Diversity, choice and the quasi-market: An empirical analysis of secondary education policy in England

This paper investigates the extent to which exam performance at the end of compulsory education has been affected by three major education reforms: the introduction of a quasimarket following the Education Reform Act (1988); the specialist schools initiative introduced in 1994; and the Excellence in Cities programme introduced in 1999. We use panel data for all state-funded secondary schools in England over 1992-2006. Using a panel of schools for all state-funded secondary schools in England (1992-2006), we find that about one-third of the improvement in school exam scores is directly attributable to the combined effect of the education reforms. The distributional consequences of the policy, however, are estimated to have been favourable, with the greatest gains being achieved by schools with the highest proportion of pupils from poor families.

Diversity, choice and the quasi-market: An empirical analysis of secondary education policy in England

This paper investigates the extent to which exam performance at the end of compulsory education has been affected by three major education reforms: the introduction of a quasi-market following the Education Reform Act (1988); the specialist schools initiative introduced in 1994; and the Excellence in Cities programme introduced in 1999. We use data for all state-funded secondary schools in England over the period 1992-2006. The empirical analysis, which is based on the application of panel data methods, indicates that the government and its agencies have substantially overestimated the benefits flowing from these three major reforms. Only about one-third of the improvement in GCSE exam scores during 1992-2006 is directly attributable to the combined effect of the education reforms. The distributional consequences of the policy, however, are estimated to have been favourable, with the greatest gains being achieved by schools with the highest proportion of pupils from poor families. But there is evidence that resources have not been allocated efficiently.

Funding, school specialisation and test scores:an evaluation of the specialist schools policy using matching models

We evaluate the effect on test scores of a UK education reform which has increased funding of schools and encouraged their specialisation in particular subject areas, enhancing pupil choice and competition between schools. Using several data sets, we apply cross-sectional and difference-in-differences matching models, to confront issues of the choice of an appropriate control group and different forms of selection bias. We demonstrate a statistically significant causal effect of the specialist schools policy on test score outcomes. The duration of specialisation matters, and we consistently find that the longer a school has been specialist the larger is the impact on test scores. We finally disentangle the funding effect from a specialisation effect, and the latter occurs yielding relatively large improvements in test scores in particular subjects

Relative pay and job satisfaction: some new evidence

This paper investigates the determinants of job satisfaction using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study. The determinants of interest include actual pay, relative pay, hours of work, job autonomy and several personal characteristics. We also investigate the determinants of satisfaction with pay conditional on a worker's satisfaction with other domains of job satisfaction, such as satisfaction with job security. We find that relative pay is statistically significant but that its effect on satisfaction with pay is relatively small. Job autonomy has a powerful influence on satisfaction with pay. So too does being black.JOB SATISFACTION WAGES AUTONOMY SECURITY

Funding, school specialisation and test scores

We evaluate the effect on test scores of a UK education reform which has increased <br/>funding of schools and encouraged their specialisation in particular subject areas, enhancing pupil choice and competition between schools. Using several data sets, we apply cross-sectional and difference-in-differences matching models, to confront issues of the choice of an appropriate control group and different forms of selection bias. We demonstrate a statistically significant causal effect of the specialist schools policy on test score outcomes. The duration of specialisation matters, and we consistently find that the longer a school has been specialist the larger is the impact on test scores. We finally disentangle the funding effect from a specialisation effect, and the latter occurs yielding relatively large improvements in test scores in particular subjects.

Human Beings and the Moral Law: Moral Precariousness in Kant\u27s Ethical Philosophy

ABSTRACT HUMAN BEINGS AND THE MORAL LAW: MORAL PRECARIOUSNESS IN KANT\u27S ETHICAL PHILOSOPHY Bradley M. Taylor Dr. Paul Guyer This dissertation is an examination of human moral precariousness in Kant\u27s ethics. Human beings are in a state of moral precariousness insofar as they are ever-capable of transgressing the moral law and are often uncertain of the moral worth of their actions. Put another way, in this dissertation I argue that the basic relationship between human beings and the moral law, in Kant\u27s moral philosophy, is, most fundamentally, one of tenuousness and vacillation. This relation is the fundamental characteristic of the human moral condition because such a relation is built into Kant\u27s account of human moral agency. We have a tenuous relation to the moral law because we always have at least the possibility of conflict between our desire for happiness (i.e. the satisfaction of our inclinations) and the requirements of the moral law. We also may have a vacillating relation to the moral law insofar as we usually find ourselves acting in accordance with the moral law (that is, we often find ourselves committing lawful actions), while also (for many, if not all, human beings) finding ourselves occasionally deviating from the requirements of the moral law (this is a consequence of Kant\u27s doctrine of radical evil). In my dissertation, I argue that this moral precariousness manifests itself as a set of ongoing, perpetual moral crises. That is, there are several crucial points in Kant\u27s moral thinking that provide the occasion for a crisis. In each of these crucial points, Kant\u27s account of human beings as dual-natured (both natural and rational) generate a struggle (or at least the representation of a struggle) that has a variety of moral consequences. This dissertation approaches this moral precariousness through analyses of several key features of Kant\u27s moral philosophy: his concept of humanity, the dignity of human beings, the moral feeling of respect, and experience of sublimity, and Kant\u27s theory of radical evil. Through an examination of each of these topics, I argue that Kant\u27s account of the moral condition of human beings is one of perpetual open-endedness, uncertainty about one\u27s moral worth, and, above all, (at least) potential crisis

Relative pay and job satisfaction: some new evidence

This paper investigates the determinants of job satisfaction using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study. The determinants of interest include actual pay, relative pay, hours of work, job autonomy and several personal characteristics. We also investigate the determinants of satisfaction with pay conditional on a worker's satisfaction with other domains of job satisfaction, such as satisfaction with job security. We find that relative pay is statistically significant but that its effect on satisfaction with pay is relatively small. Job autonomy has a powerful influence on satisfaction with pay. So too does being black.

Development and Characterization of Eukaryotic Biomimetic Liposomes

This study developed and characterized phospholipid vesicles, or liposomes, that mimic cell surfaces. Microemulsified liposomes contained biotinylated phosphatidylethanolamine, allowing them to be immobilized to avidin-coated glass. Laminin (LN), glycosphingolipids (GMl and GM3), and Escherichia coli\u27s mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (EcoMscL) were embedded into liposome membranes. It was determined whether these embedded molecules exhibited their physiological roles of adhesion, cell recognition, and mechanosensation, respectively. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was employed to examine the interaction of fluorescently probed proteins, toxins, and bacteria with the immobilized microemulsified liposomes. Capture of individual and simultaneous multiple species of bacteria by GMl, GM3, or LN liposomes was quantified using ELISA and PCR. Surface-bound liposomes were unilamellar and immovable, allowing removal of unincorporated probes and biomolecules. Liposomes remained intact and stable against leakage of encapsulated sulforhodamine B for several months after immobilization. Functional reconstitution of EcoMscL was examined using CLSM during modulations in the immursing solution. Cholera toxin(Β subunit) (CTB), bovine lactoferrin (BLF), and E. coli O157:H7 were co-localized proximate to the surface of GMl liposomes. ELISAs determined E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enteritidis were captured on GMl liposomes containing GMI at 8.9 molar percent of total lipid. Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua were not captured on the same liposomes. PCR identified the capture of specific bacterial species from individual species and mixtures of several species on liposomes. Simultaneous assays with mixtures of multiple species showed that the receptor-associated binding of bacteria, described with PCR assays of an individual species, were independent of competitive microorganisms. L. monocytogenes and L. innocua were more frequently bound to LN liposomes than other liposomes, indicating LN promotes adhesion of both the pathogenic and a nonpathogenic strain of Listeria. E. coli O157:H7 was more frequently captured on GMI liposomes than other liposomes, indicating a specificity for this bacteria. S. enteritidis bound to all liposomes, indicating a non-specific interaction. Known eukaryotic biomolecules implicated in cell recognition, adhesion, and mechanosensation were embedded in a system of artificial bilayers immobilized on a solid support. Liposomes constitute a biomimetic capable of specifically interacting and capturing proteins, toxins, and bacteria in solution

House Industries: A Type of Learning

Exhibition review of House Industries: A Type of Learning, Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Dearborn, Michigan, United States, 27.05.2017 - 04.09.201

Exploring the Effects of an Asynchronous Professional Development with the SAMR Integration Model on High School Teachers’ Technology Integration in the Classroom: An Action Research Study

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the effects of an asynchronous PD on teacher technology integration in the classroom as measured by the SAMR integration model. Teacher professional development is one of the most significant factors in student technology use in the classroom (Hall & Martin, 2008; Murthy, Iyer, & Warriem, 2015). Within a school day there are a number of requirements on teachers in addition to teaching their classes, such as attending parent conferences, department meetings, state mandated training, and many other initiatives that supersede teacher technology training (Garthwait & Weller, 2005). When provided with an online model, allowing teachers to work at their leisure has been shown in some cases to increase the amount of professional development teachers willingly take (Paskevicius & Bortolin, 2015; Russell, Carey, Kleiman, & Venable, 2009). This study focused on three questions. The first question sought to explore the ways asynchronous teacher PD on the SAMR model impact the planning process. The second question explored how and in what ways asynchronous teacher professional development on the SAMR model impact teachers’ classroom technology integration. The third sought to determine teachers’ perceptions about the effectiveness of asynchronous teacher professional development. This study incorporated an online professional development module on classroom technology integration to provide high school teachers with specific technology-related resources, tools, and ideas to use in the classroom. The number of participants is five classroom teachers. Data collection consisted of a pre-survey, gauging teacher’s current vi levels of technology integration in the classroom, observations, a mirrored post-survey and individual interviews with selected participants. Data were analyzed through a mixed-methods approach using descriptive statistics for the quantitative measures and literal transcription and inductive analysis for qualitative measures (Mertler, 2017). Results of this six-week study suggest a positive correlation between asynchronous teacher professional development and the thoughtful inclusion of technology when planning, increased levels of teacher technology use in the classroom, as well as a favorable outlook on asynchronous professional development in general. Research highlighted the need for collaboration between participants when participating asynchronously