The Role of External Diagnosis in School Improvement in an Ontario School District

External diagnosis is recommended when schools lack the capacity to assess their needs. This qualitative study of one Ontario district compared 33 elementary schools that conducted external diagnosis with 47 schools that used internal diagnosis. External diagnosis created pressure for change, helped schools develop a plan that included previously neglected needs, promoted consistency within and between schools, contributed to the improvement culture of the school, and encouraged shared instructional leadership. It also depressed teacher efficacy and commitment to school improvement. Positive effects of external diagnosis were facilitated and negative effects mitigated by principals who adopted shared instructional leadership strategies.L'on recommande une analyse externe quand les écoles n'ont pas la capacité d'évaluer leurs besoins. Cette étude qualitative d'un district en Ontario porte sur une comparaison entre 33 écoles élémentaires qui ont entrepris un diagnostic externe et 47 écoles qui ont eu recours à un diagnostic interne. Les diagnostics externes ont créé une pression pour le changement, aidé les écoles à développer un projet qui incluait des besoins auparavant négligés, favorisé la cohérence à l'intérieur des écoles et entre elles, contribué à la culture d'amélioration de l'école et encouragé le partage du leadership de l'enseignement. Ils ont également diminué l'efficacité des enseignants et leur engagement face à l'amélioration de l'école. Les effets positifs des diagnostics externes ont été facilités et les effets négatifs mitigés par les directeurs qui ont adopté des stratégies de partage du leadership de l'enseignement.&nbsp

Canadian towns and villages : an economic profile, 1981

viii, 41 p

Cost-Effectiveness of Comprehensive School Reform in Low Achieving Schools

We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of Struggling Schools, a user-generated approach to Comprehensive School Reform implemented in 100 low achieving schools serving disadvantaged students in a Canadian province. The results show that while Struggling Schools had a statistically significant positive effect on Grade 3 Reading achievement, d=.48 in 2005-06 and .60 in 2006-07, the program was not cost-effective when compared to two alternatives: 1. The cost of bringing one student to the provincial achievement standard was more than 25% higher in Struggling Schools than in the status quo. 2. The cost-effectiveness ratio (i.e., effect size per $1,000 of incremental cost) was lower in Struggling Schools than in Success For All. Struggling Schools would have been deemed to be cost-effective if different choices had been made, especially in (a) the calculation of costs (e.g., the inclusion of donated time), (b) the decision rules for declaring cost-effectiveness, and (c) the studies used to access comparative data.---Nous avons évalué le rapport cout-efficacité du programme Struggling Schools (écoles en difficulté), une approche générée par l'utilisateur à la réforme d'ensemble des écoles mise en œuvre dans 100 écoles peu performantes desservant des élèves défavorisés dans une province canadienne. Les résultats indiquent que si l'effet du programme Struggling Schools sur le rendement en lecture en 3e année était statistiquement significatif et positif (d= 0,48 en 2005-06 et 0,60 en 2006-07), son rapport cout-efficacité n'était pas aussi intéressant que celui des deux alternatives suivantes:1. Le cout de rehausser le rendement d'un élève pour qu'il atteigne le standard provincial était plus élevé de 25$ de cout différentiel) du programme Struggling Schools était plus bas que celui du programme Success for All.Le programme Struggling Schools aurait été jugé rentable si on avait choisi autrement, notamment par rapport (a) au calcul des couts (par ex. l'inclusion de la main d'œuvre à titre gratuit), (b) aux règlements portant sur les décisions quant aux critères de rentabilité, et (c) aux études employées pour accéder aux données de comparaison

Trees for Shelter: The Implications in Agroforestry System

The objective of this study was to determine the horizontal and vertical variations in soil penetration resistance (PR) observed at tree-scale in silvopastoral plots that were grazed by sheep with and without trees. Sycamore trees (Acer pseudoplatanus L) were planted in the spring of 1988 at 10 m x 10 m spacing (100 stems/ha) at Glensaugh NE of Scotland on plots replicated over three blocks in Randomized Complete Block design on a predominantly rye grass (Lolium perenne L) pasture. Included in the design were pasture plots without trees (Control). The experiment is grazed by sheep yearly from April to October. Soil PR was measured in Mega Pascals (MPa) around two randomly selected trees in each plot in 8 directions of the compass - N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW at 1 m intervals starting at 0.5 m from the tree base to mid point of the separation distance (4.5 m) between the trees. The soil PR data were measured at 3.5 cm soil depth intervals at points around the tree up to depth limit of 21.0 cm. This gave six depth intervals of d1 (3.5), d2 (7.0), d3 (10.5), d4 (14.0), d5 (17.5) and d6 (21.0). In the Control plots, soil PR was measured as in the Sycamore plots around two hypothetical tree positions chosen randomly in each plot. The soil PR was found to decrease significantly within the horizontal distance of 4.5 m from the tree and depth for up to d3 (10.5 cm) only in the grazed Sycamore plots. Soil penetrometer resistance was found to increase significantly within the vertical distance of 0-14 cm of the soil around the tree in grazed Sycamore and Control plots. Beyond this soil depth, soil PR was no longer significant in these treatments

Soil Nutrient Redistribution Pattern About the Tree in a Silvopastoral System

The objective of this paper is to report the effect of animal-tree interactions on soil nutrient redistribution pattern in a grazed silvopastoral experiment site at Glensaugh, in NE Scotland. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L) tree species were planted in square lattice arrangements at 5 m x 5 m, spacing (400 stems/ha) on plots replicated over three blocks in Randomized Complete Block design on a predominantly rye grass (Lolium perenne L) pasture which was grazed by sheep yearly from April to October. Included in the design were grazed pasture plots without trees (Control). Soil samples were collected from around two randomly selected trees in each plot in four directions N, E, S and W at 1 m interval starting at 0.5 m from the tree base up to mid point of the separation distance between trees. In the Control plots, soil samples were collected as above from two hypothetical tree positions chosen randomly. The analysis of variance result showed that soil total N, %C and Organic matter (OM) increased significantly with horizontal distance from the tree in the grazed Scots pine plots whereas soil nutrients did not vary significantly with horizontal distance from the tree in the Control plots

Geographic accessibility to primary care providers: Comparing rural and urban areas in Southwestern Ontario

This research examines geographical accessibility to primary care providers (PCPs) across urban and rural areas of Southwestern Ontario and examines variations in the distribution of PCPs in relation to the senior population (aged 65 years and older). Information about PCP practices was provided by the HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency. Population data were obtained from the 2016 Census of Canada. To calculate scores for accessibility to PCPs (i.e., PCPs/10,000 population), we applied the enhanced 2‐step floating catchment area method with distance decay effect within a global service catchment of 30‐minute drive time. A geospatial mapping approach revealed disparities in the distribution of PCPs with a pattern of higher spatial accessibility in or around major urban areas in Southwestern Ontario. Comparative analyses were performed in association with the seniors’ population to identify how accessibility scores were mismatched with the population needs. The outcome of this study will assist researchers and health service planners to better understand the distribution of existing PCPs to address inequalities, particularly in rural areas

A geospatial approach to understanding inequalities in accessibility to primary care among vulnerable populations

Many Canadians experience unequal access to primary care services, despite living in a country with a universal health care system. Health inequalities affect all Canadians but have a much stronger impact on the health of vulnerable populations. Health inequalities are preventable differences in the health status or distribution of health resources as experienced by vulnerable populations. A geospatial approach was applied to examine how closely the distribution of primary care providers (PCPs) in London, Ontario meet the needs of vulnerable populations, including people with low income status, seniors, lone parents, and linguistic minorities. Using enhanced two step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method, an index of geographic access scores for all PCPs and PCPs speaking French, Arabic, and Spanish were separately developed at the dissemination area (DA) level. To analyze how PCPs are distributed, comparative analyses were performed in association with specific vulnerable groups. Geographical accessibility to all PCPs, and PCPs who speak specific minority languages vary considerably across the city of London. Access scores for French- and Arabic-speaking PCPs are found comparatively high (mean = 2.85 and 1.01 respectively) as compared to Spanish-speaking PCPs (mean = 0.47). Additionally, many areas with high proportions of vulnerable populations experience low accessibility. Despite its exploratory nature, this study offers insight into intra-urban distributions of geographical accessibility to primary care resources for vulnerable groups. These findings can facilitate health researchers and policymakers in the development of recommendations to increase levels of accessibility of specific population groups in underserved areas

Intensive care outcomes in bone marrow transplant recipients: a population-based cohort analysis

Abstract Introduction Intensive care unit (ICU) admission for bone marrow transplant recipients immediately following transplantation is an ominous event, yet the survival of these patients with subsequent ICU admissions is unknown. Our objective was to determine the long-term outcome of bone marrow transplant recipients admitted to an ICU during subsequent hospitalizations. Methods We conducted a population-based cohort analysis of all adult bone marrow transplant recipients who received subsequent ICU care in Ontario, Canada from 1 January 1992 to 31 March 2002. The primary endpoint was mortality at 1 year. Results A total of 2,653 patients received bone marrow transplantation; 504 of which received ICU care during a subsequent hospitalization. Patients receiving any major procedure during their ICU stay had higher 1-year mortality than those patients who received no ICU procedure (87% versus 44%, P < 0.0001). Death rates at 1 year were highest for those receiving mechanical ventilation (87%), pulmonary artery catheterization (91%), or hemodialysis (94%). In combination, the strongest independent predictors of death at 1 year were mechanical ventilation (odds ratio, 7.4; 95% confidence interval, 4.8 to 11.4) and hemodialysis (odds ratio, 8.7; 95% confidence interval, 2.1 to 36.7), yet no combination of procedures uniformly predicted 100% mortality. Conclusion The prognosis of bone marrow transplant recipients receiving ICU care during subsequent hospitalizations is very poor but should not be considered futile

The Portrayal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Mass Print Magazines Since 1980

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine and describe the portrayal of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in mass print media magazines. Design: The sample included all 37 articles found in magazines with circulation rates of greater than 1 million published in the United States and Canada from 1980 to 2005. The analysis was quantitative and qualitative and included investigation of both manifest and latent magazine story messages. Results: Manifest analysis noted that CAM was largely represented as a treatment for a patient with a medically diagnosed illness or specific symptoms. Discussions used biomedical terms such as patient rather than consumer and disease rather than wellness. Latent analysis revealed three themes: (1) CAMs were described as good but not good enough; (2) individualism and consumerism were venerated; and (3) questions of costs were raised in the context of confusion and ambivalence