that early investment in social–emotional development leads to long-term benefits in education, health, and social outcomes. By strengthening teachers' capacity to promote SEL, Pakistan can take a critical step toward more inclusive and holistic early childhood education.

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Journal

ECNU Review of Education

DOI

10.1177/20965311261421647 

A new approach to teacher professional learning through classroom assessment

 

Teachers engage with classroom assessment data every day, but barely as an intentional tool for their own professional growth. Researchers from Singapore have developed a novel methodological tool — the Classroom Assessment-Informed Reflection Laddering (CAIRL) method — that uses teachers' own classroom assessment activities as a springboard for deep professional reflection and practice change. Dr. Heng Jiang and Mr. Saminathan s/o Moghan from the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, shared their findings from a single case study, as part of their larger-scale research project on CAIRL.

The CAIRL method draws on Dewey's theory of reflective thinking, Argyris's laddering framework, and situated theories of teacher professional learning to construct a three-tier structure linking observable classroom assessment results to pedagogical intention to underlying values and beliefs. By making this reasoning visible, CAIRL enabled the teacher in the study to identify and challenge deeply held assumptions, a process the researchers characterize as analogous to double-loop learning. As the researchers noted, CAIRL created a structured space for teachers to interrogate not just what they do, but why — and whether their beliefs still hold up against the evidence in front of them.

The study challenges the dominant assumption that classroom assessment exists primarily to serve student learning. Instead, it argues that the daily acts of designing, implementing, and interpreting classroom assessments constitute a powerful and underutilized reflective tool for teacher professional growth. Specifically, the study traces one primary school English language teacher in Singapore across four months of lesson observations and post-lesson interviews, using CAIRL — a structured laddering approach that surfaces the purposes, intentions, and reasoning behind teachers' instructional decisions, informed by classroom assessment results. Findings reveal a significant evolution in the novice teacher's professional thinking: from an initial preoccupation with examination preparation and content coverage toward a more adaptive, student-centered pedagogy grounded in close attention to evidence of student learning.

The findings have implications beyond Singapore's high-stakes examination context, speaking to global reform efforts that seek to move teachers from technical compliance toward genuine adaptive expertise and professional judgment.

Recognized with the sole Honorable Mention for the Distinguished Paper Award of the Classroom Assessment SIG at the 2026 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference, this study was subsequently published online in ECNU Review of Education in June 2026.

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Journal

ECNU Review of Education

DOI

10.1177/20965311261450992