Preparation of classroom manuals for a course in office practice and machines.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

An analysis of English textbooks on fifth grade level on oral reporting

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1949. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Perceptions of Georgia Elementary School Principals in Relation to Education Reform and the A+ Education Reform Act of 2000

During the study, the researcher investigated the role perceptions of Georgia elementary school principals after the implementation of A+ Education Reform Act of 2000. Principals are being held accountable for making significant changes with in their schools. The reform movement may make the principal\u27s job more demanding since new responsibilities have been added and few or none have been taken away. Demands that are now being placed on principals are such that few people are willing to step up and take on those responsibilities. Principals, as building administrators, have firsthand knowledge of the positive and negative impacts A+ Education Reform Act of 2000 has had on the effectiveness of the school and should be given the opportunity to express this information in the midst of education reform. A descriptive research study was developed to gather data from Georgia elementary principals across the state. From those surveyed, 187 responded to the survey. The researcher addressed role perceptions on both general and specific components of the A+ Education Reform Act of 2000. The researcher gathered both qualitative and quantitative data. The results from this study clearly showed that principals have a strong understanding of A+ Education Reform Act of 2000 as it pertains to their roles as building administrators as well as possession of skills needed to handle conflict with different stakeholders. Of the eleven components studied, three components reported to be very valuable, with four more components proved to be valuable. Four components were reported to be of little or no value. The researcher\u27s findings strengthened data previously gathered in a recent study to impact policy makers and educators for planning, implementing and changing present and future educational reform

State of the States 2010: The Role of Policy in Clean Energy Market Transformation

This report builds on the emerging body of literature seeking to identify quantitative connections between clean energy policy and renewable energy. The methods presented test the relationships between a broad set of policies and clean energy resources (energy efficiency, biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind). Energy efficiency findings are an initial foray into this type of analysis and indicate significant connections between reduced energy use and buildings codes, energy efficiency resource standards (in some cases), and electricity price. Renewable energy findings specify that there is most often a relationship between state policies and solar and wind development, indicating that while policies might apply to a wide variety of renewable resources, further tailoring of policy specifics to resource needs may lead to increased development of a wider variety of renewable energy resources. Further research is needed to refine the connections between clean energy development and policy, especially in the area of the impact of the length of time that a policy has been in place

The impact of mindfulness training on reflective thinking and attitudes towards patients in dementia care

Background: The current pilot study investigated the impact of an eight-week mindfulness intervention on reflective practice and attitudes to dementia among NHS staff using a mixed methods approach. A growing body of research evidence suggests that mindfulness training is an effective stress management intervention for health professionals (Irving et al., 2009)and may impact beneficially on direct client outcomes (Singh et al.,2006). Other commentators hypothesise that mindfulness intervention could promote reflective modes of clinical thinking (e.g. Epstein 1999; 2003, Connelly 2005). This pilot study aimed to assess the effect of mindfulness training on measures of reflection and person centred attitudes to care among healthcare workers with a high degree of clinical contact with people with dementia.Method: Following the granting of ethics permission from the local NFIS trust, staff participants were recruited via posters, email, team presentations and mindfulness ‘taster’ workshops. Three consecutive eight week intervention groups were facilitated by the investigator at 3 hospital sites where 25 participants attended initial sessions. A total of 18 participants completed the intervention and outcome data was collected using a mixed methods approach. Focus group data was analysed according to a thematic analysis based on the constructivist version of grounded theory (Charmaz 1995). Main outcome measures were the Groningham Reflective Abilities Scale (GRAS) (Aukes et al., 2007) and Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire (ADQ) (Lintem, 2000), which were collected in week one, week eight and at one month’s follow-up after the intervention. Background measures of the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) (Baer et al., 2004) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were also collected to see whether these variables influenced performance.Results: The overriding theme that emerged from grounded theory analysis was that mindfulness practice stimulated an awareness of and some reflection on personal experience which varied between individuals in its relevance to personal and work related situations. Six super ordinate themes were identified: experiencingmindfulness practice, wellbeing benefits, developing awareness, thinking aboutdementia, thinking about the course and applying mindfulness at work. Sub-themes included reflections about the ‘moment by moment’ qualities of dementia care giving and grounding oneself during difficult situations.Non-parametric quantitative analyses revealed a significant within group effect of mindfulness training on total ADQ score and the sub domain of hope related attitudes to dementia. Post hoc testing indicated significant differences between the start of intervention and 1 month’s follow-up for both scores with an additional effect between one week and eight weeks for the KIMS. Contrary to prior findings burnout scores did not change post-intervention and neither did the ADQ person centred rating scale, as was originally predicted.DiscussionThese findings suggest that mindfulness training may be relevant to fostering staff well being and promoting adaptive attitudes towards the care of people with dementia. Some participants fed back that the intervention had not met their needs and it may be relevant to consider adaptations specific to this professional group. These findings are discussed in relation to current conceptualisations of mindfulness training and its potential role within reflective practice and dementia specific care contexts. Results indicate that mindfulness based approaches may be relevant to this clinical setting though the intervention could require further adaptation or careful targeting

Letter from Doris Elizabeth Forest, Publisher for Foreign Affairs Magazine, to Geraldine Ferraro

Congratulatory letter from Doris Elizabeth Forest, publisher for Foreign Affairs Magazine, to Geraldine Ferraro.https://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/vice_presidential_campaign_correspondence_1984_new_york/1232/thumbnail.jp

Policy Overview and Options for Maximizing the Role of Policy in Geothermal Electricity Development

Geothermal electricity production1 capacity has grown over time because of multiple factors, including its renewable, baseload, and domestic attributes; volatile and high prices for competing technologies; and policy intervention. Overarching federal policies, namely the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA),2 provided certainty to project investors in the 1980s, leading to a boom in geothermal development. In addition to market expansion through PURPA, research and development policies provided an investment of public dollars toward developing technologies and reducing costs over time to increase the market competitiveness of geothermal electricity. Together, these efforts are cited as the primary policy drivers for the currently installed capacity (Fleischmann 2007)

A descriptive and comparative study of the school adjustment counsellor program in the commonwealth of Massachusetts and in the communities of Waltham, Malden, Brookline, and Northborough

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Two Buildings and Two Towns: Comparison of Abandoned and Repurposed Plants

At the height of apparel manufacturing in the United States in the 1970s, approximately 24,500 establishments were operating within the country (U.S. Bureau of Census, 1987). With massive closings since the 70s, current counts enumerate slightly more than 7,000 U.S. plants in operation. A noticeable number of closings also ensued in textile mills and textile product plants (Borneman, 2011). Two decades later, a similar pattern occurred in U.S. furniture manufacturing (Furniture, 2007). As these establishments tended to be clustered in the U.S. southeast in the 20th century, the burden of abandoned plant buildings looms large in many southeastern states