Are Teach For America Corps Members Highly Qualified to Teach English Learners?: An Analysis of Teacher Preparation for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations

Teach For America (TFA) places novice teachers, referred to as corps members, in several regions across the United States that have among the highest English learner populations in the nation. In light of this fact, we offer an examination of federal policy and recommend programmatic strategies to better prepare TFA corps members to serve English learners. First, we describe the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act amendment that allows TFA corps members to be considered highly qualified without adequate training to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Next, we analyze the organizational curriculum and teacher preparation approach specific to English learners. We then compare TFA’s approach to those used in emerging residency models and community-based programs that prepare teachers for specific local contexts and student populations. We conclude with recommendations for TFA to improve its teaching corps for English learners and other culturally and linguistically diverse students

Teach For America and English Language Learners: Shortcomings of the Organization’s Training Model

Teach For America (TFA) places novice teachers, referred to as corps members, in several regions across the United States that have among the highest English language learner (ELL) populations in the nation. In this paper, we present a policy and program analysis of TFA’s training related to ELLs, arguing that the organization inadequately prepares teachers to work with this student population even though it places corps members in regions with high ELL populations. First, we describe the current Elementary and Secondary Education Act amendment that allows TFA corps members to be considered highly qualified without ELL-related training. Next, we analyze TFA’s curriculum and teacher preparation approach specific to ELLs. We then describe alternative approaches, including an emerging residency model and a community-based program, which prepare teachers for specific local contexts and student populations. Drawing on these exemplars, we conclude with recommendations for TFA to modify its model in ways that would sufficiently prepare its corps to teach ELLs

Campus & alumni news

Boston University Medicine was published by the Boston University Medical Campus, and presented stories on events and topics of interest to members of the BU Medical Campus community. It followed the discontinued publication Centerscope as Boston University Medicine from 1991-2005, then continued as Campus & Alumni News from 2006-2013 before returning to the title Boston University Medicine from 2014-present

Campus & alumni news

Boston University Medicine was published by the Boston University Medical Campus, and presented stories on events and topics of interest to members of the BU Medical Campus community. It followed the discontinued publication Centerscope as Boston University Medicine from 1991-2005, then continued as Campus & Alumni News from 2006-2013 before returning to the title Boston University Medicine from 2014-present

A discourse analysis of how Educational Psychologists talk about Trauma-informed Practice

The legacy of the Adverse Childhood Experiences study has been an increased focus on the impact of trauma and adversity on children and young people’s mental health. The United Kingdom government has pledged to transform the support offered for young people’s mental health through initiatives such as National Health Service (NHS) England trailblazer sites (Department of Health & Department for Education, 2017). Trauma-informed Practice (TiP) emerged as a systemic approach to supporting young people who may have experienced trauma and adversity. Existing literature shows educational settings conceptualise TiP differently and how it is implemented varies across contexts. Despite being key professionals supporting young people and schools, Educational Psychologists’ role and views on TiP have not yet been explored. This study used a social constructionist epistemology to explore how a group of Educational Psychologists talked about TiP. The research aims focused on what social actions were used when talking about TiP and how the group co-constructed what TiP means. A semi-structured focus group was conducted with four Educational Psychologists who had received training in TiP from their Local Authority. All participants were recruited from a single Local Authority, located within an NHS England trailblazer site. The focus group discussion lasted approximately 60 minutes and was audio-recorded and transcribed. Data was analysed using discursive psychology, a form of discourse analysis. Findings suggest EPs’ co-constructed a unique version of TiP by making Extreme Case Formulations which helped perform peripheral social actions (allying and avoiding commitment) and core social actions (committing, disagreeing, promoting the EP role, blaming others and defending TiP). Findings were considered in the context of positioning theory, bioecological model and existing literature. Strengths and limitations of the research approach are discussed alongside key implications for how the Educational Psychology profession move forward with TiP

Tristability in viscoelastic flow past side-by-side microcylinders

Viscoelastic flows through microscale porous arrays exhibit complex path-selection and switching phenomena. However, understanding this process is limited by a lack of studies linking between a single object and large arrays. Here, we report experiments on viscoelastic flow past side-by-side microcylinders with variable intercylinder gap. With increasing flow rate, a sequence of two imperfect symmetry-breaking bifurcations forces selection of either one or two of the three possible flow paths around the cylinders. Tuning the gap length through the value where the first bifurcation becomes perfect reveals regions of bi and tristability in a dimensionless flow rate-gap length `phase' diagram.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Asymmetric flow of polymer solutions around microfluidic cylinders: Interaction between shear-thinning and viscoelasticity

Viscoelastic flow around a cylinder is a model problem representing a wide range of relevant industrial processing and biological applications. Reducing the cylinder to microscopic dimensions conveniently enables the problem to be examined in the absence of inertia. Recently, we have developed glass microfluidic geometries containing long and slender, yet rigidly fixed, microfluidic cylinders, which present a low blockage ratio β=2r/W=0.1, where r=20μm is the cylinder radius and W=400μm is the channel width. Using a shear-banding viscoelastic wormlike micellar (WLM) solution, we showed how the flow around such a cylinder could destabilize beyond a critical Weissenberg number (Wi=λU/r, where λ is a characteristic time of the fluid and U is the average flow velocity), resulting in the asymmetric division of the fluid around either side of the cylinder [Haward et al, Soft Matter 15:1927]. In the present work we investigate this flow instability in greater detail using a range of polymer solutions formulated from hydrolyzed poly(acrylamide) (HPAA) dissolved at different concentrations in deionized water. The test fluids present a range of shear-thinning responses under steady shear, and also a wide variety of characteristic times. At low HPAA concentrations, the flow around the cylinder remains essentially symmetric for all Wi, but as the concentration increases, so does the maximum degree of the flow asymmetry observed with increasing Wi. Interestingly, at intermediate concentrations, the flow can resymmetrize at very high Wi. We understand these effects by considering simultaneously both the degree of shear-thinning of the fluid and the imposed Wi, and our analysis shows that both strong shear-thinning and high elasticity are required for the formation of strongly asymmetric flows. Our results represent the first report of this highly asymmetric flow state in polymer solutions, showing that it is a general phenomenon and not only specific to WLM. Our analysis provides a clear insight into the origins of this unusual flow state and may also be relevant to understanding other instances of asymmetries arising in shear-thinning viscoelastic flows

Healthcare Barriers of Residents at a Subsidized Housing Community

Introduction: Despite expanded healthcare programs, the low income and elderly lack coverage of vision, hearing, and dental services. Community services are often asked to fill these gaps. To evaluate the situation in Burlington, VT, we surveyed staff and residents in Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) subsidized housing to (1) identify gaps in healthcare coverage and (2) assess barriers to accessing those services in this population.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1207/thumbnail.jp

Review: The Journal of Dramaturgy, volume 19, issue 2

Contents include: For the Record; An Introduction; Recognition for City of Wine, Brian Quirt, recipient of the 2009 Elliott Hayes Award Introduced by LMDA President Shelley Orr; Brian Quirt\u27s Elliott Hayes Acceptance Speech Washington, D.C. Watergate Restaurant July 18, 2009; Being Dramaturgical, A Conversation about Geoff Proehl\u27s New Book Toward a Dramaturgical Sensibility; Beyond Hamlet: Three Theatre Developments in Denmark; The Alexandrinsky and Renaissancing the Cultural Theatre Medium; The Acting and Dramaturgy of Odin Teatret; A Production Dramaturg and an Installation Dramaturg Discuss Their Approaches to Making Art. Issue editors: D.J. Hopkins, Lauren Beckhttps://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdareview/1039/thumbnail.jp

Stable Isotopes Confirm a Coastal Diet for Critically Endangered Mediterranean Monk Seals

Understanding the ecology and behaviour of endangered species is essential for developing effective management and conservation strategies.We used stable isotope analysis to investigate the foraging behaviour of critically endangered Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) in Greece.We measured carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (expressed as δ13C and δ15N values, respectively) derived from the hair of deceased adult and juvenile seals and the muscle of their known prey to quantify their diets.We tested the hypothesis that monk seals primarily foraged for prey that occupy coastal habitats in Greece.We compared isotope values from seal hair to their coastal and pelagic prey (after correcting all prey for isotopic discrimination) and used these isotopic data and a stable isotope mixing model to estimate the proportion of coastal and pelagic resources consumed by seals. As predicted, we found that seals had similar δ13C values as many coastal prey species and higher δ13C values than pelagic species; these results, in conjunction with mean dietary estimates (coastal = 61 % vs. pelagic = 39 %), suggest that seals have a diverse diet comprising prey from multiple trophic levels that primarily occupy the coast. Marine resource managers should consider using the results from this study to inform the future management of coastal habitats in Greece to protect Mediterranean monk seals