Provision for students with learning difficulties in general colleges of further education - have we been going round in circles?

This is a PDF version of an article published in British journal of special education© 2006. The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.This article discusses the current situation for students with severe learning difficulties in general colleges of further education. Findings are presented from a critical review of the literature and a small-scale preliminary investigation which set out to explore the idea that, despite radical changes to the special school sector and to the structure and organisation of further education, provision in colleges of further education for these students is poorly focused. Students with severe learning difficulties experience provision that is, at best, circuitous and repetitive and that, at worst, leads individuals back into dependence, unemployment and social segregation. Using the outcomes of interviews and the scrutiny of inspection reports, a searching critique of current practice and an interesting set of recommendations for ways in which the situation could be radically reviewed and improved is provided

Identifying and Using CGIAR's Comparative Advantage

Comparative Advantage (CA) is one of the most powerful theoretical insights in economics. It provides a useful framework for identifying areas where CGIAR's efforts are most crucial to achieving its mission - to deliver science and innovation that advance the transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. 'One CGIAR' transition facilitates and promotes the use of portfolio approaches to research and innovation. In that context, ISDC aims to put the concept of CA to effective use in research portfolio management at all levels of the System. Applying a CA analysis can produce a more streamlined, purposive, and intentional research portfolio. It is designed to harness the various competencies of CGIAR entities, and other organizations with which the system interacts, to make the 'sum of its parts' as large as possible. This Technical Note first introduces the CA concept, its aims and benefits, and illustrates how gain from specialization occurs. Then, it reflects on possible sources of CA, and how broad categories (i.e., incentives, human capital, biophysical capital (such as labs, genetic material, and equipment), and social capital) can help identifying outputs in which CGIAR is likely to have CA. The four key steps of a CA analysis are then described, and retrospectively applied to specific deliverables from the Livestock Genetics Flagship of the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock. The final section summarizes these insights

Transformation through Inclusive Innovation: Literature Review and Commentary

With this Technical Note, the Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC) seeks to stimulate novel, thoughtful action by CGIAR leaders and researchers that embeds inclusive practices and behaviors in agri-food systems research. Based on a literature review and expert consultations, ISDC finds that concepts and practices of inclusive innovation are emergent and recommends that CGIAR pursue an inclusivity transition in a learning-while-doing mode. Readers are encouraged to: (1) Consider the Reflection Towards Action at the end of Sections 5-8 and find opportunities to discuss within your team, group, or committee. (2) Use the lens of inclusion to vet new and existing mechanisms supplying evidence to decision processes, such as proposal review, monitoring plans, process and performance evaluation, and others. (3) Draw on the ideas presented in this Note for formulation, reconfiguration, or implementation of frameworks that put CGIAR's 2030 strategy into effect (e.g., partner engagement; portfolio performance management; capacity strengthening)

Application of the Quality of Research for Development Framework to Initiative Reviews: Lessons Learned

To improve future ISDC external review of CGIAR proposals, ISDC conducted an ex-post analysis of the Initiative review process through a reviewer survey, CGIAR stakeholder consultations, examination of QoR4D reviewer scoring divergence, and Initiative Design Team (IDT) responses to ISDC reviews. The Lessons Learned report details the analysis' recommendations grouped by: (1) QoR4D and its application to Initiatives, (2) insights for the design of the Initiative proposal template, and (3) areas for deeper consideration by IDTs and senior leadership in developing future proposals

The availability of land for perennial energy crops in Great Britain

This paper defines the potentially available land for perennial energy crops across Great Britain as the first component of a broader appraisal undertaken by the ‘Spatial Modelling of Bioenergy in Great Britain to 2050’ project. Combining data on seven primary constraints in a GIS reduced the available area to just over 9 M ha (40% of GB). Adding other restrictions based on land cover naturalness scores to represent landscape considerations resulted in a final area of 8.5 M ha (37% of GB). This distribution was compared with the locations of Miscanthus and SRC willow established under the English Energy Crop Scheme during 2001–2011 and it was found that 83% of the planting fell within the defined available land. Such a correspondence provides confidence that the factors considered in the analysis were broadly consistent with previous planting decisions