Classworks as a Means to Gaining Equity in the General Education Math Classroom: Perceptions of Students Receiving Special Education Services

With the importance of math steadily increasing, researchers in the field of special education have made efforts to increase the performance of students with disabilities (Fuchs et al., 2008; Gersten, Jordan, & Flojo, 2005). Despite the deficits these students face, the trend has been for many years that most students with disabilities in math receive their instruction in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions that students receiving special education services have regarding the effectiveness of Classworks, a computer-assisted instructional program, in helping them gain equity in the general education math classroom. Critical Disability Theory (CDT) provided the theoretical framework for the study. One of the elements important to CDT is giving voice to persons with disabilities. Traditionally, the voices of persons with disabilities have been suppressed and marginalized when the person speaks out against the mainstream views of disability. CDT allows the voices of persons with disabilities to be heard and valued. Critical Pedagogy was a second theoretical framework for this study. Critical Pedagogy seeks to end the oppression and marginalization of specific groups of students. The researcher explored students; perspectives of Classworks through individual interviews and group observations. This study found that students viewed Classworks as an effective method of improving computational math skills. Students appreciated the immediate feedback and self-paced environment that Classworks provided and reported that these features gave them more confidence in their math skills. Students also reported, however, that these features were not available to them in the general education classroom, causing them to fall behind their peers. Classworks also does not provide advanced problem-solving lessons to prepare students for the rigorous problems that the math curriculum requires them to solve. From this study, it can be concluded that Classworks provides many elements that can lead to greater access to the general education mathematics curriculum. However, while Classworks’ focus on computational skills supports students’ learning of basic mathematical knowledge, there was little evidence to support students’ ability to generalize those skills to similar problems encountered in the general education curricula

Classworks as a Means to Gaining Equity in the General Education Classroom: Perceptions of Students Receiving Special Education Services

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions that students receiving special education services have regarding the effectiveness of Classworks in helping them gain equity in the general education math classroom. Critial Disability Theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. Data collection methods included individual interviews and group observations. Results indicated that Classworks provides a framework that increases access to the general education curriculum through improving computational skills. Classworks does not, however, prepare students for the rigorous, real-world problems experienced in the classroom

Family Portrait

Its a rare experience to have lived formative years on a commune and to be the daughter of its leaders. In the late 1960s my parents were at the centre of a Toronto-based communitarian movement of baby boomers. During a period of social and political re-imagining they engaged in a leftist Christian philosophy, being of service to others and sharing resources. In 1971 they co-purchased Midian Farm as a back-to-the-land social experiment, but its utopian vision eventually collapsed. The end of my parents marriage and the fall of the farm left a resounding residue, a hangover from hope. A canvas for seeking, of memory; piercing through time with new energy, FAMILY PORTRAIT is a process-driven personal essay documentary. I stitch together a visually immersive treasure trove of archives and dip between memory and current day reflections to memorialize a shared piece of history

Mind the gap: Science and engineering education at the secondary–tertiary interface

In the South African higher education sector, there is increasing concern about the poor retention and throughput rates of undergraduate students. There is also concern that the participation rates in higher education, relative to population demographics, remain extremely racially skewed. With the quality of schooling unlikely to change dramatically in the short term, universities need to look for ways to improve student success, particularly in science and engineering, where graduates are needed for a range of key roles in society. Here we review the research presented at a forum held by the Academy of Science of South Africa in 2010, which sought to bring together the latest expert thinking in this area. The major focus of academic development to date has been the establishment of extended degree programmes. However, it is clear that this model has limited capacity to deal with what is, in fact, a much broader problem. We summarise existing interventions aimed at reducing the ‘gap’ between secondary and tertiary education, and describe key innovations in mainstream programmes that are possible at the levels of pedagogy, curriculum and institutional environment, some of which are also becoming established internationally in science and engineering. Driving such initiatives will demand visionary university leadership in order to effect the integrated and holistic change that is needed.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Mind the gap: science and engineering education at the secondary-tertiary interface

In the South African higher education sector, there is increasing concern about the poor retention and throughput rates of undergraduate students. There is also concern that the participation rates in higher education, relative to population demographics, remain extremely racially skewed. With the quality of schooling unlikely to change dramatically in the short term, universities need to look for ways to improve student success, particularly in science and engineering, where graduates are needed for a range of key roles in society. Here we review the research presented at a forum held by the Academy of Science of South Africa in 2010, which sought to bring together the latest expert thinking in this area. The major focus of academic development to date has been the establishment of extended degree programmes. However, it is clear that this model has limited capacity to deal with what is, in fact, a much broader problem. We summarise existing interventions aimed at reducing the 'gap' between secondary and tertiary education, and describe key innovations in mainstream programmes that are possible at the levels of pedagogy, curriculum and institutional environment, some of which are also becoming established internationally in science and engineering. Driving such initiatives will demand visionary university leadership in order to effect the integrated and holistic change that is needed

A Targeted Study on the Match between Cybersecurity Higher Education Offerings and Workforce Needs

The Cybersecurity Workforce Gap is a call to action on a two-fold problem: the worldwide shortage of qualified cybersecurity workers and the need to develop a growing highly-knowledgeable, agile, well-trained cybersecurity workforce. This paper presents a methodological approach to achieve this goal in the Northern Virginia area. The area is characterized by an abundance of cyber-related industries, government agencies, and large businesses with high demand of skilled cybersecurity workers; at the same time, academic institutions offer cutting edge education and training access to highly capable students. Central to this methodology is the collaboration between local academia and industry and it includes: an examination of current literature to identify common practices in the development of cybersecurity talent; a Workforce Needs Survey answered by key local industry partners, followed by a thorough analysis of the results; and a review and analysis of the existing cybersecurity educational programs and experiential learning offered by Northern Virginia academic institutions. The outcome is to identify existing pathways to meet workforce needs as well as to reveal gaps in educational programs that need to be addressed. Finally, much needed recommendations for employers, academic institutions and students are presented

Increasing African American Advance Directives: Implementing the Five Wishes Education Protocol

The completion rate of advance directives by older African Americans remains low. This pilot study evaluated attitudes related to African Americans and advance directives and the effectiveness of the Five Wishes Education Protocol to increase completion rates. The researchers used a descriptive, cross-sectional pilot study and convenience sampling. Three group sessions were conducted over a 2-month period at three senior centers. Twenty-two older African Americans participated. The mean total score on the attitude survey indicated that participants were moderately positive towards advance directives. Following the intervention, the completion rate of the advance directive Five Wishes was 77.35% (n=17), and 54.5% (n=12) of the participants provided copies of the Five Wishes advance directives to their healthcare providers

Strategies to Generate Employee Engagement

When leaders use an ineffective communication strategy, it leads to decreased employee engagement, and thus increases the potential for lost productivity and profitability. The purpose of this case study was to explore effective communication strategies managers used to improve employee engagement and increase productivity as well as profitability. The motivating language theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. A semistructured interview technique was used to interview 3 purposefully selected managers in the northeastern region of the United States about the successful strategies they generated to improve employee engagement. Two themes emerged from data analysis: creating a culture that generates employee engagement, and effective internal communication to improve employee engagement. The findings of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing business leaders strategies for improving employee engagement. Engaged employees may offer their time and skills to serve the community through volunteer service and events to solve social issues associated with the environment, education, health, and community enhancement

A Framework for Establishing Restoration Goals for Contaminated Ecosystems

This article represents 1 of 6 articles in the special series “Restoration of Impaired Ecosystems: An Ounce of Prevention or a Pound of Cure?” The articles result from a Technical Workshop organized by SETAC and the Society for Ecological Restoration, held June 2014 in Jackson, Wyoming, that focused on advancing the practice of restoring ecosystems that have been contaminated or impaired from industrial activities.As natural resources become increasingly limited, the value of restoring contaminated sites, both terrestrial and aquatic, becomes increasingly apparent. Traditionally, goals for remediation have been set before any consideration of goals for ecological restoration. The goals for remediation have focused on removing or limiting contamination whereas restoration goals have targeted the ultimate end use. Here, we present a framework for developing a comprehensive set of achievable goals for ecological restoration of contaminated sites to be used in concert with determining goals for remediation. This framework was developed during a Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and Society of Ecological Restoration (SER) cosponsored workshop that brought together experts from multiple countries. Although most members were from North America, this framework is designed for use internationally. We discuss the integration of establishing goals for both contaminant remediation and overall restoration, and the need to include both the restoration of ecological and socio-cultural-economic value in the context of contaminated sites. Although recognizing that in some countries there may be regulatory issues associated with contaminants and clean up, landscape setting and social drivers can inform the restoration goals. We provide a decision tree support tool to guide the establishment of restoration goals for contaminated ecosystems. The overall intent of this decision tree is to provide a framework for goal setting and to identify outcomes achievable given the contamination present at a site. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2016;12:264–272. 2015 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC