RAT Requisition Approval Team - A L6S Initiative

L6S Project Description - Problem: The current cycle time for generating and approving Requisitions does not meet "Best-In-Class." . Scope: Only looking at the Florida Requisition Approval process for Orbiter (ORBF & ORBG) and Ground (GFAC) stocked items. This includes the time from when a requirement is generated by Logistics Planning and Supportability in Florida until it is approved and received by Procurement. Requisitions generated at other sites or for non stocked items will be out of scope of this Projec

“Wild Neat Cattle…”: Using Domesticated Livestock to Engineer Colonial Landscapes in Seventeenth-Century Maryland

The excavation of two 17th-century sites in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, provides an opportunity to explore the impacts of domesticated livestock on the surrounding landscape. Faunal assemblages are analyzed following Henry Miller’s (1984, 1988) foundational study of subsistence practices of early English colonists in the Tidewater region. Data sets from Sparrow’s Rest (18AN1436) and Shaw’s Folly (18AN339) are examined to determine the percentages of domestic livestock vs. wild game consumed by the families at each site as compared to the patterns identified on contemporaneous sites in Miller’s survey, as well as to elucidate potential environmental impacts from the free-ranging herds of cattle and swine. Analysis shows the Shaw and Sparrow families relied primarily on domesticated livestock, rather than exploiting indigenous mammal, bird, and fish species for the majority of their dietary needs. However, each family’s domesticated livestock reshaped the colonial landscape, causing far greater impacts than 17th-century subsistence and cultivation practices alone

Reclaiming student voice(s): Constituted through process, or embedded in practice?

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Taylor and Francis in Cambridge Journal of Education on 16/08/2019, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0305764X.2019.1652247 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Removal of the student numbers cap, reductions in funding, and an accompanying need to generate revenue, has driven education towards neo-capitalism and managerialism; students equate to income. An associated growth in performativity measures incorporates student voice as one of these benchmarking requirements. Aiming to explore and challenge assumptions about the role of student voice in post-compulsory education, this paper identified a missing viewpoint in the wider research; perceptions from those engaged in teacher education. This paper presents research undertaken with 24 participants (teacher educators, student teachers, and quality assurance managers) across 3 post-compulsory institutions in the UK. It explores perceptions about how student voice is espoused, enacted and experienced within the institutions, and whether this enables a democratic approach within education. The research considers questions raised about power, dialogue and engagement; and the impact of marketisation and consumerism on student-institutional relationships

Student Voice: Time for a conversation

Student Voice: “The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.” (Thoreau, 1863, p.1) The work of Henry Thoreau encourages us to reflect on the ways in which we conduct ourselves, and to consider our interactions and the concerns we have for our fellow beings. For Thoreau, to have someone truly listen to what he had to say was of enormous value; it was not simply ritual or extended politeness. So, when our learners are asked what they think, how well do we, and our institutions, attend to their answer(s)? There has been much in the way of policy and rhetoric, and at foundation level, an honest intent to have constructive dialogue with learners in order to “shape services” (Forrest et al., 2007; Walker and Logan, 2008). However, there remain concerns about the value and worth assigned to the outcomes of such discussion and the extent to which there are opportunities for meaningful involvement and engagement for students with their educational communities (Frost and Rogers, 2006; Rudduck and Fielding, 2006; Fielding, 2007; DeFur and Korinek, 2010; Mitra, Frick and Crawford, 2011; Robinson, 2014). Before reflecting on this further, it is useful to establish the literature and policy that has informed how student voice is positioned, and to consider what the implications – or possibilities – might be if we involved our learners in discussions regarding their interpretations of student voice, and the ways in which this might be developed (Hall, 2015, 2017)

The Effects of ACEs Score on Academic Achievement

The researchers conducted a qualitative study using the phenomenological approach to understand the way Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) influence a college student\u27s academic achievement. Data was collected through an online survey in which 77 students responded. Thereafter, researchers interviewed five college students who surveyed for an ACE score of four or higher. From the analysis, 6 themes related to ACE score and academic achievement were found: 1) Lack of Academic Motivation (Focus, Attendance, Work Quality, and Prioritizing), 2) Poor Time Management, 3) Negative Perception of Self, 4) See the world differently, 5) Empathetic Learners, 6) Career Choices. The researchers concluded with a discussion on how to influence a student\u27s achievement in the classroom as well as programs and resources missing from the education system that are yet to be found

Alternative Approaches for Health, Mental Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention for Boys and Young Men

There is considerable current policy debate and public discourse about the nature of health, wellbeing and suicide in boys and young men. Unfortunately, little of the discussion seems to be founded on established models of best practice for working with young males in this space. Further, arguments proffered, and decisions made regularly tend to omit the voice of young males from the process. For optimal health outcomes and suicide prevention to be achieved for young males and subsequently across their whole lifespan, substantial evidence needs to be gathered and considered in establishing benchmarks for policy, funding, and service delivery. The article will explore some of the established literature that covers this area, as well as emerging research that is adding to current knowledge as the article looks at the emerging non-medial alternative approaches such as mentoring as an early intervention, the impact of social determinants of health and collaborative group-based activities and also a change in media content from highlighting hegemonic/toxic masculinity to more positive emotional stories of men showing a resilient attitude to life’s problems.  The article discuses a growing need to move away from medical approaches especially in the case of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder that is 3-9 times more prevalent amongst young boys who are diagnosed with it than girls. There is a need to find a more balanced physical/medical health and mental/emotional wellbeing approach for young men to deal with the transition from boyhood to manhood.  &nbsp

AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S PERCEPTIONS OF HIV PREVENTION COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROVIDERS

In spite of a decline in HIV incidence rates among African American women, they still bear the most significant disease burden among U.S. women. Findings from numerous studies indicate probable explanations for the disparity, such as the impact of poverty, limited healthcare access, low literacy, and living in areas with high HIV rates. Additionally, many study results provide insight regarding prevention strategies. However, the aim of this study is to explore African American women’s perceptions regarding what HIV prevention communication, if any, occurred with their reproductive health providers (RHPs). In this study, 20 African American women with unknown HIV status participated in face-to-face interviews designed to explore their perceptions about HIV prevention communication with their RHPs. Audio-taped interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using NVivo10 software. Guided by constructs of the Health Belief Model, inductive and deductive coding yielded four key themes: (1) patients’ lack of expectation to receive information; (2) failure of RHPs to initiate and offer information; (3) patients’ desire to receive information; and (4) patients’ recommendations regarding their preferred methods to receive HIV prevention communication. Results indicated that RHPs missed prime opportunities to initiate and offer HIV prevention information during routine reproductive health visits with women at greatest risk. These findings and recommendations for practice will be useful when designing, implementing and evaluating HIV prevention patient education protocols. The recommendations provide strategies to help RHPs seize every opportunity to address HIV prevention with this highly vulnerable population

A tale of two narratives: student voice – what Lies before us?

As the last century closed, and a bright new millennium dawned, the concept of ‘student voice’ within education emerged as something to be ‘identified’ and ‘captured’. In effect, it became reified and driven by a raft of government and institutional policies and strategic initiatives; initially within the compulsory sector, but soon followed by the post-compulsory sector as the 2000s moved on. In an increasingly quasi-consumerist environment, a mechanism had emerged with potential to ‘measure’ student satisfaction. Institutions quickly took up the ‘call to arms’, assigning responsibilities to ensure there was evidence of ‘student voice’ engagement; but there was no conversation with the ‘students’ about how this was experienced by them. This concept had become a ‘portmanteau’ term; a ‘catch all’ (Fielding, 2009) competing between two narratives – student voice as democratic and transformational; and student voice as ‘policy’ and strategic initiative. Formal research that could contribute to this discussion has been sparse and this paper takes a critical stance to the literature and policy, exploring the current status of student voice and proposing a research focus that has the potential to involve students in a discussion about how their voice is heard, and for what purpose