School Advocacy and Community Outreach: Barriers to the Implementation of Social Media Tools for K-12 Principals

This qualitative study describes, analyzes, and interprets the perceptions and beliefs related to barriers of the use and efficacy of social media tools for school advocacy and community outreach by principals in the kindergarten through 12th grade setting in one suburban district located outside of a major metropolitan center. School advocacy is the active process of communicating the vision, mission, and beliefs of the educational organization to the greater community that the school serves. Community outreach signifies the steps schools take to build and maintain strong partnerships with members of the community at large. To successfully advocate for the school and reach out to the community, principals must have strong communication skills and the tools to successfully convey their messages. Although a growing menu of social media tools are popular in modern society, and competition for students has increased with the proliferation of school choice, some practicing principals have reservations about implementing social media tools into their comprehensive communication plan. Four themes related to perceptions of barriers to implementation of social media tools emerged from semi-structured interviews with practicing principals. Issues of privacy, time and fidelity, choice of tools, and roles as school promoters were discussed as they related to the framework of social cognitive theory.Ed.D.College of Education, Health and Human ServicesUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134060/1/James E. Anderson Final Dissertation.pdfDescription of James E. Anderson Final Dissertation.pdf : Dissertatio

Geochemical analysis and modeling for an artificial aquifer recharge study in the shallow zone squifer near Pojoaque, New Mexico.

An artificial aquifer recharge project is currently being evaluated as a component of the Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System as part of the Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act. The purpose of the project is for aquifer storage, with later retrieval as drinking water. The total diversion of San Juan Chama Project Water (SJCPW) for this project is approximately 4,000 acre-feet per year. It should be noted that some of the SJCPW would be treated and put directly into the drinking water system. The goal of this project is to extract the SJCPW from the Rio Grande and pump it into two arroyos, the Arroyo Jocona and an unnamed arroyo. The hope is that the water will reach the shallow aquifer via infiltration. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) performed a geophysical study of the two above-mentioned arroyos near Pojoaque, New Mexico to determine the lithology if SJCPW will infiltrate through the vadose zone and into the shallow aquifer system. The USGS also drilled four borings and completed monitoring wells in two of the borings. The wells were used to collect water levels and water quality samples. After performing analysis of the groundwater, using both an inductively couple plasma (ICP) and ion chromatography (IC) instruments, and analysis of the sediments using acid digestion and a batch extraction, it was determined that several analytes exceed the United States Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Standards. These analytes include aluminum, beryllium, fluoride, iron, and arsenic. All of these analytes are found at concentrations would most likely be able to be treated using standard modern water treatment techniques

Can We Save the Traditional Family Farm?

What is a traditional family farm? Is it a family of four living on a farm and supplying all of the labor, capital and management or is it a family corporation with four families supplying all of the capital and management? These types of questions continue to arise in policy debates, as they have for many years. While subject to heated debate and the core of many people’s positions on farm programs the answer is more sociological as it is becoming less and less economically relevant. Whether these types of farms or any other farm sizes should survive is not a question that can be answered by a policy analyst. The job of an analyst is to determine if and under what conditions family farms can survive. To this end, this paper reviews the various definitions of family farms and draws inferences as to the economic and financial survival of these different size farms using the results generated from simulating representative farms.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Post-Freedom to Farm Shifts in Regional Production Patterns

The FAIR Act of 1996, also known as the Freedom to Farm Act (ACT) dismantled many of the agriculture policy tools in use for the last 25 years. Gone were target prices, deficiency payments, and set asides. In their place were expanded marketing loan programs to effectively include wheat and feed grains and oilseeds in addition to cotton and rice. Full planting flexibility has been popular with farmers who are no longer constrained by base acres. Grain merchants and other volume oriented agribusinesses praise the elimination of set asides. The sharp decline in farm prices for all major program commodities since 1996 has left most farmers questioning the income safety net provisions of the FAIR Act. The flexibility and marketing loan provisions continue to be praised. Farm program changes in the 1996 farm bill rendered methods of crop supply response estimation based on econometric models, using historic data, difficult at best. Yet it can, and has been, hypothesized that the Act resulted in major shifts in regional crop production patterns. This paper draws inferences from changes in acres planted among crops for representative farms in the Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center’s (AFPC) farm data base. AFPC has maintained longitudinal data for more than three dozen representative crop farms across states, regions, farm size, and type of farm since 1990. The farms were updated in 1999 as to their crop mix changes following the ACT and the crop mix changes observed in the updates are summarized here. United States aggregate production shifts are identified from NASS data. Implications for future potential acreage changes are identified. The commodity focus includes feedgrains, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Готшалк (ум. 868 г.) и его учение о предопределении

We study competitive capacity investment for the emergence of a new market. Firms may invest either in capacity leading demand or in capacity lagging demand at different costs. We show how the lead time and other operational factors including volume flexibility, existing capacity, and demand uncertainty impact equilibrium outcomes. Our results indicate that a type of bandwagon behavior is the most likely equilibrium outcome: if both firms are going to invest, then they are most likely to act in unison. Contrary to much received wisdom, we show that leader–follower behavior is very uncommon in equilibrium where firms do not have volume flexibility, and will not occur at all if lead times are sufficiently short. On the other hand, if there is volume flexibility in production, then the likelihood of this sequential investment behavior increases. Our findings underscore the importance of operational characteristics in determining the competitive dynamics of capacity investment timing

A FARM-LEVEL LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURE

Relatively low crop prices over the past two years, as well as regional weather adversity, has been the catalyst for the passage of "ad hoc" emergency relief. This paper examines the economic and financial status of 41 representative panel farms over the 1999-2002 period. When forecasting through the life of the 1996 Farm Bill, the representative crop farms are assessed by Texas A&M's Agricultural and Food Policy Center to be in the weakest condition observed over the last decade for liquidity and the related need to refinance.agricultural policy, farm profitability, liquidity, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance,

Laser diffraction particle sizing: Instrument probe volume relocation and elongation

The effective probe volume of laser diffraction particle sizing instruments depends on many instrument parameters. In particular the probe volume axial boundaries and its location along laser beam are essentially defined by the onset of a vignetting effect where light scattered at large angles from small particles misses the transform lens. This vignetting effect results in a probe volume that must be inconveniently close to the lens in order to detect smaller diameter particles (less than 100 micrometers). With the addition of an appropriately designed Keplerian telescope, the probe volume may be relocated and elongated. The theory of operation of this supplemental optical system is described. Design considerations for these supplemental optical systems are described, including recommendations for lens specifications, assembly and use. An image transfer system is described which has been designed for use on a Malvern 2600HSD instrument. Experimental validation of this image transfer system is described

The Economic Impact of Land Purchases to Meet Buffer Zone Requirements on Representative Texas Dairies

Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Livestock Production/Industries,

Acquisition and description of Mariner 10 television science data at Mercury

The Mariner 10 television science subsystem was an improved version of the Mariner 9 system, using 1500-mm-focal-length optics. An elaborate picture-taking sequence resulted in transmission of over 4000 frames back to earth during two flyby encounters with Mercury. These sequences utilized a real-time data rate of 117.6 kbit/s, resulting in coverage of about 75% of the lighted portion of Mercury's surface at a resolution of better than 2 km. The complete set of useful images, which amounted to about 3000 frames, was processed with three different types of digital image-processing enhancements

Policy Goals and the Design of Farm Programs: An Evaluation of FAIR

Evaluating the performance of our current farm programs initially requires a specification of policy goals. In performing this exercise, we conclude that the goals have changed, much like the policies have changed. We then evaluate whether the current set of policies will fulfill the goals in a politically acceptable manner. It is concluded that this is questionable, at least in the short run. Moreover, it is concluded that, regardless of what is done in policy terms, the farm structure will continue to undergo dramatic change. Policies will affect the rate of change in structure, but not the direction which will continue toward fewer but larger integrated farms.Agricultural and Food Policy,