The Parents as Teachers Program: Its Impact on School Readiness and Later School Achievement

New research released by Dr. Edward Zigler, director emeritus of the Yale Center in Child Development and Social Policy and widely known as the "father of Head Start," explains how Parents as Teachers participation impacts children's readiness for school and performance on state performance assessments at the end of the early elementary years. The study assessed more than 7,000 Missouri children over a five-year period. The research confirms the value of Parents as Teachers participation and the direct role it plays on parenting practices that positively impact a child's learning. The most striking findings show that for poor children, high intensity participation in both Parents as Teachers and preschool appears to narrow the achievement gap at kindergarten entry and extends into third grade.A research summary is available to download. Contact the organization to learn how to access the full report

Jerwood Contemporary Makers 2010

Jerwood Contemporary Makers showcases work by the new generation of UK makers. Selected by Hans Stofer (chair), Richard Slee and myself, the exhibition investigates the notion of making by bringing together a broad range of work from across craft and the visual arts. Twenty-nine makers took part, each exhibiting one work and receiving an equal share of the £30,000 prize fund. Supported by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation. A catalogue in the form a newspaper broadsheet was produced with an essay, ‘The Making Game’ commissioned from Jeanette Winterson. A series of Monday evening events accompanied the exhibition. These included Emmanuel Cooper (ceramicist and craft writer) in conversation with Hans Stofer, Richard Slee and myself also a panel discussion exploring the notion of amateur making, chaired by Stephen Knott, (PhD student, School of Applied Art, RCA) with the research student that I supervise Emma Shercliff, (PhD student, School of Fashion & Textiles, RCA). At the National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland I conducted a gallery tour and delivered a lecture and workshop on Curating Contemporary Craft alongside curator David Littler. The exhibition received considerable press including Crafts, July/August 2010 (Dr.Jessica Hemmings), Design Week, 27 May 2010 and The Independent, 29 June 2010 (Michael Glover)

Reviews

Francis Botto, Dictionary of Multimedia and Internet Applications ‐ A Guide for Developers and Users, Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, 1999. ISBN: 0–471–986240. Hardback, x+362 pages, £34.95

The failed liberalisation of Algeria and the international context: a legacy of stable authoritarianism

The paper attempts to challenge the somewhat marginal role of international factors in the study of transitions to democracy. Theoretical and practical difficulties in proving causal mechanisms between international variables and domestic outcomes can be overcome by defining the international dimension in terms of Western dominance of world politics and by identifying Western actions towards democratising countries. The paper focuses on the case of Algeria, where international factors are key in explaining the initial process of democratisation and its following demise. In particular, the paper argues that direct Western policies, the pressures of the international system and external shocks influence the internal distribution of power and resources, which underpins the different strategies of all domestic actors. The paper concludes that analysis based purely on domestic factors cannot explain the process of democratisation and that international variables must be taken into more serious account and much more detailed

Te Rau Puawai 2002-2004: An evaluation

Established in 1999 as a joint workforce initiative between the former Health Funding Authority and Massey University, Te Rau Puawai aimed to support 100 Maori students to graduate with mental health qualifications within a five year period. The goal of Te Rau Puawai is to contribute to the building of capacity for Maori in the mental health workforce. The programme exceeded its performance expectations in the first two years (1999-2001) with 56 bursars completing their qualifications. Bursars achieved an 80% pass rate compared with 65% for all students at Massey University as a whole. In 2004, this pass rate has continued, a significant achievement in light of increasing numbers of bursars being accepted and many without previously studying at the tertiary level. In 2001 the Maori & Psychology Research Unit (MPRU) at the University of Waikato undertook an evaluation of Te Rau Puawai reporting on the programme's success and identifying any barriers the programme needed to address. The 2002 evaluation report outlines critical success factors and recommendations for improvement. In 2003 Te Rau Puawai negotiated further funding from the Mental Health Directorate (MeHD) of the Ministry of Health under the Mental Health Workforce Development Strategy (2002). Workforce development is critical in building capacity and capability in the mental health workforce to increase appropriately skilled workers required to meet the mental health needs of Maori communities. In 2004 the Ministry of Health requested a follow-up evaluation to provide a descriptive record of programme activities and progress from April 2002 to December 2004. This report provides an overview of Te Rau Puawai activities between 2002 and 2004; the progress and contributions made by bursars to the mental health workforce; and a reassessment of the programme's critical success factors

Book Review

Review of the following: Risk-Taking BEHAVIOR. (J. Frank Yates, ed., Wiley 1992) [244 pp.] Acknowledgements, author index, figures, preface, references, series preface, subject index, tables. LC 91-21229, ISBN 0-471-92250-1. [Cloth $64.95. 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset NJ 08875

Changes of Weight and in-Kernel Content Values of Maize Hybrids (Occitan, Colomba, DK-471) as a Result of Damaging dy European Corn Borer. Kukorica hibridek (Occitan, Colomba, DK-471) súly- és beltartalmi érték változása a kukoricamoly (Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn.) károsítása következtében.

ÖSSZEFOGLALÁS Vizsgálatunkat 2001-ben két tábla három különböző hibriddel elvetett állományában vizsgáltuk véletlenszerű mintaterek kijelölésével. Első felmérésünket egy 120 ha-os COLOMBA és OCCITAN, míg a második vizsgálatunkat egy 50 ha-os DK-471-es hibrid vegetációjában végeztük. Értékelésünk az egészséges és a károsított növények által nevelt csövek közötti súly-, fehérje, zsír és keményítő tartalom különbségeket célozta meg. A hibridek a kukoricamoly károsítására egyértelmű csosúly-vesztéssel válaszoltak. A COLOMBA zsírtartalmának, míg az OCCITÁN keményítőtartalmának csökkenése szignifikánsan összefüggött a kukoricamoly károsításával. Az eredmények azt mutatták, hogy a fehérje, zsír és keményítő anyagcseréje, beépülése is igazolhatóan zavart szenvedett. Megállapítottuk, hogy lárvaszám növekedése és a hibrid szem- csutka aránya között szoros, szignifikáns kapcsolat van. A lárvakárosítás helye illetve a lárvaszám nagymértékben meghatározza a DK-471-es kukorica hibrid csöveinek súlyát és a szemekbe beépülő alapvető tápanyagok (nyersfehérje, nyerszsír, keményítő) mennyiségét. ABSTRACT The research was conducted in the year 2001 on two fields sown with three different maize hybrids and was based on randomly chosen sample plots. The first survey was carried out on the field sown with hybrids COLOMBA and OCCITAN (total area 120 ha), the second survey was performed on 50 ha of hybrid DK-471. The assessment was focused primarily on the difference between the cobs developed by healthy and damaged maize plants with regards to their weight and the content of protein, fat and starch in the maize kernel. The hybrids unambiguously reacted to infestation by the European Corn Borer by cob weight reduction. The decrease of kernel fat content in the case of COLOMBA and that of the starch content in the case of OCCITAN displayed significant dependence on the degree of infestation by the European Corn Borer. The results of the survey verifiably showed that in both cases either metabolism, or incorporation of protein, fat and starch had experienced disorder. A close link has been ascertained between the growth of larvae population and the kernel-cob rate of the examined hybrids. The distribution and number of larvae significantly affected the weight of maize cobs of hybrid DK-471 and the quantity of the basic nutrient components (raw protein, fat and starch) incorporated in the kernel