Professional Learning Communities Enhancing Capacity for Improved Student Learning

Educators continue to be challenged with improving the nation\u27s schools. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 created an elusive moving target towards perfection as the ultimate goal. This was a mandate for every school receiving federal funds to close the achievement gap. Recently, states have been applying for waivers to help them move out of the NCLB rut of narrowly focused and unattainable goals. The pressure of school improvement and its challenges, with limited funding, continue for schools to supply efficient and effective professional development that will benefit student learning. The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, wrote in an article for Learning Forward our nation\u27s schools spend a lot of money on professional development but receive little in return (Duncan, 2011, p. 70, 71). Schools must continue to look for inexpensive yet effective ways for teachers to become better. For the past few years, professional learning communities have been one of the most efficient and effective forms of professional development because they utilize the expertise of staff within the schools they serve. This approach has enhanced the capacity for learning by establishing collaborative teams of teachers who work together, use best practices, and focus on student learning. This project looks at the effectiveness of professional learning communities in enhancing capacity for student learning, particularly in four southwest Kansas high schools. The project looks at both qualitative and quantitative data

MS

thesisVarious studies have been done in an ongoing effort to assist ergonomists in determining risk factors for the development of Upper Extremity Cumulative Trauma Disorders (UECTDs). The University of Utah developed a methodology to assist ergonomists in determining these occupational risk factors; this methodology was built around a computer program that has been named the Utah Ergo Analyzer. The Utah Ergo Analyzer has the ability to systematically analyze video segments of jobs and perform detailed analysis. In order to have a method that is capable of adequately predicting occupational risk factors, that method must be repeatable and reliable. In order to determine the reliability of the Utah Ergo Analyzer, this study evaluated the use of this program among two separate groups within two separate time periods or phases. The two groups included Novice users and trained Analysts. The Novice group had little or no training or experience with the Utah Ergo Analyzer, while the trained Analysts had various levels of experience and training with the Ergo Analyzer program. The Novice group included occupational safety and health students with some knowledge of ergonomics. The analyst group was composed of students studying ergonomics specifically

Extratropical cyclone damage to the seawall in Dawlish, UK:eyewitness accounts, sea level analysis and numerical modelling

Availability of data: All data used in this study are provided in the body of the article.Copyright © The Author(s) 2022. The February 2014 extratropical cyclonic storm chain, which impacted the English Channel (UK) and Dawlish in particular, caused significant damage to the main railway connecting the south-west region to the rest of the UK. The incident caused the line to be closed for two months, £50 million of damage and an estimated £1.2bn of economic loss. In this study, we collate eyewitness accounts, analyse sea level data and conduct numerical modelling in order to decipher the destructive forces of the storm. Our analysis reveals that the disaster management of the event was successful and efficient with immediate actions taken to save lives and property before and during the storm. Wave buoy analysis showed that a complex triple peak sea state with periods at 4–8, 8–12 and 20–25 s was present, while tide gauge records indicated that significant surge of up to 0.8 m and wave components of up to 1.5 m amplitude combined as likely contributing factors in the event. Significant impulsive wave force of up to 286 KN was the most likely initiating cause of the damage. Reflections off the vertical wall caused constructive interference of the wave amplitudes that led to increased wave height and significant overtopping of up to 16.1 m3/s/m (per metre width of wall). With this information and our engineering judgement, we conclude that the most probable sequence of multi-hazard cascading failure during this incident was: wave impact force leading to masonry failure, loss of infill and failure of the structure following successive tides.UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through a PhD scholarship to Keith Adams

Are global wind power resource estimates overstated?

Estimates of the global wind power resource over land range from 56 to 400 TW. Most estimates have implicitly assumed that extraction of wind energy does not alter large-scale winds enough to significantly limit wind power production. Estimates that ignore the effect of wind turbine drag on local winds have assumed that wind power production of 2–4 W m2 can be sustained over large areas. New results from a mesoscale model suggest that wind power production is limited to about 1 W m2 at wind farm scales larger than about 100 km2. We find that the mesoscale model results are quantitatively consistent with results from global models that simulated the climate response to much larger wind power capacities. Wind resource estimates that ignore the effect of wind turbines in slowing large-scale winds may therefore substantially overestimate the wind power resource.Engineering and Applied Science

Clover infertility of sheep : continuing problem

Some varieties of subterranean clover, notably Dinninup, Dwalganup and Yarloop, contain compounds which act like the female sex hormone oestrogen. These plant oestrogens, or phyto-oestrogens , interfere with the fertility of sheep and depress the percentage of lambs born. Over the past 10 years our understanding of clover infertility has increased, and we can now gauge the extent of this residual problem. In fact, there is a widespread but low-level incidence of infertility which does not greatly affect individial farms but which has an important impact on the State\u27s sheep production

An Exploration of Leadership Characteristics in College Athletes

Research has been unclear as to what is associated with being a student athlete with leadership qualities. The purpose of this study was to provide more descriptive information regarding the attitudes and behaviors associated with leadership qualities in university athletes. The participants were 73 freshman athletes at a large mid-Atlantic research university with a NCAA Division I athletic program. Participants were recruited from freshman orientation to college classes that are offered to assist incoming freshmen with adjusting to college life. The data suggested that leadership in university athletes is associated with: expecting higher grades, certainty of college major, decreased need for emotional/social counseling, increased social adjustment, and lower expectancy for transferring to another university. These results are discussed in terms of advising issues for student athletes. Leadership in athletes was associated not only with graduating with a degree but higher leadership scores were associated with wanting to obtain a graduate degree. Leadership in college athletes appears to be associated with a strong internal sense of control and an optimism when dealing with problems. Athletes are certainly placed in situations where they can develop their leadership skills, and these situations may draw out leadership behaviors in individuals who may not otherwise exhibit such characteristics