Theory of Change As A Tool For Strategic Planning

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the use of the Theory of Change approach for planning community-based initiatives. Through lessons learned from a case study of how TOC was applied during the planning phase of The Wallace Foundation Parents and Communities for Kids (PACK) initiative, the utility of this technique and the challenges involved in employing it are illustrated. The case study was designed to highlight lessons that will be of most interest to program planners, evaluators, and funders who are interested in applying this method to their work

Aging and Economic Security Evaluation: Crosscutting Lessons Learned

This evaluation of Atlantic's grantmaking to support the economic security of low-income elders identifies elements most likely to help advance a policy agenda when working in a politically charged environment: Use a state-by-state approach and target multiple levels of government to show incremental progress for national resultsInvest in research to create the foundation for effective advocacy and communications strategiesUse strategic communications to change the narrativeEnsure the voices of the grassroots are heard in policy debatesSupport for capacity building should focus on filling gaps needed to achieve a goal rather than trying to bolster weak organizationsWork still needs to be done after winning a change in policy to help ensure implementation of a "new normal"The evaluation examined five projects that comprised a multi-pronged effort to improve the financial resources of retired adults. Goals included boosting enrollment in an array of social safety net programs and protecting and strengthening retirement policies. To achieve their goals, grantees used a mix of research and data, advocacy, communications, grassroots training and mobilization.Over the course of their work, grantees connected elders to available benefits, promoted state-level reforms to retirement programs, changed the narrative on social security, and exposed the gap between the cost of living and actual elder incomes

\u3cem\u3eRemaking America\u27s School Systems: Now Separate and Unequal.\u3c/em\u3e Milton Schwebel.

Book note for Milton Schwebel, Remaking America\u27s School Systems: Now Separate and Unequal. Lanham. MD: Scarecrow Press, 2003. $39.95 hardcover,$29.95 papercover

A Special Case of Selberg\u27s Integral

In this paper we evaluate a difficult integral that arose in the study of a class of differential operators. Although we later discovered the integral could be evaluated using published formulae, we present our own interesting proof. Our computation of the integral uses algebraic techniques to solve a problem that at first seems to be strictly analytic

Second Grade Students Learn about Civil Engineers and Erosion

The integration of art into curricula focused on teaching science is a new perspective in education designed to reach a broader range of students. The current study examined the process of second-grade students participating in science and art activities through qualitative content analysis. The subjects of science and art were not taught to the students separately, rather, students engaged in both subjects simultaneously, in an integrated manner. Participants were 23 second-grade students (11 female and 12 male; age range 7 to 8 years) who were learning about erosion through sketching and creative construction and the work of civil engineers through role-play and exploration of problems they solve. Sources of information for the study included student-reported symbolism for engineering badges, classroom discussions, students’ responses during testing of sand hills, teacher observations, and student writings. Major themes in the process of the students were: connections to prior knowledge of erosion and engineers along with symbols connected to engineers; observing erosion and shapes of the land; integration of art bringing motivation; social learning and teamwork; problem-solving solutions to erosion; making connections between the classroom testing and the real world; and the desire to continue exploring erosion. The lessons emphasized learning through and with the arts, making the lessons engaging and motivating students to continue learning on their own

Regulation of Murine Physiology and Metabolism by the Adipocyte Circadian Clock through Sphingosine Kinase 1

The adipocyte, widely known for its large lipid droplets, is a crucial signaling cell at the crux of metabolism. Programs within the adipocyte itself may have massive impacts upon the body. For example, the internal cell-autonomous circadian clock within the adipocyte regulates such lipid droplet-associated processes as lipolysis (triacylglycerol breakdown) and lipogenesis (lipid uptake, triacylglycerol synthesis), which influence circulating lipids, thus impacting other organs. Circadian rhythms (molecular, metabolic, and behavioral patterning over a day) and lipid droplets are both highly evolutionarily conserved biological phenomena that also happen to be intertwined in the system about which we care today, the global human obesity pandemic. Excessive adiposity is a hallmark of obesity, and humans live in an extraordinarily artificially-lit world, which serves to disrupt circadian clocks, thereby disrupting metabolism. Characterized by their unique sphingosine backbone, sphingolipids, which may derive, in part, from the excess of adiposity and lipid free fatty acids, are well known to affect metabolic disease phenotypes. As the Cowart lab has shown in the past, and as shown in this work, sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) and its enzymatic product sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) affect cellular signaling pathways that directly influence metabolism. SPHK1 is a lipid kinase which phosphorylates sphingosine (an N-acylated amino alcohol) to S1P, a bioactive autocrine and paracrine signaling lipid, to influence various processes including cellular survival, angiogenesis, endothelial permeability, immune cell trafficking, and oncogenesis. Since SPHK1 is highly involved in metabolism, such as glucose metabolism, and since metabolism is a circadian-governed process, we hypothesized that SPHK1 is involved in the regulation of the adipocyte circadian clock, which may impact circulating metabolites, such as glucose, fatty acids, and adipokines, thereby affecting weight gain and glucose tolerance. Using a wide variety of techniques and methodologies including RNA sequencing, mass spectrometry coupled with lipidomics and proteomics, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), protein co-immunoprecipitation, microscopy, gene and protein expression analysis, we conclude that novel properties of SPHK1 and S1P elicit changes in nuclear chromatin remodeling events, leading to circadian clock disruption and subsequent impairment of key metabolic physiological parameters in the mouse. To our knowledge, his is the first report of a lipid metabolite directly affecting the circadian clock

From the Beginning: A Start to End Analysis of a Beginning Teacher Program

This mixed-methods study evaluated the effectiveness of a Beginning Teacher Support Program in the southern region of a school district. The effects of teacher turnover, national teacher shortages, induction programs, mentoring, administrative support, professional development, and other support offered to beginning teachers were analyzed. The researcher created a survey that was administered to high school beginning teachers, mentor teachers, and principals. A focus group and an interview with a regional beginning teacher coordinator were also conducted to further evaluate the effectiveness of the district’s beginning teacher program. The results of the study concluded that beginning teachers benefitted from participating in the district’s beginning teacher support program. Specifically, beginning teachers reported having a veteran mentor, having mentor teachers provide resources, and collaborating with other teachers as an area of effectiveness. Areas that were not effective included co-teaching with mentors, lesson unit planning, data analysis, and outside professional development. The researcher’s recommendations for further study included providing focus groups for beginning teachers to reflect on the beginning teacher support program, future researchers should be cognizant of time management in terms of collecting data, and a more in-depth study of the role of the site-wide beginning teacher coordinator. Recommendations for the district included to continue with the pairing of veteran teachers or mentors with beginning teachers, recruit more mentor teachers to assist beginning teachers, provide more support for lateral entry teachers, and to match lateral entry veteran teachers with lateral entry beginning teachers

A study to determine the impact of summer teacher externships on curriculum and teaching methods

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the effectiveness of summer teacher externships on affecting change in a teacher\u27s curriculum or method of instruction so that students are better prepared to meet the employment needs of business and industry upon graduation; The federal School to Work Opportunities Act of 1994 was designed to create the mechanism to promote a partnership between education and business. The goal of this partnership is to involve business in education, and educators in business, in order to give America\u27s students the high skills needed to compete in today\u27s global economy; One of the programs designed to facilitate this partnership is the summer teacher externship program. In this program, educators spend a period of time, normally during the summer months, actually working in business and industry. The concepts and new skills learned are then brought back to the classroom so that students can be kept abreast of new requirements and changes taking place in the workplace; In order to measure the effectiveness of this program, a survey was sent to the 226 Nevada educators who have participated in this program since its inception three years ago. The purpose of the survey was to determine whether or not the goals of the externship program were being met. A secondary goal was to determine if the federal funding provided to the externship program was an effective use of funds to promote change; The overall results of the study were extremely positive. Of those responding, 52% reported an increase in skill knowledge as a result of the externship. Fifty-five percent of the teachers stated that they made significant changes in their curriculum and 61% reported changes in teaching methods and strategies. When asked if they would like to participate in another externship, 82% said that they would and many recommended the program to others; The recommendations made as a result of the study include continuing the program and expanding it to give more educators an opportunity to become aware of the current needs of the workplace