Arkansas Elementary Administrators\u27 Perceptions of Determining Teacher Proficiency in the Science of Reading

The science of reading has become a buzzword in education across the nation. In 2017, the Arkansas General Assembly passed the Right to Read Act (Right to Read Act, 2017). The law requires all elementary core (reading, mathematics, science, and social studies) teachers, kindergarten through sixth grade, and all kindergarten through twelfth-grade special education teachers to be proficient in scientific reading instruction (Right to Read Act, 2017). The law also requires all educators with an Arkansas Teaching License to know the scientific reading process (Right to Read Act, 2017). After the 2017 legislative session, the Arkansas Department of Education launched the Reading Initiative for Student Excellence (RISE; Right to Read Act, 2017). This qualitative study involved Arkansas elementary principals that were identified as certified assessors. As certified assessors, these principals observe teachers seeking a demonstration of proficiency in the science of reading. The individual interviews were conducted virtually during the 2022-2023 school year. The participants answered 13 questions and discussed three artifacts. The responses were collected, analyzed, and coded into emerging themes. These findings resulted in implications for practice and future research regarding the science of reading in Arkansas. The results of this research revealed five themes: the principal’s training regarding the science of reading, the principal’s support and resources, the principal’s educational background, the principal’s classroom observations, and the building principal’s beliefs regarding the science of reading. Keywords: Science of Reading, teacher assessmen

Natural Disaster Preparedness Levels Among Firefighters

ABSTRACT: The primary problem is the lack of information of the disaster preparedness within Hinesville and Liberty County, Georgia fire services. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to (a) establish and determine the current level of disaster preparedness and (b) analyze and compare the differences between Hinesville City Fire Services and Liberty County Fire Services located within the same region of Southeastern, Georgia. This research sought to benchmark the organizational level of disaster preparedness of two critical departments (City and County Fire Services) by measuring three key attributes (knowledge, skills and personal preparedness) for disasters. The research collected data by using the Disaster Preparedness portion of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool (DPET) via a in person brief and survey. The DPET measurement tool produces scores for each organization and from that determines the overall organizational mean level for knowledge and skills regarding disaster preparedness. The differences in organizational preparedness will be observed and discussed across both City and County Fire Services. The hypothesis is that since Liberty County Fire Services established its first full time staff in 2020, the level of disaster preparedness of their department will have lower means scores comparative to City Fire Services. If the differences in organizational disaster preparedness is too small to reach statistical significance, then at the very least we will have enough data to achieve benchmarking. The goal is to benchmark the levels of disaster preparedness for both organizations, City and County Fire Services located in Hinesville and Liberty County, Georgia and determine which of the organizations are more prepared for a disaster. A recommendation for practice would be fire chiefs, city council members and the county emergency management director utilize the findings from this research to identify gaps. Future research for organizational disaster preparedness could include widening the research to other cities or counties in the local area to allow for comparison across additional fire stations in the region. This would allow the entire southeast region of Georgia to have a benchmark and better understanding of their organizations knowledge, skills, and preparedness for a disaster

The Importance of Public/Private Partnerships for Supply Chain Success in Emergency Management

During the global COVID-19 pandemic response health care related supply chain issues pulled the curtains back to expose a disjointed, mis-managed and fragile supply chain (Goldschmidt & Stasko, 2022). This disfunction eventually impacted billions of people globally and significantly extend the supply chain recovery from COVID-19. The perceived strength of our domestic supply chain was weakened by minimal collaboration between the federal government and the private sector, which manages the majority of supply chains, during the early days of the pandemic (Aday & Aday, 2020). Additionally, the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) was depleted due to many years of under-budgeting for supplies and the situation was not widely understood within the federal government, nor the public (Taddonio, 2020). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is the federal agency behind the development of public private partnerships (PPP), was still managing recovery from multiple major events when the pandemic began. They were assigned oversight and management of the national COVID supply chain response. The FEMA staffing levels were far below what was required, and additional staffing could not be hired in a short period of time (GAO, 2022). When adding in varying global COVID governmental responses and unexpected lockdowns, the situation was a recipe for disaster (GAO-20-685T United States Government Accountability Office, 2020)

Little Rock\u27s Unique Political Opportunities for Black Arkansans 1865 - 1905

From 1865 to 1905, black Arkansans experienced significant growth in political life, economic opportunities, social development, and legal protections. One of the most extraordinary and distinctive areas of change for black Arkansans was their increased involvement in political life, specifically office holding. After the Civil War, black Arkansans expanded their political opportunities in local elections, state positions, and federal appointments. However, this evolution did not provide equal opportunities to all black Arkansans. Urban areas of Arkansas experienced the most gains, for they contained significant pockets of middle-class black Arkansans able to take advantage of political opportunities. Cities in post-Civil War Arkansas showed promise as an area of substantial social mobility and political opportunity. According to U.S. Census Data from 1870, four Arkansas counties contained a population of 15,000 people or more. Three of these four counties held significant urban centers hosting influential black communities. By 1900, all three counties had almost doubled in population, with a majority of growth in the urban centers: Helena in Phillips County, Pine Bluff in Jefferson County, and Little Rock in Pulaski County. Each of these counties housed a politically active black community; however, Little Rock in Pulaski County held unique opportunities for black Arkansans seeking political offices. Unlike the other two Arkansas cities, Little Rock experienced tremendous growth in population in the late nineteenth century, became the largest urban center of Arkansas, and included a vibrant black middle class that held a significant number of local offices, won state government and representative positions, and received political office appointments. In post-Civil War Arkansas, Little Rock became the prominent urban center for African Americans seeking political opportunity at the local and state levels

Impact of Forest Management on Ozark Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) Prey and Foraging Ecology

Ozark big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) are an endangered species of bat found only in Oklahoma and Arkansas. I conducted a study on the impact of forest management treatments, such as prescribed fire and mechanical thinning, in White Rock Mountain Wildlife Management Area, which is home to a maternity colony of Ozark big-eared bats. My goal was to understand how prescribed fire and mechanical thinning influence Ozark big-eared bat prey and foraging, and therefore be able to provide management recommendations for the habitat of this endangered species. My results indicated that bat prey availability was influenced by forest structure, and was higher in areas that had higher percentages of woody and herbaceous groundcover and more open canopies. Prioritizing these areas through a combination of burning and thinning could be beneficial for bat prey and influence foraging ecology of Ozark big-eared bats. I found that bats were using burned areas less than expected and areas that had not been managed more than expected, but were using thinned areas in proportion to their availability. These results indicate that forest management in this area is not having detrimental effects to bat foraging. I conducted a Hot Spot Analysis to determine potential insect prey availability hot spots, but found that these hot spots were not influencing where bats were foraging. This study provided insight to how the forest has responded to disturbance in this area and information to use in further studies relating to foraging ecology and management for this bat colony

Teaching Literacy Foundations

Goals and Objectives of the Textbook This textbook aims to equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to create rich and inclusive literacy learning environments for all students. The specific objectives of the textbook are: 1. To present a historical and theoretical framework for understanding literacy development and instruction. 2. To explore the essential components of literacy instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and writing instruction. 3. To provide practical strategies and activities for teaching and assessing literacy skills. 4. To discuss differentiated instruction and inclusive practices that address the diverse needs of learners. 5. To examine the role of technology in literacy education and offer guidance for integrating digital tools and resources into instruction. 6. To emphasize the importance of family and community partnerships in promoting literacy development. 7. To highlight the role of professional development and teacher reflection in fostering effective literacy instruction.https://orc.library.atu.edu/atu_oer/1004/thumbnail.jp

Disaster Preparedness Levels Among Firefighters

There are numerous studies that focus on household preparedness however, there are few studies that focus on the preparedness levels of first responders. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to (a) establish, analyze, and compare the current level of disaster preparedness among Hinesville City Fire Department and Liberty County Fire Services located within the same region of Southeastern, Georgia and (b) analyze any correlation between demographics of the Firefighters and their level of disaster preparedness. This research sought to benchmark the organizational level of disaster preparedness of two critical departments (city and county fire services) by measuring three key attributes: knowledge, skills, and personal preparedness. The researcher collected data by using the Disaster Preparedness section of the Disaster Preparedness Evaluation Tool (DPET) via an in-person distributed survey. The DPET results provide scores for each organization and determines the overall organizational mean preparedness level for knowledge, skills, and personal preparedness. The differences in organizational preparedness across city and county fire services and the correlation between demographics and level of disaster preparedness is observed and discussed

Blind Fighter – A Video Game for the Visually Impaired

Blind Fighter is a video game made to be playable by anyone, regardless of any visual impairments the player may have. The game relies on auditory queues to allow players to understand what is happening in the game without ever having to see the screen. The project’s goal is to serve as a proof of concept that video games can be made inclusive with a few additions during development, without sacrificing overall quality. To do this, the game features full graphics in addition to testing many strategies for visually impaired players, including direction-based audio, unique sound effects for each game action, dynamic music that changes with the state of the game, and various sound effects to display important UI elements, such as the player’s health. Gameplay feedback was also taken from students at Arkansas Tech who played the game blindfolded to aid in the future development of Blind Fighter and to give a better understanding of what elements are most important to players when graphics are not a factor

Corporate Governance and Choice of Capital Structure

In this paper, we expand on the existing literature of corporate finance by analyzing the impact of corporate governance on the choice of capital structure for firms. Although other studies have analyzed this relationship, we extend the research by comparing the results across different industries such as healthcare, technology, consumer goods and industrial goods using a sample of 689 firms. The results show the relationship of corporate governance to the choice of capital is negative in the healthcare sector firms, positive in the consumer goods firms, and has no impact on technology or industrial goods firms

Determining the Preparedness of Nursing Programs and Faculty for the Next Generation NCLEX-RN

Fifty-two nursing faculty from ADN (Associate Degree Nursing) and BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) programs in the state of Arkansas were surveyed to examine the preparedness resources and interventions to prepare for the Next Generation NCLEX-RN (NGN) and to explore the perceptions of nursing faculty on their readiness to teach critical thinking, clinical judgment, and their competency with NGN item writing. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was used for this study utilizing a self-created survey. The survey revealed 40% of participants felt adequately prepared with item writing, and 35% reported feeling adequately prepared to test using the new NGN item writing question formats. This study identified a need for preparedness of nursing programs to develop NGN item writing skills. Although 55% reported their program had implemented some form of training, when asked if they had regularly scheduled training, 33% reported they did not. Many resources for achieving preparedness were assessed, with webinars being the highest-scored resource at 37% for education and competence. Limitations of the study include a small convenience sample and assessment during the semester instead of at the semester\u27s end. Implications for future research include reaching a larger sample size and the development of an assessment tool for the continuation of seamless research on this topic of faculty preparedness. Keywords: nursing faculty, preparedness, next-generation NCLEX, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Associate Degree Nursing, item writin