Defining Strong State Accountability Systems: How Can Better Standards Gain Greater Traction?

This report is a pilot study intended to inform a larger analysis of the accountability systems in every state (and the District of Columbia) during the  early years of Common Core implementation. We ask that the reader treat it as  such and provide us with feedback on the accountability principles contained  herein. We plan to apply these principles, once revised, to all fifty state  accountability systems in order to appraise their quality. Our first national report  is slated for early 2013, with follow?up studies two and four years later. Tracking  systems in this manner will prove beneficial because many states will be in "flux"  over the next several years as they refine and adapt their systems based on the  demands of the Common Core and on the plans and promises outlined in their  recently approved waivers (and/or those provisions detailed by ESEA  reauthorization legislation—assuming Congress one day gets its act together).Fordham is also conducting three other studies pertinent to CCSS implementation.  The first is an analysis of Common Core implementation costs; the second, an in? depth study of district?level implementation of CCSS; and the third, a nationally  representative survey of English language arts teachers that assesses the rigor of  their reading assignments both before and after implementation of CCSS (summer  2012 and spring 2015)

Mentoring for Flourishing in Ministry

The authors section titles gives an overview of what she has written about. "My Stories of Mentoring", "Learning at the Heart of Mentoring",  "Definitions of Flourishing", "Women's Leadership Initiative MDiv Program", and "Key Practices of Mentoring for Flourishing"

Eileen R. Campbell-Reed, Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life

Reviewed by Marcus Hon

The Learning Pastoral Imagination Project: A Ten-Year Overview

How Pastoral Imagination is learned. How is it taught. A ten year study

The Unfolding of Pastoral Imagination

Over the last decade “pastoral imagination” has served as a provocative center for discussions about what makes for faithful and wise pastoral leadership. This essay is organized around two stories of ministry: a student in clinical pastoral training and a senior pastor of a large congregation. Their stories instantiate and characterize the use of pastoral imagination as prudenceunfolding over the long arc of learning the practice of ministry. The stories are case studies drawn from the Learning Pastoral Imagination (LPI) Project, a national study of learning ministry seeking to understand instances of pastoral imagination, articulate how it is learned, and say why it matters for the complex context of ministry in the twenty-first century

Excellence in Supervision: Practical Wisdom from Supervisors/Mentors

This essay summarizes and critiques the types of training and support provided to site supervisors, as summarized by a survey of AFTE members

Finding common ground: identifying and eilciting metacognition in ePortfolios

Research has suggested ePortfolios reveal and support students’ metacognition, that is, their awareness, tracking, and evaluation of their learning over time. However, due to the wide variety of purposes and audiences for ePortfolios, it has been unclear whether there might be common criteria for identifying and assessing metacognition in ePortfolios across varied contexts. The purpose of this study was to identify evidence of metacognition across ePortfolios of three distinct populations of students: traditional-age undergraduates, graduate Education students, and adults returning to school to complete a bachelor’s degree. We set out to explore if and how ePortfolios could support these different learners’ growth as reflective, intentional learners and professionals. Through a qualitative coding process, we identified four key metacognition markers across students’ ePortfolios in these three populations. We conclude students can be guided to engage in metacognition in ways through thoughtful assignment design and assessment process, no matter their context

The signature of fine scale local adaptation in Atlantic salmon revealed from common garden experiments in nature

Understanding the extent, scale and genetic basis of local adaptation (LA) is important for conservation and management. Its relevance in salmonids at microgeographic scales, where dispersal (and hence potential gene flow) can be substantial, has however been questioned. Here, we compare the fitness of communally reared offspring of local and foreign Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from adjacent Irish rivers and reciprocal F-1 hybrid crosses between them, in the wild home\u27 environment of the local population. Experimental groups did not differ in wild smolt output but a catastrophic flood event may have limited our ability to detect freshwater performance differences, which were evident in a previous study. Foreign parr exhibited higher, and hybrids intermediate, emigration rates from the natal stream relative to local parr, consistent with genetically based behavioural differences. Adult return rates were lower for the foreign compared to the local group. Overall lifetime success of foreigners and hybrids relative to locals was estimated at 31% and 40% (mean of both hybrid groups), respectively. The results imply a genetic basis to fitness differences among populations separated by only 50km, driven largely by variation in smolt to adult return rates. Hence even if supplementary stocking programs obtain broodstock from neighbouring rivers, the risk of extrinsic outbreeding depression may be high