Problemas, transformación y tensión: política educativa, segregación religiosa y formación inicial del profesorado en Irlanda del Norte

It is now over 20 years since the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and the ending of conflict or the ‘troubles’, as the conflict is referred to in Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, as a postconflict society Northern Ireland remains deeply divided in social, cultural and religious terms. This division is reflected, if not sustained, by the continued segregated nature of the structures and institutions of education, including those related to initial teacher education. This article adopts a critical policy analysis, drawing on primary source survey data, to understand, explore and reflect on the nature and existence of these divisions. Further, in reflecting on the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement as a consociational settlement, the article considers the inherent tension of a peace process built on the very religious ethno-national divisions, including those pertaining to education, it is ultimately seeking to integrate. The article concludes that any desired systemic change and inculcation of values associated with the building of harmony, tolerance and mutual respect, as reflected for example in student teacher competences, is discursively emasculated by policy and practice still largely based on religious ethno-national division and segregation.Hace más de 20 años desde la firma del Acuerdo de Belfast (Good Friday) y el final del conflicto o los 'problemas', en Irlanda del Norte. Sin embargo, como una sociedad post-conflicto, Irlanda del Norte sigue profundamente dividida en términos sociales, culturales y religiosos. Esta división se refleja, si no se mantiene, en el carácter segregado de las estructuras e instituciones educativas, incluidas las relacionadas con la formación inicial de los docentes. Este artículo adopta un análisis crítico de políticas, basado en datos de encuestas de fuentes primarias, para comprender, explorar y reflexionar sobre la naturaleza y existencia de estas divisiones. Además, al reflexionar sobre el Acuerdo de Belfast (Good Friday) como un acuerdo consociacional, el artículo considera la tensión inherente a un proceso de paz basado en las divisiones étnico-nacionales muy religiosas, incluidas las relativas a la educación, que en última instancia está tratando de integrar. El artículo concluye que cualquier cambio sistémico deseado y la inculcación de valores asociados con la construcción de la armonía, la tolerancia y el respeto mutuo, como se refleja, por ejemplo, en las competencias de los estudiantes de pedagogía, se ve castrado discursivamente por las políticas y las prácticas que todavía se basan en gran medida en la división y la segregación étnico-nacional religiosa

The marginalisation of racism : a study of a local education authority project on multicultural education

The study originated from an independent evaluation of a Local Education Authority (LEA) project on multicultural education undertaken by a team of four teachers in two schools; a predominantly white, co-educational rural grammar school and a multi-racial, co-educational urban secondary modern. The thesis examines some key aspects of the conceptualisation, establishment, management and operationalisation of the project. The concepts of multicultural and antiracist education and the related research literature on their initiation in schools are considered. The procedures for the recruitment and selection of the project team are also examined along with the selection of the project schools, their organisation and ethos. The study focuses on the work of the team and their attempt to facilitate and initiate change at departmental and whole-school levels. The difficulty of the team's task and the complexity of racism are highlighted through a senior teacher's life history which examines his perspectives on 'race' and education. The research findings question the adoption of low-key multicultural approaches suggesting that they might marginalise the ability to address the issue of racism in schools and thus be counter-productive. Variables are also identified, in particular the occupational culture of teachers, which might have restricted the team's access to departments, the facilitation of collaborative teaching strategies and the implementation of whole-school policy. It is suggested that a team approach needs to be planned, executed and continually re-evaluated according to clear goals and shared objectives. It is also suggested that it might be advantageous for a team to possess subject-specific expertise and an ability to relate it to racism in the departmental curriculum. Moreover, throughout the process of change the issue of racism needs to remain explicit and, whenever possible, involve the black community in the decision-making process

School Leadership and Equity : an examination of policy response in Scotland

In this paper we adopt a critical perspective on the implementation of policy on school leadership and equity in Scotland, viewing policy as both an attempt to solve problems and an attempt to persuade social actors to subscribe to particular beliefs that delineate action. We begin by offering a definition of “policy response”, and then examine how policy “conversations” establish consensus around such things as school leadership and equity. We examine Scottish policy on school leadership and equity and consider what practices this policy does, and does not permit. In so doing, our examination of the implementation of policy on school leadership and equity in Scotland acknowledges that such policy is in part extemporized, and in part the attempt to make inevitable a “de-stated” account of governance. We conclude by contextualising our forthcoming empirical study of the Leadership Standards for Social Justice in Scotlan

A realistic meteorological assessment of perennial biofuel crop deployment: a Southern Great Plains perspective

Utility of perennial bioenergy crops (e.g., switchgrass and miscanthus) offers unique opportunities to transition toward a more sustainable energy pathway due to their reduced carbon footprint, averted competition with food crops, and ability to grow on abandoned and degraded farmlands. Studies that have examined biogeophysical impacts of these crops noted a positive feedback between near-surface cooling and enhanced evapotranspiration (ET), but also potential unintended consequences of soil moisture and groundwater depletion. To better understand hydrometeorological effects of perennial bioenergy crop expansion, this study conducted high-resolution (2-km grid spacing) simulations with a state-of-the-art atmospheric model (Weather Research and Forecasting system) dynamically coupled to a land surface model. We applied the modeling system over the Southern Plains of the United States during a normal precipitation year (2007) and a drought year (2011). By focusing the deployment of bioenergy cropping systems on marginal and abandoned farmland areas (to reduce the potential conflict with food systems), the research presented here is the first realistic examination of hydrometeorological impacts associated with perennial bioenergy crop expansion. Our results illustrate that the deployment of perennial bioenergy crops leads to widespread cooling (1–2 °C) that is largely driven by an enhanced reflection of shortwave radiation and, secondarily, due to an enhanced ET. Bioenergy crop deployment was shown to reduce the impacts of drought through simultaneous moistening and cooling of the near-surface environment. However, simulated impacts on near-surface cooling and ET were reduced during the drought relative to a normal precipitation year, revealing differential effects based on background environmental conditions. This study serves as a key step toward the assessment of hydroclimatic sustainability associated with perennial bioenergy crop expansion under diverse hydrometeorological conditions by highlighting the driving mechanisms and processes associated with this energy pathway.This work was funded by NSF Grant EAR-1204774S

High-throughput field phenotyping using hyperspectral reflectance and partial least squares regression (PLSR) reveals genetic modifications to photosynthetic capacity

Spectroscopy is becoming an increasingly powerful tool to alleviate the challenges of traditional measurements of key plant traits at the leaf, canopy, and ecosystem scales. Spectroscopic methods often rely on statistical approaches to reduce data redundancy and enhance useful prediction of physiological traits. Given the mechanistic uncertainty of spectroscopic techniques, genetic modification of plant biochemical pathways may affect reflectance spectra causing predictive models to lose power. The objectives of this research were to assess over two separate years, whether a predictive model can represent natural and imposed variation in leaf photosynthetic potential for different crop cultivars and genetically modified plants, to assess the interannual capabilities of a partial least square regression (PLSR) model, and to determine whether leaf N is a dominant driver of photosynthesis in PLSR models. In 2016, a PLSR analysis of reflectance spectra coupled with gas exchange data was used to build predictive models for photosynthetic parameters including maximum carboxylation rate of Rubisco (Vc,max), maximum electron transport rate (Jmax) and percentage leaf nitrogen ([N]). The model was developed for wild type and genetically modified plants that represent a wide range of photosynthetic capacities. Results show that hyperspectral reflectance accurately predicted Vc,max, Jmax and [N] for all plants measured in 2016. Applying these PLSR models to plants grown in 2017 resulted in a strong predictive ability relative to gas exchange measurements for Vc,max, but not for Jmax, and not for genotypes unique to 2017. Building a new model including data collected in 2017 resulted in more robust predictions, with R2 increases of 17% for Vc,max. and 13% Jmax. Plants generally have a positive correlation between leaf nitrogen and photosynthesis, however, tobacco with reduced Rubisco (SSuD) had significantly higher [N] despite much lower Vc,max. The PLSR model was able to accurately predict both lower Vc,max and higher leaf [N] for this genotype suggesting that the spectral based estimates of Vc,max and leaf nitrogen [N] are independent. These results suggest that the PLSR model can be applied across years, but only to genotypes used to build the model and that the actual mechanism measured with the PLSR technique is not directly related to leaf [N]. The success of the leaf-scale analysis suggests that similar approaches may be successful at the canopy and ecosystem scales but to use these methods across years and between genotypes at any scale, application of accurately populated physical based models based on radiative transfer principles may be required

Critical Arts-Based Research: A Performance of Provocation

The article from a critical race theory standpoint draws on data from life history interviews with undocumented Mexican-Americans, and live performance work with Mexican-American artists, to reflect on the methodological issues raised by qualitative research addressing the ways in which critical arts–based research affects research participants as artists, subjects, and audience. To date, arts-based research literature has tended to concentrate on theoretically framing a performance piece within a specific genre (and its acclaimed advantages) and subsequently describing in detail the nature of a performance, an approach which at times means the impact of a performance is accepted uncritically, if not taken for granted. Our intent in this article is to draw on postperformance interviews and correspondence with artists, subjects, and audience members to critically reflect on participant impact, an impact which in this article we are calling a performance of provocation.</jats:p