Falling Through the Cracks of Education: A Comparative Analysis of Canada’s and The United States’ Use of Standardized Testing Within the Realm of Public Education

The education system is foundational to society. Public education is based on the concept of equal educational opportunities for all. Although the purpose of standardized testing is the elimination of bias to prevent certain segments of society’s students from receiving unfair academic advantages, there is little empirical verification that suggests that standardized testing actually achieves its intended purpose. In fact, the evidence indicates that standardized testing negatively impacts low-income, marginalized, and English-learning students, as achievement gaps for these groups have remained the same or have even grown with the increased use of such tests. This article will discuss the intended goals of standardized testing and their direct implications on the United States’ and Canada’s public education systems. Moreover, the article will compare the United States’ implementation of both President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act and President Barack Obama’s Every Student Succeeds Act to Ontario’s creation of the Education Quality and Accountability Office and Alberta’s implementation of Student Learning Assessments. Lastly, this article will argue that an education system that relies heavily on standardized testing to measure student achievement is conditioning students to become less creative and more automated, ultimately stagnating the development of young students’ critical thinking skills

Effect of type of dietary fat and protein on cholesterol and lipid metabolism of pigs

Two feeding trials were conducted to examine the effect of type of dietary fat and protein on cholesterol metabolism of young pigs. Pigs in both trials were fed diets containing either soybean oil or beef tallow and soy protein isolate or ground beef. Type of dietary protein did not have a significant effect on any parameter measured in either trial. Significant effects of type of dietary fat, however, included greater plasma cholesterol and lipoprotein cholesterol concentration in pigs fed tallow compared with pigs fed soybean oil. Tissue cholesterol (heart and skeletal muscle) was greater in pigs fed soybean oil, and total lipids were greater in livers of pigs fed tallow. Fatty acid synthesis was increased in subcutaneous and perirenal adipose tissue of pigs fed tallow. Tallow-fed pigs also had greater number of very small and very large adipocytes than did pigs fed soybean oil;In vivo kinetic parameters of plasma and lipoprotein cholesterol and measurements of dietary cholesterol absorption were examined in the second trial. As in the first trial, pigs fed diets containing tallow had greater plasma and lipoprotein cholesterol concentration than did pigs fed soy diets. Tissue cholesterol concentrations (liver, skeletal muscle, aorta, and viscera) were greater in pigs fed soy diets than in beef-fed pigs. Kinetic analyses indicated greater turnover of lipoprotein cholesterol in VLDL and HDL fractions of soy-fed pigs. Diet did not affect percent of dietary cholesterol absorbed as measured by two methods. Turnover of plasma cholesterol was unchanged by dietary treatment;Results from the two trials suggest that dietary fats and not dietary protein have significant effects on cholesterol metabolism in pigs; that is, unsaturated fats cause a redistribution of cholesterol within body pools such that changes in concentrations occur in metabolic subcompartments, but not in overall kinetics of metabolism of cholesterol

The Sub-Surface Structure of a Large Sample of Active Regions

We employ ring-diagram analysis to study the sub-surface thermal structure of active regions. We present results using a large number of active regions over the course of Solar Cycle 23. We present both traditional inversions of ring-diagram frequency differences, with a total sample size of 264, and a statistical study using Principal Component Analysis. We confirm earlier results on smaller samples that sound speed and adiabatic index are changed below regions of strong magnetic field. We find that sound speed is decreased in the region between approximately r=0.99R_sun and r=0.995R_sun (depths of 3Mm to 7Mm), and increased in the region between r=0.97R_sun and r=0.985R_sun (depths of 11Mm to 21Mm). The adiabatic index is enhanced in the same deeper layers that sound-speed enhancement is seen. A weak decrease in adiabatic index is seen in the shallower layers in many active regions. We find that the magnitudes of these perturbations depend on the strength of the surface magnetic field, but we find a great deal of scatter in this relation, implying other factors may be relevant.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Solar Magnetic Field Signatures in Helioseismic Splitting Coefficients

Normal modes of oscillation of the Sun are useful probes of the solar interior. In this work, we use the even-order splitting coefficients to study the evolution of magnetic fields in the convection zone over solar cycle 23, assuming that the frequency splitting is only due to rotation and a large scale magnetic field. We find that the data are best fit by a combination of a poloidal field and a double-peaked near-surface toroidal field. The toroidal fields are centered at r=0.999R_solar and r=0.996R_solar and are confined to the near-surface layers. The poloidal field is a dipole field. The peak strength of the poloidal field is 124 +/- 17G. The toroidal field peaks at 380 +/- 30G and 1.4 +/- 0.2kG for the shallower and deeper fields respectively. The field strengths are highly correlated with surface activity. The toroidal field strength shows a hysteresis-like effect when compared to the global 10.7 cm radio flux. The poloidal field strength shows evidence of saturation at high activity.Comment: 10 pages, accepted for publication in Ap

Estigma e atividade profissional : um olhar sobre o processo de profissionalização da profissão do sexo

O presente estudo partiu do interesse em aprofundar o conhecimento acerca da profissão do sexo, visando identificar os aspectos e os sentidos do processo de profissionalização da prostituição para as mulheres que prestam serviços sexuais em uma das maiores zonas de meretrício do sudeste brasileiro. A pergunta que norteou a pesquisa foi: como as mulheres prostitutas compreendem o processo de profissionalização da profissão do sexo? Para tal, optou-se por uma pesquisa qualitativa, que utilizou como instrumentos: a análise da teoria existente, entrevistas semi-estruturadas e observações diretas. A análise dos dados baseou-se na categorização proposta por Bardin (2002), onde foram definidas cinco categorias a posteiori: a primeira buscou analisar as condições sobre as quais a prostituição é exercida: vulnerabilidades laborais, espaço e ambiente de trabalho. A segunda categoria levantou aspectos como atributos requeridos para o exercício da profissão e identificação desses profissionais. A terceira categoria tentou elucidar questões acerca da cidadania na prostituição investigando suas necessidades e seus anseios como profissionais. A quarta categoria buscou compreender o conhecimento das profissionais do sexo sobre o projeto lei 98/2003 de autoria do ex-deputado federal Fernando Gabeira (PV-RJ), averiguando a conscientização política das entrevistadas, sua participação em sindicatos e articulação política através de ONG's. Por fim, a quinta e última categoria propõe a conjugação da profissão do sexo sob à ótica do projeto lei, onde a realização da profissão é confrontada com a autonomia trabalhista já requerida no Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego e, dessa forma, buscou-se compreender se a regulamentação da profissão do sexo interferiria positivamente ou negativamente na atividade laboral praticada e se há adesão das prostitutas à regulamentação. O estudo revelou que na ótica das entrevistadas todas as pessoas que fazem sexo em troca de pecúnio ou benefícios são consideradas prostitutas; que não deve haver categorização de profissionais que influencie na regulamentação da profissão; que o ambiente onde a prostituição é exercida impõem fortes riscos à trabalhadora do sexo; que elas almejam mudanças que só a regulamentação poderia lhes assegurar, mas que não desejam arcar com o ônus imposto pela legislação trabalhista; que a ação das ONG's é desestruturada e particular, não abrangendo a categoria de maneira integral e, que esse abandono é refletido nas desarticulações políticas que impedem que sejam implementadas melhorias trabalhistas que lhes assegure salubridade e melhores condições, disseminando dentre elas uma falta de perspectiva futura; Que o trabalho do sexo é considerado inferior se comparado aos demais, apesar das entrevistadas afirmarem que este é sim uma profissão, suas falas refletem um conteúdo permeado de falta de sentido, valor, significado, marginalidade, inferioridade e estigma instituído históricamente pela sociedade. A contribuição do estudo, nesse primeiro olhar, é em apontar as necessidades das profissionais do sexo, sob sua ótica, ou seja, num olhar que nasce de baixo para cima, comprovando que medidas estratégicas nas políticas públicas e na articulação de ONG's precisam nascer nesse mesmo rumo, dando voz às prostitutas e conscientizando-as do seu trabalho e de seus direitos. A pesquisa propõe ainda a inserção de pólos de aprendizagem profissionalizante próximos aos bordéis para que a prostituição se torne opção de vida, e não destino de mulheres que comercializam seu corpo para sobrevivência.This study began with the interest in deepening into the knowledge about the sex profession aiming to identify aspects and meanings of the process of professionalization of women prostitution that provides sexual services in one of the largest brothels area of southeastern Brazil. The question that guided the research was: how women prostitutes understand the process of professionalization of the sex profession? To this purpose, we opted a qualitative research, which were used as instruments: a literature review, a semi-structured interview and direct observation. The data analysis was based on the categorization proposed by Bardin (2002), where five categories were defined: the first was to examine the conditions under which prostitution is exercised: Laboral vulnerability space and work environment. The second category brought to discussion were the attributes required for the profession and identification of these professionals. The third category attempted to clarify questions about citizenship in prostitution it investigate the prostitutes needs and aspirations as professionals. The fourth category sought to understand the knowledge of sex workers on the project law 98 / 2003 authored by former Congressman Fernando Gabeira (PV-RJ) by examining the political awareness of the women interviewed, their participation in unions and political articulation by NGOs. Finally, the fifth and last category proposes the conjugation of the sex profession in the optical of the law project, where the realization of the profession is faced with labor autonomy required from the Ministry of Labor and Employment and, therefore, we sought to understand whether the regulation of the profession of sex interfere positively or negatively in the work activity practiced by them and if prostitutes are adhering to the regulation. The study revealed that in the view of all the people interviewed who have sex in exchange for money or benefits are considered prostitutes, that there should be no categorization of professionals who influence the regulation of the profession, that the environment where prostitution is practiced places high risks for sex worker, that they aspire to change that only a law could assure them, but do not want to bear the burden imposed by labor legislation; that the action of NGOs is unstructured and personal, not covering the category in an fully way, and that this abandonment is reflected in politics unarticulated ways that keeps the labor improvement, that assures a healthy and better environment, away from them, spreading among them a lack of future perspective, that sex work is considered inferior when compared to the other types of work, despite the respondents claim that this is a real profession, its contents reflect a speech replete with nonsense, value, meaning, marginality, inferiority and stigma imposed by society historically. The contribution of the study, in this first look, is to point out the needs of sex workers under their vision, from a look that was born from below, showing that strategic measures in public policy and the articulation of NGOs must be born in this same direction, giving a voice to sex workers and educate them of their work and their rights. The research also proposes the inclusion of vocational learning centers close to brothels for prostitution becomes a lifestyle choice, not fate of women who sell their bodies for survival.CAPE

How the mere desire for certainty can lead to a preference for men in authority (particularly among political liberals)

AbstractWomen are harmed by stereotypes about their fit for positions of authority and changing these stereotypes is not a simple task. As stereotypes have strong epistemic properties, individuals with a high need for cognitive closure (NCC; i.e., the desire for epistemic certainty) can be more likely to accept these stereotypes and, consequently, to prefer men in positions of authority. Consistent with the reactive liberal hypothesis, this effect could be actually more visible among individuals with both a high NCC and left‐wing political orientations. We supported these hypotheses in a series of three studies. In Study 1 (N = 217), we found that manipulated NCC predicted preference for men in authority through stereotypes of women as not being fit for authority in a measurement‐of‐mediation design. In Study 2 (N = 151), we supported this effect in a mediation‐as‐process design. In Study 3 (N = 391), we found the indirect NCC effect on preference for men in authority was more visible among political liberals. A major implication of this work is that ways of changing the effect of these stereotypes should take into account the NCC, but particularly among individuals with left‐wing beliefs