Behavior and Implementation of the Leader In Me Program

This school improvement project explores behaviors exhibited in classrooms and how the Leader In Me program can assist in getting students to take the lead. Behavior is prevalent in schools, and it is an important topic to discuss. Leader In Me is defined and the program is explained. This school improvement project will explore the problem, educator roles, educator support, social and emotional programs, Leader In Me program, and Leader In Me implementation. The Leader In Me program is defined and explored. The program is imperative to student success in the classroom. An analysis of the Leader In Me program suggests that students take the lead and show leadership in themselves. Results of the program indicate that the Leader In Me program has a positive effect on teachers and students throughout the school building

High School Students as Mentors: Findings From the Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study Executive Summary

Recently, high schools have become a popular source of mentors for school-based mentoring (SBM) programs. This executive summary outlines key findings and recommendations from our High School Students as Mentors report, which drew on data from our large-scale random assignment impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters SBM (Herrera, et al. 2007). Our research indicated that, on average, high school students were much less effective than adults at yielding impacts for the youth they mentor, but it also identified several program practices that were linked with longer, stronger and more effective high school mentor relationships

Comparison of PREDICTS atherosclerosis biomarker changes after initiation of new treatments in patients with SLE

Objective Patients with SLE have an increased risk ofatherosclerosis (ATH) that is not adequately explainedby traditional risk factors. We previously described thePredictors of Risk for Elevated Flares, Damage Progression,and Increased Cardiovascular disease in PaTients withSLE (PREDICTS) atherosclerosis-risk panel, which includesproinflammatory HDL (piHDL), leptin, soluble tumournecrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (sTWEAK)and homocysteine, as well as age and diabetes. A highPREDICTS score confers 28-fold increased odds forfuture atherosclerosis in SLE. The aim of this study is todetermine whether PREDICTS biomarkers are modifiable bycommon lupus therapies.Methods This prospective observational study includedSLE subjects started on new lupus treatments. Leptin,sTWEAK, homocysteine and antioxidant function of HDLwere measured at baseline (prior to drug initiation), 6weeks and 12 weeks.Results 16 subjects started mycophenolate (MMF), 18azathioprine (AZA) and 25 hydroxychloroquine (HCQ).In MMF-treated subjects, HDL function progressivelyimproved from 2.23 ± 1.32 at baseline to 1.37±0.81at 6 weeks (p=0.02) and 0.93±0.54 at 12 weeks(p=0.009). sTWEAK levels also improved in MMF-treatedsubjects from 477.5±447.1 to 290.3±204.6 pg/mLafter 12 weeks (p=0.04), but leptin and homocysteinelevels were not significantly changed. In HCQ-treatedsubjects, only HDL function improved from 1.80±1.29 atbaseline to 1.03±0.74 after 12 weeks (p=0.05). Therewere no changes in the AZA group. MMF treatmentwas still associated with significant improvements inHDL function after accounting for potential confounderssuch as total prednisone dose and changes in diseaseactivity. Overall, the mean number of high-risk PREDICTSbiomarkers at week 12 significantly decreased in theentire group of patients started on a new lupus therapy(2.1±0.9 to 1.8±0.9, p=0.02) and in the MMF-treatedgroup (2.4±0.8 vs 1.8±0.9, p=0.003), but not in theAZA or HCQ groups. In multivariate analysis, the odds ofhaving a high PREDICTS atherosclerosis risk score at 12weeks were lower with MMF treatment (OR 0.002, 95%CI 0.000 to 0.55, p=0.03).Conclusions 12 weeks of MMF therapy improves theoverall PREDICTS atherosclerosis biomarker profile.Further studies will determine whether biomarkerchanges reflect decreases in future cardiovascularevents

Making a Difference in Schools: The Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study

School-based mentoring is one of the fastest growing forms of mentoring in the US today; yet, few studies have rigorously examined its impacts. This landmark random assignment impact study of Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring is the first national study of this program model. It involves 10 agencies, 71 schools and 1,139 9- to 16-year-old youth randomly assigned to either a treatment group of program participants or a control group of their non-mentored peers. Surveys were administered to all participating youth, their teachers and mentors in the fall of 2004, spring of 2005 and late fall of 2005.The report describes the programs and their participants and answers several key questions, including: Does school-based mentoring work? What kinds of mentoring experiences help to ensure benefits? How much do these programs cost? Our findings highlight both the strengths of this program model and its current limitations and suggest several recommendations for refining this promising model-recommendations that Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country are already working to implement

Modulation of the ComA-Dependent Quorum Response in \u3ci\u3eBacillus subtilis\u3c/i\u3e by Multiple Rap Proteins and Phr Peptides

In Bacillus subtilis, extracellular peptide signaling regulates several biological processes. Secreted Phr signaling peptides are imported into the cell and act intracellularly to antagonize the activity of regulators known as Rap proteins. B. subtilis encodes several Rap proteins and Phr peptides, and the processes regulated by many of these Rap proteins and Phr peptides are unknown. We used DNA microarrays to characterize the roles that several rap-phr signaling modules play in regulating gene expression. We found that rapK-phrK regulates the expression of a number of genes activated by the response regulator ComA. ComA activates expression of genes involved in competence development and the production of several secreted products. Two Phr peptides, PhrC and PhrF, were previously known to stimulate the activity of ComA. We assayed the roles that PhrC, PhrF, and PhrK play in regulating gene expression and found that these three peptides stimulate ComA-dependent gene expression to different levels and are all required for full expression of genes activated by ComA. The involvement of multiple Rap proteins and Phr peptides allows multiple physiological cues to be integrated into a regulatory network that modulates the timing and magnitude of the ComA response

Practices and Approaches of Out-of-School Time Programs Serving Immigrant and Refugee Youth

Opportunity to participate in an out-of-school time program may be a meaningful support mechanism towards school success and healthy development for immigrant and refugee children. This study extends existing research on best practices by examining the on-the-ground experiences of supporting immigrant and refugee youth in out-of-school time programs. Findings from semi-structured interviews with program directors in 17 Massachusetts and New Hampshire programs suggest a number of program strategies that were responsive to the needs of immigrant and refugee students, including support for the use of native language as well as English, knowing about and celebrating the heritage of the students’ homeland, including on staff or in leadership individuals with shared immigrant background, and giving consideration to the academic priorities of parents. The development of such intentional approaches to working with immigrant and refugee youth during the out-of-school time hours will encourage enrollment of, and enhance effectiveness with, this vulnerable population