How Racially Diverse Schools and Classrooms Can Benefit All Students

A growing number of parents, university officials, and employers want our elementary and secondary schools to better prepare students for our increasingly racially and ethnically diverse society and the global economy. But for reasons we cannot explain, the demands of this large segment of Americans have yet to resonate with most of our federal, state, or local policymakers. Instead, over the past forty years, these policy makers have completely ignored issues of racial segregation while focusing almost exclusively on high-stakes accountability, even as our schools have become increasingly segregated and unequal.This report argues that, as our K -- 12 student population becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, the time is right for our political leaders to pay more attention to the evidence, intuition, and common sense that supports the importance of racially and ethnically diverse educational settings to prepare the next generation. It highlights in particular the large body of research that demonstrates the important educational benefits -- cognitive, social, and emotional -- for all students who interact with classmates from different backgrounds, cultures, and orientations to the world. This research legitimizes the intuition of millions of Americans who recognize that, as the nation becomes more racially and ethnically complex, our schools should reflect that diversity and tap into the benefits of these more diverse schools to better educate all our students for the twenty-first century.The advocates of racially integrated schools understand that much of the recent racial tension and unrest in this nation -- from Ferguson to Baltimore to Staten Island -- may well have been avoided if more children had attended schools that taught them to address implicit biases related to racial, ethnic, and cultural differences. This report supports this argument beyond any reasonable doubt

Response of Capacitance Probes to Soil Solution Nitrate Concentration

Dielectric properties of soil are highly correlated with volumetric water content (VWC) of the medium, but at a relatively low frequency soil salinity has an important effect on permittivity measurements. A laboratory experiment was conducted to understand the potential of monitoring nitrate and chloride ions in soil solutions using capacitance-type soil probes EC-5 and EC-10 operating at frequencies of 70 and 5 MHz, respectively. Dielectric response of soil samples wetted with nitrate and chloride solutions of different concentration were compared at each frequency within the volumetric water content ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 m3/m3. Linear regression models were fitted through data to correlate the actual VWC, concentration of solutions, soil temperature and sensor output. At 70 MHz frequency the sensor response was primarily explained by moisture content for both solutions. Dielectric response of the EC-10 probe to change in ionic concentration was different for each wetting solution. Change in chlorine concentration demonstrated no evidence of having effect on the sensor response, while nitrate solution illustrated that the EC-10 probe is sensitive to the change in nitrate-N concentration within the water content and salinity range tested (from 0.05 to 0.51 dS/m). None of the fitted models demonstrated the statistically significant effect of temperature on dielectric measurements due to the little variation of the temperature (+/- 1.5°C) during the experiment

Estimating Soil Solution Nitrate Concentration from Dielectric Spectra Using Partial Least Squares Analysis

Fast and reliable methods for in situ monitoring of soil NO3–N concentration could help guide efforts to reduce NO3–N losses to ground and surface waters from agricultural systems. While several studies have been done to indirectly estimate NO3–N concentrations from time domain spectra, no research has been conducted using a frequency domain technique. Hence, the goal of this laboratory study was to estimate NO3–N concentrations from frequency-response data obtained in a frequency range of 5 Hz to 13 MHz. Dielectric spectra of soil samples wetted to five different volumetric water contents (VWC) with 24 solutions containing different concentrations of KNO3 and KCl were analyzed using a partial least squares (PLS) regression method. Global models could not estimate NO3–N concentrations with sufficient accuracy. Models based on the imaginary part of the permittivity were better than those based on the real part. The PLS model estimates were improved when low VWC data and high Cl− concentration were eliminated, reducing the RMSE for NO3–N from 57 to 28 mg L−1. The best results were obtained when the PLS models were constructed at fixed VWC levels using the data without high Cl− concentration. The performance of these models improved with increasing VWC level, reaching the lowest RMSE of 18 mg L−1 at VWC of 0.30 m3 m−3

School Choice Policies and Racial Segregation: Where White Parents’ Good Intentions, Anxiety, and Privilege Collide

A growing body of school choice research has shown that when school choice policies are not designed to racially or socioeconomically integrate schools, that is, are “colorblind” policies, they generally manage to do the opposite, leading to greater stratification and separation of students by race and ethnicity across schools and programs. Since white, advantaged parents are more likely to get their children into the highest-status schools regardless of the school choice policy in place, we believed that more research was needed on how those parents interact with school choice policies and whether they would support changes to those policies that would lead to less segregation across schools. Our interviews with advantaged New York City parents suggest that many are bothered by the segregation but that they are concerned that their children gain access to the “best” (mostly white) schools. The contradictions inherent in their choices are reconcilable, we argue, by offering more diverse and undivided school options

In-groups, Out-groups and the Challenge of Increasing Diversity through Intentional Inclusion and Equity Practices: Exploring the Roles of Urban Land Managers, Affinity Groups, and Alaska Residents

Public lands belong to all of us. Yet, data indicate that some Americans are participating more than others in the decision-making processes that guide use, access, and availability of our public lands and resources. Three researchers investigated three ways public participation intersects with the decision-making process, with a focus on illuminating barriers to full public participation as well as potential bridges to increasing equitable inclusion. Researchers interviewed urban land managers and affinity group leaders, surveyed a sample of residents in Alaska, and examined public testimony from a city council discussion about an inclusion resolution in Homer, Alaska. Qualitative and quantitative analyses across these studies revealed that participation barriers can be grouped into intra-barriers or inter-barriers. Intra-barriers are seen within individuals, groups, or organizations. Inter-barriers emerge between groups across society. Intra-barriers include difficulties such as lack of trust, deficient group representation, low familiarity with public lands, and shortage of resources. Inter-barriers involve lack of understanding of other cultures, groups, and agencies, and inconsistent priorities, policies, and mandates that drive efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in public lands and access to decision making. Our research identified five categories of bridges, or solutions, to these barriers: building and maintaining strong partnerships, increasing participant representation, strengthening ally capabilities, improving staff representation and cultural competency, and improving engagement strategies. The researchers conclude that the most direct path to increasing access to public decision making is to increase equity and inclusion in tandem. Increasing both the intentionality of inclusion and the practices of equity ultimately lead to more diverse participants who are actively engaged

Barriers and enablers to walking in individuals with intermittent claudication: a systematic review to conceptualize a relevant and patient-centered program

Background: Walking limitation in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC) contributes to poorer disease outcomes. Identifying and examining barriers to walking may be an important step in developing a comprehensive patient-centered self-management intervention to promote walking in this population. Aim: To systematically review the literature regarding barriers and enablers to walking exercise in individuals with IC. Methods: A systematic review was conducted utilizing integrative review methodology. Five electronic databases and the reference lists of relevant studies were searched. Findings were categorized into personal, walking activity related, and environmental barriers and enablers using a social cognitive framework. Results: Eighteen studies including quantitative (n = 12), qualitative (n = 5), and mixed method (n = 1) designs, and reporting data from a total of 4376 patients with IC, were included in the review. The most frequently reported barriers to engaging in walking were comorbid health concerns, walking induced pain, lack of knowledge (e.g. about the disease pathology and walking recommendations), and poor walking capacity. The most frequently reported enablers were cognitive coping strategies, good support systems, and receiving specific instructions to walk. Findings suggest additionally that wider behavioral and environmental obstacles should be addressed in a patient-centered self-management intervention. Conclusions: This review has identified multidimensional factors influencing walking in patients with IC. Within the social cognitive framework, these factors fall within patient level factors (e.g. comorbid health concerns), walking related factors (e.g. claudication pain), and environmental factors (e.g. support systems). These factors are worth considering when developing self-management interventions to increase walking in patients with IC. Systematic review registration CRD42018070418

Fibroblasts derived from long-lived insulin receptor substrate 1 null mice are not resistant to multiple forms of stress

Reduced signalling through the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 signalling (IIS) pathway is a highly conserved lifespan determinant in model organisms. The precise mechanism underlying the effects of the IIS on lifespan and health is currently unclear, although cellular stress resistance may be important. We have previously demonstrated that mice globally lacking insulin receptor substrate 1 (Irs1−/−) are long-lived and enjoy a greater period of their life free from age-related pathology compared with wild-type (WT) controls. In this study, we show that primary dermal fibroblasts and primary myoblasts derived from Irs1−/− mice are no more resistant to a range of oxidant and nonoxidant chemical stressors than cells derived from WT mice

Contextualizing Developmental Math Content into Introduction To Sociology In Community Colleges

Across community colleges in the United States, most students place into a developmental math course that they never pass. This can leave them without the math skills necessary to make informed decisions in major areas of social life and the college credential required for participation in growing sectors of our economy. One strategy for improving community college students’ pass rate in developmental math courses is the contextualization of developmental math content into the fabric of other courses. This article reviews an effort to contextualize developmental math content (i.e., elementary algebra) into Introduction to Sociology at Kingsborough Community College and Queensborough Community College, both of the City University of New York, during the spring 2016 semester. Data from a pre-test/post-test control-group design implemented across the two campuses reveals the significance of this strategy for some sociology students’ grasp of discrete mathematical skills and success in developmental math

Exploration of risk factors for weight loss in head and neck cancer patients

Introduction: Head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy can experience a number of toxicities, including weight loss and malnutrition, which can impact upon the quality of treatment. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study is to evaluate weight loss and identify predictive factors for this patient group. Method and materials: 40 patients treated with radiotherapy since 2012 at the study centre were selected for analysis. Data was collected from patient records. The association between potential risk factors and weight loss was investigated. Results: Mean weight loss was 5 kg (6%). 24 patients lost >5% starting body weight. Age, Tstage,N-stage, chemotherapy and starting body weight were individually associated with significant differences in weight loss. On multiple linear regression analysis age and nodal status were predictive. Conclusion: Younger patients and those with nodal disease were most at risk of weight loss. Other studies have identified the same risk factors along with several other variables. The relative significance of each along with a number of other potential factors is yet to be fully understood. Further research is required to help identify patients most at risk of weight loss; and assess interventions aimed at preventing weight loss and malnutrition.</p