Inclusive Education in Practice: District-Level Special Education Administrators\u27 Leadership

Considering six million children ages six through 21 receive special education services in the United States (Department of Education, 2017), it is critical to examine the leadership it takes to provide equitable education to students with disabilities. This study employs a qualitative research methodology utilizing in-depth interviewing to understand the leadership experiences of seven district-level special education administrators who are committed to enacting inclusive educational practices using the following three paradigms or ideological approaches: phenomenological perspective, social construction perspective, and transformative inquiry. The following research questions guide this dissertation: 1) How do district-level special education leaders articulate their conceptualization of and commitment to inclusive education? 2) What strategies of advocacy are evident in the ways that district-level special education leaders make sense of their enactment of inclusive educational opportunities and service delivery for students with disabilities? 3) What actions and decisions have district-level special education leaders implemented in order to remain committed to their district’s enactment of inclusive education? A philosophical approach of inclusive education and theoretical frameworks of social justice leadership and disability studies in education provide the analysis lens in which to understand participants’ resistive actions and leadership practices. The data were analyzed using NVIVO, a digital research software, followed by hand-coding, analytic memos, and member checks. Data demonstrated that participants’ drive for inclusive educational practices stemmed from family experiences or a poignant career event. Another finding was participants’ work in the field of inclusive education was an intentional social justice action to prepare students with and without disabilities to engage in the larger inclusive society. In addition, themes emerged in the data that demonstrate advocacy strategies linked to: 1) personal leadership disposition; 2) advocacy for students with disabilities; 3) capacity building; and 4) actions. Finally, themes demonstrated that leaders worked toward improvement through: 1) an emphasis on the growth process; 2) connectedness with community; and, 3) compliance with legal regulations. I conclude by discussing social justice leadership, advocacy tactics, and district practices that participants have implemented and describe implications for administrator preparation, teacher preparation, and state and federal policy. I propose a theory of inclusive education leadership that illuminates the process for creating systems change at the district level that involves praxis and critical reflection. It is my hope that participants’ subtle resistive tactics, incremental changes, and methods to set innovative district norms provide an exemplar for leaders who feel called and have an opportunity to enact inclusive educational services with a vision of constructing public school districts that seek to educate and include all learners

Detect Misconceptions, Construct Competence-Aligned Pedagogical Practices, and Use Instructional Strategies that Decenter Speech as a Means to Include Autistic Students

In this practice-based article, we use data and research to establish the need to examine inclusive-oriented pedagogical strategies to support autistic individuals. We believe that educators who use critical reflection can detect many of the common misconceptions about autism, learn how to re-frame these understandings, and consider different ways to support these students within inclusive classrooms. This article provides innovative pedagogical approaches for competence-aligned instruction, cultivating a web of communication access, bolstering social interaction, and supporting changes in the environment and with sensory experiences. We also describe ways to de-center speech to create a classroom that values dynamic engagement, divergent ways of thinking, and shifting the hierarchical expectation toward thinking and honoring multiple methods of expression. The purpose of the article is to re-frame common misconceptions and provide pedagogical strategies that center autistic individuals within inclusive classrooms

Air Sac Nematode \u3ci\u3eMonopetalonema alcedinis\u3c/i\u3e in a Belted Kingfisher (\u3ci\u3eMegaceryle alcyon\u3c/i\u3e) in Maryland, USA

Sporadic and geographically widespread reports of parasites affecting the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) have been published but few have described details of the pathology. A female, adult kingfisher was found dead in a heavily wooded area of a zoo in Maryland, USA. At necropsy, numerous sexually dimorphic, 4.4–40.5-cm adult Monopetalonema alcedinis nematodes were found tightly wound within the coelomic cavity between organs and completely filling the caudal thoracic and abdominal air sacs. Abundant, 30–60-mm diameter, larvated, thick-walled ova were found in the bronchi and parabronchi, within the mesentery, and in the serosa of multiple coelomic organs. Monopetalonema alcedinis is a characteristic member of the superfamily Diplotriaenoidea, a group of nematodes occurring in birds and reptiles. Infective larvae within an invertebrate intermediate host are ingested and penetrate the intestine, traveling to the lungs and then into the air sacs, where the adult females release eggs. The ova are coughed up by the avian host and passed in feces. Specimens of M. alcedinis have been found in the Belted Kingfisher, although typically intensity of infection is low and infections remain asymptomatic. In contrast, we report the second documented case of high numbers of M. alcedinis resulting in pathologic changes in which parasitism contributed to host mortality

Towards improved psychological outcomes for survivors of burn injuries

Editoria

Evaluating the impact of feed location on the bubbling fluidized bed gasification of biomass

For fluidized bed gasifiers of biomass the selection of feeding location has been identified as a significant factor in determining gasifier performance, including carbon conversion, gas efficiency, and tar concentration in the producer gas. Over-bed feeding is a simpler arrangement where the biomass feed falls onto the surface of the fluidized bed from above. This can cause elutriation of fines without ever making contact with the bed, limiting carbon conversion or increasing tar loading in the gas. On the other hand, in-bed feeding inserts the biomass feedstock beneath the surface of the bed meaning that all the biomass particles, regardless of size, must contact the fluidized bed. In-bed feeding systems are generally more complex since the feed system must seal against the hydrostatic pressure of the bed and there may be issues with heat conduction or hot sand erosion of feed system components. This work reviews published experimental comparisons between over-bed and in-bed feeding locations, including analysis of impact of the different feeding strategies on mixing and fluidized bed hydrodynamics. The findings from the review are compared against experimental results from a pilot scale (200-250 kg/h biomass feed rate) gasification of two woody feedstocks each from an in-bed and an over-bed feed position. At similar equivalence ratios, the bed temperature was decreased with in-bed feeding relative to the over bed feeding. Although in-bed feeding appeared to have improved carbon conversion to gas, the tar concentration in the producer gas was not decreased with in-bed feeding relative to over-bed feeding

Multibody aircraft study, volume 2

The potential benefits of a multibody aircraft when compared to a single body aircraft are presented. The analyses consist principally of a detailed point design analysis of three multibody and one single body aircraft, based on a selected payload of 350,000 kg (771,618 lb), for final aircraft definitions; sensitivity studies to evaluate the effects of variations in payload, wing semispan body locations, and fuel price; recommendations as to the research and technology requirements needed to validate the multibody concept. Two, two body, one, three body, and one single body aircraft were finalized for the selected payload, with DOC being the prime figure of merit. When compared to the single body, the multibody aircraft showed a reduction in DOC by as much as 11.3 percent. Operating weight was reduced up to 14 percent, and fly away cost reductions ranged from 8.6 to 13.4 percent. Weight reduction, hence cost, of the multibody aircraft resulted primarily from the wing bending relief afforded by the bodies being located outboard on the wing

Linkage among melanin biosynthetic mutations in Cochliobolus heterostrophus

Melanin is synthesized by C. heterostrophus from acetate via pentaketide and several dihydroxynaphthalene intermediates (Tanaka et al. 1991 Mycol. Res. 95:49-56), as it is for certain other fungi (Bell and Wheeler 1986 Ann. Rev. Phytopathol. 24:411-451; Kubo et al. 1989 Exp. Mycol 13:77-84; Chumley and Valent 1990 Mol. Plant-Microbe Int. 3:135-143). Previously, five melanin deficient mutants of C. heterostrophus were analyzed by Tanaka et al. (Mycol. Res. 95:49-56), who were unable to establish complete linkage relationships because three of the mutations (alb1, alb3, and brn1) showed no recombination when crossed to each other, and were unlinked to the other two (sal1 and pgr1), which mapped about 12 cM apart. A sixth color mutation, scr1, represented a third linkage group, but there was no evidence of its involvement in melanin biosynthesis. Independently, we have recovered six melanin-deficient mutants, one of which (alb1, Leach et al. 1982 J. Gen. Microbiol. 128:1719-1729) was included in the study of Tanaka et al. and maps to chromosome 1 on the C. heterostrophus RFLP map (Tzeng et al. 1992 Genetics 130:81-96). We report here that our remaining five melanin-deficient mutants [crm1 (light cream), crm2 (dark cream), brn1 (brown), rsy1 (rose), and probably gra3 (gray)] are linked to, but are not allelic with, alb1 (white) and constitute a gene cluster on chromosome

Unanticipated transient sciatic nerve deficits from intra-wound liposomal bupivacaine injection during total hip arthroplasty

AbstractLiposomal bupivacaine (Exparel®) is a novel formulation of local anesthetic used to provide extended postoperative analgesia as part of a multimodal pain control regimen in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty. In the three total hip arthroplasty cases described, all patients exhibited a transient loss of neurologic function in the sciatic nerve distribution of the operated extremity lasting between 24 and 72 h during the immediate postoperative period. Due to the nature and duration of the deficits, it was concluded that they likely occurred as a result of unintended injection of the medication in close proximity to the sciatic nerve. To the best of our knowledge, these events have yet to be reported in the current literature. We recommend orthopaedic surgeons pay special attention during infiltration of the medication at the surgical site to avoid postoperative neurological deficits

Tree Resin Flow Dynamics during an Experimentally Induced Attack by Ips avulsus, I. calligraphus, and I. grandicollis

The success of tree colonization by bark beetles depends on their ability to overcome host tree defenses, including resin exudation and toxic chemicals, which deter bark beetle colonization. Resin defenses during insect outbreaks are challenging to study in situ, as outbreaks are stochastic events that progress quickly and thus preclude the establishment of baseline observations of non-infested controls. We use synthetic aggregation pheromones to demonstrate that confined Ips bark beetle herbivory can be successfully initiated to provide opportunities for studying interactions between bark beetles and their hosts, including the dynamics of constitutive and induced resin exudation. In Pinus taeda L. plantations between 12 and 19 years old in North and South Carolina, U.S., trees were affixed with pheromone lures, monitored for evidence of bark beetle attacks, and resin samples were collected throughout the growing season. Baiting increased beetle herbivory to an extent sufficient to produce an induced resin response. Attacked trees exuded about three times more resin at some time than control trees. This supports previous work that demonstrated that information on constitutive resin dynamics alone provides an incomplete view of a host tree's resistance to bark beetle attack.Peer reviewe

The Dynamics of Viral Marketing

We present an analysis of a person-to-person recommendation network, consisting of 4 million people who made 16 million recommendations on half a million products. We observe the propagation of recommendations and the cascade sizes, which we explain by a simple stochastic model. We analyze how user behavior varies within user communities defined by a recommendation network. Product purchases follow a 'long tail' where a significant share of purchases belongs to rarely sold items. We establish how the recommendation network grows over time and how effective it is from the viewpoint of the sender and receiver of the recommendations. While on average recommendations are not very effective at inducing purchases and do not spread very far, we present a model that successfully identifies communities, product and pricing categories for which viral marketing seems to be very effective