Preparing School Leaders for Special Education: Old Criticisms and New Directions

In the context of accountability and high-stakes testing, professors of educational administration in Texas and across the nation are under tremendous pressure to develop innovative principal preparation programs that produce effective school leaders, especially as research methodologies emerge to disaggregate the effects of such programs. One area few programs adequately address, including more innovative programs, is special education - despite the fact that principals struggle with accountability for all students, but particularly those principals in schools and districts with limited resources and limited professional development opportunitie~ (Bays & Crocket, 2007; Wakeman, Browder, Flowers, & Ahlgrim-Delzell, 2006). Principals have long reported that their preparation programs did not prepare them with the legal and instructional knowledge in the area of special education (DiPaola & Walther-Thomas, 2003; Hirth & Valesky, 1990)

As tendências históricas nos processos de descentralização educacional nos Estados Unidos e em países em desenvolvimento no contexto pós-Segunda Guerra Mundial

In the present work, we fill a gap in the writing on the decentralization of educational governance by periodizing and comparing trends that have fallen under this label in both the United States and developing countries in the post-WWII period (1945-present). The findings are informed by a review of 127 decentralization-related studies from seven leading, peer-reviewed journals in comparative and international education, in addition to the Journal of Education Policy, Journal of Educational Administration, and Harvard Education Review. We combine this review with works that address larger political and economic shifts and, in so doing, are able to delineate two pushes for decentralization in the United States. In developing countries, the term decentralization has emerged during three distinct periods. Beyond characterizing the nature of decentralization in general terms over time, we also compare key features of these trends and the forces that brought them about. One key finding is that the application of community-level decentralization in developing countries has not been as widespread as global rhetoric during the 1990s and 2000s would imply. A second key finding is that there has been a relatively recent shift away from decentralization towards other forms of accountability-based reforms in both the United States and developing countries.Este trabajo, completa una brecha en la literatura sobre la descentralización de la gestión educativa con la periodización y la comparación de los procesos descentralizadores tanto en Estados Unidos como en los países en desarrollo en el período posterior a la Segunda Guerra Mundial (1945-presente). Los resultados provienen de una revisión de 127 estudios sobre descentralización publicados en siete de las principales revistas en educación comparada e internacional, además de Journal of Education Policy, Journal of Educational Administration, and Harvard Education Review. Combinamos esta revisión con análisis de trabajos que abordan grandes cambios políticos y económicos para delinear dos dinámicas que impulsaron la descentralización. Un hallazgo clave es que la aplicación de la descentralización al nivel de las comunidades locales en los países en desarrollo no ha sido tan generalizada como la retórica mundial durante los años 1990 y 2000 implicaría. Un segundo hallazgo clave es que ha habido un cambio relativamente reciente que abandona los modelos de descentralización hacia otras formas de reformas basadas en la rendición de cuentas, tanto en los Estados Unidos y los países en desarrollo.Este trabalho completa uma lacuna na literatura sobre a descentralização da gestão da educação, com a periodização e comparação das tendencias  descentralizadores, tanto nos Estados Unidos como em os países em desenvolvimento no período após a II Guerra Mundial (1945-presente). Os resultados vêm de uma revisão de 127 estudos sobre  descentralização publicados em sete dos principais periódicos em educação comparada e internacional, e Journal of Education Policy, Journal of Educational Administration, e Harvard Education Review. Nós combinamos esta revisão com análise de obras que abordam as principais mudanças políticas e econômicas para delinear duas dinâmicas que levaram à descentralização. A principal conclusão é que a implementação da descentralização ao nível das comunidades locais nos países em desenvolvimento não tem sido tão difundido como retórica global durante o 1990 e 2000 média. A segunda constatação importante é que tem havido uma relativamente recentes modelos de mudança deixando a outras formas de reformas de descentralização com base na prestação de contas, tanto em os EUA e os países em desenvolvimento

Essential Reading on Education Reform Dynamics. A Book Review of \u3cem\u3ePhilanthropy, Hidden Strategy, and Collective Resistance\u3cem\u3e

This review looks at what sets Philanthrophy, Hidden Strategy, and Collective Resistance (2019) apart from the rest of the available literature surrounding the politics involved in behind the scenes policy-making decisions. The book is broken down into easily digestible chapters that focus on a variety of topics from a quick primer on neoliberalism to the hidden hand of philanthropy and the way it shapes education. Of special note is the focus on praxis, with concrete examples on how the reader can fight to bring democracy to education whether they are a student, professor, teacher, or parent

Characterizing the Hydrology of Shallow Floodplain Lakes in the Slave River Delta, NWT, Canada, Using Water Isotope Tracers

The relative importance of major hydrological processes on thaw season 2003 lakewater balances in the Slave River Delta, NWT, Canada, is characterized using water isotope tracers and total suspended sediment (TSS) analyses. A suite of 41 lakes from three previously recognized biogeographical zones—outer delta, mid-delta, and apex—were sampled immediately following the spring melt, during summer, and in the fall of 2003. Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions were evaluated in the context of an isotopic framework calculated from 2003 hydroclimatic data. Our analysis reveals that flooding from the Slave River and Great Slave Lake dominated early spring lakewater balances in outer and most mid-delta lakes, as also indicated by elevated TSS concentrations (\u3e0.01 g L-1). In contrast, the input of snowmelt was strongest on all apex and some mid-delta lakes. After the spring melt, all delta lakes underwent heavy-isotope enrichment due to evaporation, although lakes flooded by the Slave River and Great Slave Lake during the spring freshet continued to be more depleted isotopically than those dominated by snowmelt input. The isotopic signatures of lakes with direct connections to the Slave River or Great Slave Lake varied throughout the season in response to the nature of the connection. Our findings provide the basis for identifying three groups of lakes based on the major factors that control their water balances: (1) flood-dominated (n=10), (2) evaporation-dominated (n=25), and (3) exchange-dominated (n=6) lakes. Differentiation of the hydrological processes that influence Slave River Delta lakewater balances is essential for ongoing hydroecological and paleohydrological studies, and ultimately, for teasing apart the relative influences of variations in local climate and Slave River hydrology

Influence over time: Community-driven development and the changing nature of the World Bank’s impact in Indonesia

Much literature has focused on the influence of the World Bank (or simply ‘the Bank’) with regard to policy reform in low-income countries. While this literature has been produced over the course of many decades, the underlying studies have not tended themselves to take a multi-decade approach to examining the way that World Bank influence changes in a given country. Put differently, studies tend to examine specific periods of time rather than looking at influence over time. In response, the present paper seeks to contribute to scholarship on World Bank influence by doing just that—that is, by looking at a twenty-year period of World Bank engagement in Indonesia. In reference to this time horizon, the purpose is (a) to map the nature and influence of the World Bank as it engaged with the government of Indonesia (GOI) around education and development policy, (b) to reflect on how and why that engagement changed over time, and (c) to consider the implications of the study in relation to the broader literature on the evolution and current status of World Bank influence. As will become shown, the focus of the World Bank’s engagement—and thus the focus of this article—has been in the area of governance, where it has pushed and experimented with decentralization, community-driven development, and school based management. While the article focuses on education policy, reforms in this area have been impacted by governance reforms more broadly, in ways discussed

Os colégios em concessão em Bogotá: os limites da eficiência econômica dos programas chárter

In the context of global educational agenda, public-private alliances (particularly charter schools) are reforms with a growing academic prestige and political popularity. Supposedly, and according to their promoters, these reforms are considered to be a cost-efficient solution. There are two aspects of charter schools that have received less academic interest: the management of the teaching staff and the acquisition of resources. The purpose of this paper is to fill this gap through the case study of the “Concession School” (cec) charter program, active in Bogotá since 1999. cecs are particularly relevant, since Colombia is one of the Latin American countries that have experimented most energetically with app; moreover, cecs have received a great academic, political, and media attention, particularly from international organizations; as such, cecs have become a paradigmatic model of the charter program. The results of this paper allow us to identify the economic strategies of cecs in Bogotá, which include the systematic worsening of the teachers’ working conditions, and new strategies for acquisition of additional resources, both findings problematize the supposed comparative advantage and cost-efficiency, both of the cecs in Bogota as well as the charter program in general.En el marco de agenda educativa global, las alianzas-público-privadas (como especialmente las escuelas chárter) son reformas con creciente prestigio académico y popularidad política. Supuestamente, y según sus promotores, estas reformas son consideradas una solución costo-eficiente. Existen dos aspectos de las escuelas chárter que han recibido poco interés académico: la gestión del profesorado y la adquisición de recursos. El objetivo de este artículo es subsanar este vacío a través del estudio de caso del programa chárter Colegios en Concesión (cec, activo en Bogotá desde 1999). Los cec son particularmente relevantes, ya que Colombia es uno de los países latinoamericanos que ha experimentado más enérgicamente con las app; además, los cec han recibido una gran atención académica, política, y mediática, muy especialmente de los organismos internacionales; así pues, los cec se han convertido en un modelo paradigmático del programa chárter. Los resultados de este artículo permiten identificar las estrategias económicas de los cec bogotanos, que incluyen el empeoramiento sistemático de las condiciones laborales del profesorado, y nuevas estrategias de adquisición de recursos adicionales; ambos hallazgos problematizan la supuesta ventaja comparativa y costo-eficiencia, tanto de los cec bogotanos como también del programa chárter en general.No marco da agenda educacional global, as alianças público-particulares (como, especialmente, as escolas charter) são reformas com crescente prestígio acadêmico e popularidade política. Aparentemente, segundo seus promotores, estas reformas oferecem uma solução custo-eficiente. Existem dois aspectos das escolas charter que tem recebido pouco interesse acadêmico: a gestão do professorado e a aquisição de recursos. O objetivo deste artigo é remediar esse vazio através do estudo de caso do programa charter Colégios em Concessão (cec, ativo em Bogotá desde 1999). Os cec são relevantes, pois a Colômbia é um dos países latino-americanos que tem experimentado mais energicamente com as app; além disso, os cec receberam muita atenção acadêmica, política e midiática, especialmente dos organismos internacionais. Assim, os cec viraram um modelo paradigmático do programa charter. As descobertas deste artigo permitem identificar as estratégias econômicas dos cec bogotanos, que incluem a deterioração sistemática das condições de trabalho do professorado e novas estratégias de aquisição de recursos adicionais. As duas descobertas problematizam a suposta vantagem comparativa e custo-eficiência, tanto dos cec bogotanos quanto do programa charter em geral

From Isotopes to TK Interviews: Towards Interdisciplinary Research in Fort Resolution and the Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories

Evolving research in Fort Resolution and the Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories, aims to improve understanding of how the natural ecosystem functions and responds to various environmental stressors, as well as to enhance the stewardship of natural resources and the capacity of local residents to respond to change. We seek to integrate approaches that span the natural and social sciences and traditional knowledge understandings of change, employing a research design developed in response to the concerns of a northern community. In doing so, we have strived for a research process that is collaborative, interdisciplinary, policy-oriented, and reflective of northern priorities. These elements characterize the new northern research paradigm increasingly promoted by various federal funding agencies, northern partners, and communities. They represent a holistic perspective in the pursuit of solutions to address complex environmental and socioeconomic concerns about impacts of climate change and resource development on northern societies. However, efforts to fulfill the objectives of this research paradigm are associated with a host of on-the-ground challenges. These challenges include (but are not restricted to) developing effective community partnerships and collaboration and documenting change through interdisciplinary approaches. Here we provide an overview of the components that comprise our interdisciplinary research program and offer an accounting of our formative experiences in confronting these challenges

Systems Analysis Implicates WAVE2 Complex in the Pathogenesis of Developmental Left-Sided Obstructive Heart Defects.

Genetic variants are the primary driver of congenital heart disease (CHD) pathogenesis. However, our ability to identify causative variants is limited. To identify causal CHD genes that are associated with specific molecular functions, the study used prior knowledge to filter de novo variants from 2,881 probands with sporadic severe CHD. This approach enabled the authors to identify an association between left ventricular outflow tract obstruction lesions and genes associated with the WAVE2 complex and regulation of small GTPase-mediated signal transduction. Using CRISPR zebrafish knockdowns, the study confirmed that WAVE2 complex proteins brk1, nckap1, and wasf2 and the regulators of small GTPase signaling cul3a and racgap1 are critical to cardiac development

On the sign of the real part of the Riemann zeta-function

We consider the distribution of $\arg\zeta(\sigma+it)$ on fixed lines $\sigma > \frac12$, and in particular the density $$d(\sigma) = \lim_{T \rightarrow +\infty} \frac{1}{2T} |\{t \in [-T,+T]: |\arg\zeta(\sigma+it)| > \pi/2\}|\,,$$ and the closely related density $$d_{-}(\sigma) = \lim_{T \rightarrow +\infty} \frac{1}{2T} |\{t \in [-T,+T]: \Re\zeta(\sigma+it) < 0\}|\,.$$ Using classical results of Bohr and Jessen, we obtain an explicit expression for the characteristic function $\psi_\sigma(x)$ associated with $\arg\zeta(\sigma+it)$. We give explicit expressions for $d(\sigma)$ and $d_{-}(\sigma)$ in terms of $\psi_\sigma(x)$. Finally, we give a practical algorithm for evaluating these expressions to obtain accurate numerical values of $d(\sigma)$ and $d_{-}(\sigma)$.Comment: 22 pages, 3 tables. To appear in Proceedings of the International Number Theory Conference in Memory of Alf van der Poorten (Newcastle, Australia, 2011