State Leaders in Providing Common Core-Aligned Instructional Materials

The Education Trust (Ed Trust) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote academic achievement for all students at all levels nationwide. One of Ed Trust’s six main advocacy agenda items is support for college- and career-ready education standards in all states. As part of its commitment, Ed Trust supports state adoption of the Common Core State Standards (Common Core) to raise the bar for student achievement across the nation. Policy Questions (1) Which states can The Education Trust identify as leaders in providing instructional materials to support teachers in the transition to the Common Core State Standards? (2) What characteristics of the leader states’ efforts in providing Common Core-aligned instructional materials can promising states use as they develop Common Core-aligned curricula? Identifying Leader States Of the 45 states which have adopted the Common Core, only some of them have developed Common Core-aligned instructional materials for teachers at the state level. Among these participating states, the threshold criterion for a “leader” state in this study is development of Common Core-aligned instructional materials and making the materials available to teachers in their states. To determine which states have made the most progress in providing instructional materials for teachers, this project examines: the range of Common Core-aligned instructional materials provided in each state, the accessibility of materials, and differentiation of the materials for such special student populations as English Language Learners. The leader states are divided into three groups: Leader of the Pack states: New York and Tennessee Full Steam Ahead states: Colorado, Illinois, Maryland and Massachusetts Strong Start states: Delaware, Georgia and Kentucky Promising States Forty-five states have adopted the Common Core, and states are able to learn from one another during implementation. The leader states have learned valuable lessons which provide possible policies, strategies, and initiatives that “promising” states can use to support their teachers in the transition to the Common Core A promising state is a state with the beginning resources and political will to develop Common Core-aligned instruction materials for their teachers. Promising states have indicated interest in developing Common Core resources by planning for Common Core implementation in applications for Race to the Top grants or No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers. Promising States include: Louisiana North Carolina Pennsylvania New Jersey Ohio Rhode Island Recommendations for Promising States I recommend that promising states pursue the following strategies: (1) Partner with curriculum creators. Most state departments of education do not have the capacity, expertise, or time to create a comprehensive set of instructional materials by the 2014-2015 school year when teachers and students will be held accountable for their performance on the Common Core. In the past, most districts have purchased curriculum materials from independent companies specializing in curriculum creation. States can modify this practice by partnering with curriculum companies or non-profit education organizations to develop Common Core-aligned instructional materials. (2) Utilize additional sources of funding. Limited financial resources is a significant barrier for states working to create Common Core-aligned instructional materials. Fortunately, education is an area of emphasis for foundations looking to fund projects. States can access funds through such entities as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which prioritize Common Core implementation. (3) Establish “working groups” of state education experts to create instructional materials. Within every state, a group of experienced and knowledgeable educators can work together to develop instructional materials aligned to the Common Core. States can create working groups of teachers and administrators who can combine their knowledge of the Common Core, the needs of their students, and their instructional expertise. (4) Create resource-sharing spaces for educators to share Common Core-aligned instructional materials. A benefit of the Common Core is that teachers are able to share resources across schools, districts, and states, because they are teaching the same skills and concepts. States can encourage the practice of sharing Common Core-aligned materials by creating online spaces for teachers to post and search for ready-to-use instructional resources. (5) Build resources in stages. Almost every state included in this report developed their pool of Common Core-aligned instructional materials over time and built on previously created resources. States can purposefully plan the creation of instructional materials by phasing in resources and building upon previously created materials. (6) Encourage teachers to use resources from other states and organizations. Some states have not developed their own set of Common Core-aligned instructional materials for teachers because they lack the resources or are traditionally local-control states. States can take advantage of the common nature of the Common Core by utilizing quality standards-aligned materials created by other states or organizations

Application of aerospace-generated technology to water pollution and other public sector problems Quarterly report, 1 Dec. 1968 - 28 Feb. 1969

Aerospace-generated technology considered for solving 22 specific problems in water pollutio

Density-functional-theory-based local quasicontinuum method: Prediction of dislocation nucleation

We introduce the density functional theory (DFT) local quasicontinuum method: a first principles multiscale material model that embeds DFT unit cells at the subgrid level of a finite element computation. The method can predict the onset of dislocation nucleation in both single crystals and those with inclusions, although extension to lattice defects awaits new methods. We show that the use of DFT versus embedded-atom method empirical potentials results in different predictions of dislocation nucleation in nanoindented face-centered-cubic aluminum

The roles of tissue nitrate reductase activity and myoglobin in securing nitric oxide availability in deeply hypoxic crucian carp

In mammals, treatment with low doses of nitrite have cytoprotective effects in ischemia/reperfusion events, due to nitric oxide formation and S-nitrosation of proteins. Interestingly, anoxia-tolerant lower vertebrates possess an intrinsic ability to increase intracellular [nitrite] during anoxia in tissues with high myoglobin and mitochondria contents, such as the heart. Here we test the hypothesis that red and white skeletal muscle develops different nitrite levels in crucian carp exposed to deep hypoxia and whether this correlates with myoglobin concentration. We also tested if liver, muscle, and heart tissue possess nitrate reductase activity that supply nitrite to the tissues during severe hypoxia. Crucian carp exposed to deep hypoxia (1&amp;lt;Po2&amp;lt;3mmHg) for one day increased nitrite in red musculature to more than double the value in normoxic fish, while nitrite was unchanged in white musculature. There was a highly significant positive correlation between tissue concentrations of nitrite and nitros(yl)ated compounds. Myoglobin levels were 7 times higher in red than white musculature, but there was no clear correlation between [nitrite] and [Mb]. Finally, we found a low but significant nitrate reductase activity in liver and white muscle, but not in cardiomyocytes. Nitrate reduction was inhibited by allopurinol, showing that it was partly catalyzed by xanthine oxidoreductase.</jats:p

A Constrained Sequential-Lamination Algorithm for the Simulation of Sub-Grid Microstructure in Martensitic Materials

We present a practical algorithm for partially relaxing multiwell energy densities such as pertain to materials undergoing martensitic phase transitions. The algorithm is based on sequential lamination, but the evolution of the microstructure during a deformation process is required to satisfy a continuity constraint, in the sense that the new microstructure should be reachable from the preceding one by a combination of branching and pruning operations. All microstructures generated by the algorithm are in static and configurational equilibrium. Owing to the continuity constrained imposed upon the microstructural evolution, the predicted material behavior may be path-dependent and exhibit hysteresis. In cases in which there is a strict separation of micro and macrostructural lengthscales, the proposed relaxation algorithm may effectively be integrated into macroscopic finite-element calculations at the subgrid level. We demonstrate this aspect of the algorithm by means of a numerical example concerned with the indentation of an Cu-Al-Ni shape memory alloy by a spherical indenter.Comment: 27 pages with 9 figures. To appear in: Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering. New version incorporates minor revisions from revie

Characterization of a globin-coupled oxygen sensor with a gene-regulating function

Globin-coupled sensors (GCSs) are multiple-domain transducers, consisting of a regulatory globin-like heme-binding domain and a linked transducer domain(s). GCSs have been described in both Archaea and bacteria. They are generally assumed to bind O2 (and perhaps other gaseous ligands) and to transmit a conformational change signal through the transducer domain in response to fluctuating O2 levels. In this study, the heme-binding domain, AvGReg178, and the full protein, AvGReg of the Azotobacter vinelandii GCS, were cloned, expressed, and purified. After purification, the heme iron of AvGReg178 was found to bind O2. This form was stable over many hours. In contrast, the predominant presence of a bis-histidine coordinate heme in ferric AvGReg was revealed. Differences in the heme pocket structure were also observed for the deoxygenated ferrous state of these proteins. The spectra showed that the deoxygenated ferrous derivatives of AvGReg178 and AvGReg are characterized by a penta-coordinate and hexa-coordinate heme iron, respectively. O2 binding isotherms indicate that AvGReg178 and AvGReg show a high affinity for O2 with P50 values at 20 °C of 0.04 and 0.15 torr, respectively. Kinetics of CO binding indicate that AvGReg178 carbonylation conforms to a monophasic process, comparable with that of myoglobin, whereas AvGReg carbonylation conforms to a three-phasic reaction, as observed for several proteins with bis-histidine heme iron coordination. Besides sensing ligands, in vitro data suggest that AvGReg(178) may have a role in O2-mediated NO-detoxification, yielding metAvGReg(178) and nitrate. © 2007 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc

Recombinant interleukin-1β dilates steelhead trout coronary microvessels : effect of temperature and role of the endothelium, nitric oxide and prostaglandins

© 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd. Acknowledgements We thank Wenjuan Xu and Xin Xu (Hein Lab) for their excellent instruction in microvessel techniques, Dr David Heeley (Biochemistry Department, MUN) for assistance with selecting an appropriate (non-vasoactive) protein stabilizer, Dr Zou (SFIRC, Aberdeen) for advice with regards to the use of rIL-1β and Gordon Nash (Gamperl Lab) for his assistance with the rIL-1β purification protocol. Funding This research was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant [RGPIN249926] and Accelerator Supplement [RGPAS412325-2011] to A.K.G. a National Institutes of Health Grant [EY018420] to T.W.H., and a doctoral fellowship from Fundaçã o para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal [SFRH/BD/27497/2006] to I.A.S.F.C. Deposited in PMC for release after 12 months.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exploring pathways of NO and H₂S signaling in metabolic depression:The case of anoxic turtles

In contrast to most vertebrates, freshwater turtles of the genera Trachemys and Chrysemys survive total oxygen deprivation for long periods of time. This remarkable tolerance makes them ideal August Krogh's model animals to study adaptions to survive oxygen deprivation. The gasotransmitters nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and their metabolic derivatives are central in regulating the physiological responses to oxygen deprivation. Here, we explore the role of these signaling molecules in the anoxia tolerance of the freshwater turtle, including metabolic suppression and protection against oxidative damage with oxygen deprivation. We describe the interaction of NO and H2S with protein thiols and specifically how this regulates the function of central metabolic enzymes. These interactions contribute both to metabolic suppression and to prevent oxidative damage with oxygen deprivation. Furthermore, NO and H2S interact with ferrous and ferric heme iron, respectively, which affects the activity of central heme proteins. In turtles, these interactions contribute to regulate oxygen consumption in the mitochondria, as well as vascular tone and blood flow during oxygen deprivation. The versatile biological effects of NO and H2S underscore the importance of these volatile signaling molecules in the remarkable tolerance of freshwater turtles to oxygen deprivation.</p