School-Based Performance Award Programs, Teacher Motivation, and School Performance: Findings From a Study of Three Programs

Building on a strong foundation of research and experience with educational reform across the nation, in the 1990s educational policymakers undertook sophisticated comprehensive educational reform efforts. The centerpiece of these reforms was the creation of state educational standards, assessments, and goals, and the realignment of state and local resources to support the achievement of these goals. A number of states and districts have embraced the idea of performance-based accountability (Fuhrman, 1999), in which rewards and sometimes sanctions are used as incentives for measurable improvement in student achievement. Some jurisdictions have modified their teacher compensation systems in order to provide incentives that support improving student achievement. Learning from the relative failure of prior efforts to realign teacher compensation via individual performance pay systems (Murnane and Cohen, 1986), states and districts undertaking compensation reform in the 1990s have tended to focus on innovations such as school-based performance awards (SBPAs) and pay based on knowledge and skills, which are thought to be better ways of supporting collaborative cultures in schools (Odden and Kelley, 1997). This report provides an overview of the findings of a series of studies of SBPA programs conducted by the Consortium for policy Research in Education between 1995 and 1998. The research reported here focuses on two such programs, in Kentucky and Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina), that pay teachers bonuses, and on one program, in Maryland, that provides the award to schools to use for activities and improvements

K-3 Teachers\u27 perspectives on Culturally Responsive Teaching for Linguistically Diverse Learners

AbstractU.S. schools are diverse due to an increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners. Researchers recommend using culturally responsive teaching (CRT) that connects race and literacy, culture, and language with CLD learners. If K-3 teachers do not use CRT practices, CLD students’ English proficiency will be delayed, which may negatively influence self-esteem, academic achievement, social skills, and mobility through society. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore Title1 K-3 primary and resource teachers’ perspectives of CRT practices used with CLD learners. Gay’s theory of CRT, featuring teacher attitudes, culturally diverse curriculum content, culturally congruent instruction, pedagogical skills, and tenacity in ensuring quality education, was used to frame this study. A purposeful sample of 8 K-3 participants, including 6 primary teachers and 2 resource teachers with experience working in schools with a high population of CLD learners, volunteered and participated in semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed through coding and theme development. The results showed that participants supplemented the existing CLD curriculum with visual aids and literacy resources, used vocabulary, language, and student-centered techniques for instruction, and integrated parent involvement activities to develop home/school relationships and increase student academic performance. Teachers shared a need for more CRT training; thus, it is recommended that K-3 teachers receive training on new knowledge, strategies, and skills that prepare them to meet the needs of their CLD students. This endeavor may lead to positive social change when district administrators provide K-3 teachers with professional development to learn and apply new CRT practices in the classroom to increase CLD learners’ English proficiency

Selecting information in electronic health records for knowledge acquisition

AbstractKnowledge acquisition of relations between biomedical entities is critical for many automated biomedical applications, including pharmacovigilance and decision support. Automated acquisition of statistical associations from biomedical and clinical documents has shown some promise. However, acquisition of clinically meaningful relations (i.e. specific associations) remains challenging because textual information is noisy and co-occurrence does not typically determine specific relations. In this work, we focus on acquisition of two types of relations from clinical reports: disease-manifestation related symptom (MRS) and drug-adverse drug event (ADE), and explore the use of filtering by sections of the reports to improve performance. Evaluation indicated that applying the filters improved recall (disease-MRS: from 0.85 to 0.90; drug-ADE: from 0.43 to 0.75) and precision (disease-MRS: from 0.82 to 0.92; drug-ADE: from 0.16 to 0.31). This preliminary study demonstrates that selecting information in narrative electronic reports based on the sections improves the detection of disease-MRS and drug-ADE types of relations. Further investigation of complementary methods, such as more sophisticated statistical methods, more complex temporal models and use of information from other knowledge sources, is needed

Adaptación universitaria y estilo de vida en estudiantes del primer año de la Universidad Peruana Unión filial Tarapoto, 2018.

El presente trabajo de investigación tuvo como objetivo determinar la relación entre adaptación universitaria y estilo de vida en estudiantes del primer año de la Universidad Peruana Unión filial Tarapoto. Corresponde a un diseño no experimental, de alcance correlacional y corte transversal. Para la selección de la muestra se empleó un muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, la cual estuvo constituida por 169 estudiantes de ambos sexos con edades entre 16 y 35 años. Se emplearon instrumentos psicológicos para evaluar las variables, para medir el estilo de vida se utilizó el Cuestionario de Estilo de Vida (PEPSI-I) de Pender-1996; y para evaluar la adaptación universitaria se administró el Cuestionario de Vivencias Académicas-versión reducida (QVA-r). Los resultados mostraron correlación directa altamente significativa entre el estilo de vida y la adaptación universitaria (Rho= ,517; p=>0.05), es decir, cuando el estudiante presenta un adecuado estilo de vida caracterizado por actitudes, pensamientos y conductas en favor de su salud, le resultará factible adaptarse a las exigencias de la universidad. De igual forma, se halló correlación directa y altamente significativa entre las dimensiones del estilo de vida: nutrición, ejercicio, responsabilidad en la salud, manejo de estrés, soporte interpersonal y autoactualización; y la adaptación universitaria.TesisTARAPOTOEscuela Profesional de PsicologíaPsicología clínica y de la Salu

An Emerging Picture of Neoproterozoic Ocean Chemistry: Insights from the Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, USA

Detailed iron, sulfur and carbon chemistry through the > 742 million year old ChuarGroup reveals a marine basin dominated by anoxic and ferrous iron-rich (ferruginous) bottom waters punctuated, late in the basin's development, by an intrusion of sulfide-rich (euxinic) conditions. The observation that anoxia occurred frequently in even the shallowest of Chuar environments (10s of meters or less) suggests that global atmospheric oxygen levels were significantly lower than today. In contrast, the transition from ferruginous to euxinic subsurface water is interpreted to reflect basinal control—specifically, increased export of organic carbon from surface waters. Low fluxes of organic carbon into subsurface water masses should have been insufficient to deplete oxygen via aerobic respiration, resulting in an oxic oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Where iron was available, larger organic carbon fluxes should have depleted oxygen and facilitated anaerobic respiration using ferric iron as the oxidant, with iron carbonate as the expected mineralogical signature in basinal shale. Even higher organic fluxes would, in turn, have depleted ferric iron and up-regulated anaerobic respiration by sulfate reduction, reflected in high pyrite abundances. Observations from the ChuarGroup are consistent with these hypotheses, and gain further support from pyrite and sulfate sulfur isotope abundances. In general, Chuar data support the hypothesis that ferruginous subsurface waters returned to the oceans, replacing euxinia, well before the Ediacaran emergence of persistently oxygenated conditions, and even predating the Sturtian glaciation. Moreover, our data suggest that the reprise of ferruginous water masses may relate to widespread rifting during the break-up of Rodinia. This environmental transition, in turn, correlates with both microfossil and biomarker evidence for an expanding eukaryotic presence in the oceans, suggesting a physiologically mediated link among tectonics, environmental chemistry and life in the dynamic Neoproterozoic Earth system.Earth and Planetary Science

Archeological Survey and Survey-Level Testing for the Proposed Juan Seguin Park Plaza Project, Harris County, Texas

J. K. Wagner and Company, Inc. was retained by Harris County Precinct 2 to provide archeological investigations and historic research for the proposed Juan Seguin Park Plaza Project. The project area is owned by Harris County, and the project will be financed with county funds. The project will consist of new construction to update and modify the existing park. The proposed Juan Seguin Park Plaza Project area is located on the west side of Texas Highway 134 at the south Lynchburg Ferry landing in east Harris County, Texas, and is approximately two acres in size. As the investigation revealed, the entire project area was apparently buried to a height above surrounding grades of about six to eight feet by the addition of fill. On September 4, 2010, J. K. Wagner and Company, Inc. conducted an archeological survey with backhoe trenching under the auspices of Texas Antiquities Permit Number 5745. The entire site was subjected to pedestrian survey, and six backhoe trenches were excavated to six to eight feet below existing grade. All backhoe trenches revealed multiple layers of modern fill that included materials such as concrete rubble, asphalt chunks, metal and plastic water pipe segments, and other debris. No evidence of pre-1870s artifacts or features of the Historic period, or of prehistoric or aboriginal sites was encountered. Nothing was collected or curated. Based on those findings, J. K. Wagner and Company, Inc. believes that the area investigated likely contains no cultural evidence or resources worthy of further investigation or eligible for land marking at the local, state, or national levels. Further, J. K. Wagner and Company, Inc. recommends that the proposed project should proceed without further cultural resource investigation. However, if areas outside of those subjected to backhoe trenching in the initial investigation will be impacted deeper than six feet below current grade, those areas should be examined prior to impact

A life and death matter : evaluation of a training program for emergency medical services providers

xi, 118 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.The effectiveness of a legislated training program for emergency medical services (EMS) practitioners in Southern Alberta was evaluated in three communities. The theoretical guide for the research was the Kirkpatrick Training Evaluation Model (1959; 1975; 1996; 1998), which evaluates training programs at four levels- reaction, learning, behavior and results. The research design involved analyses of patient care reports, and interviews with EMS practitioners, allied professionals and patients. Findings indicated positive outcomes at all four levels of the Kirkpatrick model. The results indicated that the training program has resulted in improved EMS delivery by trainees who positively transferred newly acquired skills and knowledge. Accordingly, it was concluded that the legislated training standards have created positive outcomes, and it was recommended that funding for the training program should continue. It was also concluded that the training program has helped to develop a positive learning environment in the three EMS agencies studied

Biological action of 1.1-dimethylhydrazine

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31963/1/0000005.pd

Vitamin B6, and the toxicity of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33416/1/0000817.pd

The Power of Feminist Judgments?

Recent years have seen the advent of two feminist judgment-writing projects, the Women’s Court of Canada, and the Feminist Judgments Project in England. This article analyses these projects in light of Carol Smart’s feminist critique of law and legal reform and her proposed feminist strategies in Feminism and the Power of Law (1989). At the same time, it reflects on Smart’s arguments 20 years after their first publication and considers the extent to which feminist judgment-writing projects may reinforce or trouble her conclusions. It argues that both of these results are discernible—that while some of Smart’s contentions have proved to be unsustainable, others remain salient and have both inspired and hold important cautions for feminist judgment-writing projects